Jacksonville Jaguars

2002 record: 6-10 Departing Head Coach: Tom Coughlin, 72-64 (1995-2002) New Head Coach: Jack Del Rio Previous NFL head coaching experience: None. Background: Played linebacker in NFL for 11 seasons (1985-95). Assistant coach for two seasons in New Orleans (1997-98), linebackers coach for Baltimore Ravens (1999-2001) and Carolina defensive coordinator in 2002, guiding Panthers to the No. 2 defensive ranking, dramatically up from 31st.

Mike Tice, a rookie head coach for the Minnesota Vikings last year, was asked if he had any advice for first-year coach Jack Del Rio prior to their preseason opener.

"Take a deep breath and hang on," Tice said.

It was hard to tell if he was kidding.

Let the record show that Del Rio hung on, even if he was barely breathing. His Jacksonville Jaguars outlasted Tice's Vikings 16-14 on Aug. 9.

"Obviously, you know it doesn't count and you know you have a lot of work to do," Del Rio said afterward. "It's a lot more fun to do it after a win. There's a lot of things, obviously, we'll get better at."

As the Carolina Panthers' ascendant defensive coordinator last season, Del Rio was considered a future NFL head coach, but most teams thought he needed a few more years of seasoning. But despite only six seasons as an NFL assistant coach, Jacksonville owner Wayne Weaver was so impressed with Del Rio's interview that he offered him the position vacated by Tom Coughlin. At 40, Del Rio is the league's second-youngest head coach, only four months older than Tampa Bay's Jon Gruden.

It's a tough act to follow for the 11-year NFL linebacker. Based on their brief history, the Jags are certifiably the most successful NFL expansion franchise ever. In eight seasons under Coughlin, Jacksonville made the playoffs four times and reached the AFC championship game twice. But three consecutive losing seasons and the inability to draft a Pro Bowl player since 1996 left the Jags in the market for a new leader.

The Jags hope Del Rio can bridge the gap that grew between the players and the coaching staff. Coughlin had a strict, old-school approach that didn't work well with many of his players -- particularly after eight seasons. As a former (and recent) player, Del Rio already enjoys a good relationship with his players; he recently took the team deep sea fishing. He will bring some new energy to Jacksonville.

"We want to be aggressive on both sides of the ball," Del Rio said. "When you say that as a defensive coach, whenever you say aggressive, people right away ask if you're going to blitz a lot. We will blitz enough, but being aggressive is more of a mindset."

Based on the team's thin personnel and recent salary cap issues, it may be awhile before that aggressive mindset translates to more than a handful of wins.

Greg Garber is a senior writer at ESPN.com.