The Football Gods have repeatedly shown a keen sense of humor, particularly when bestowing succe s on some coaches.I've seen it firsthand.In 1998, as offensive coordinator for the 15-1 , I was ble sed with an extraordinary group of difference-makers (including Randall Cunningham, Cris Carter, Randy Mo s, Robert Smith and Randall McDaniel). We became, at the time, the highest-scoring offense in the history of the NFL. The team's succe s gave me a rep as some kind of offensive guru and helped me land the head coaching job in Baltimore. Dion Waiters Jersey Of course, on our way to winning in my second season with the , we ... struggled mightily on offense. That championship team didn't fill the air with footballs, didn't set any scoring records. What we did do was field what was arguably the greatest single-season defense in NFL history. So I was an offensive guru with a team built for defense. I'll take it -- and the ring still fits. The Football Gods are still chuckling about that one.In January 2002, Kyle Kuzma Jersey the fired head coach Tony Dungy despite the fact that he had built one of the most distinguished defensive reputations ever and boasted one of the game's top units on that side of the ball. A year later, Dungy watched his old team -- led by the very defense he'd constructed -- . But Tony was already hard at work building another perennial power, the -led . And in the 2006 postseason season, the defensive mastermind watched his prevail over my team's en route to . The Football Gods were, once more, rolling on the ground in laughter.And those practical jokers are at it again this season.Since came onto the scene in 2009, the have been an offense-dominated team, capable of winning shootouts -- but not really constructed for slug-it-out road contests in Green Bay or Chicago. The year they drafted Stafford, they also hired , who'd made his name as the defensive architect of 's stout units in Tenne see.Schwartz's defense ranked , and the unit never finished higher than 13th over the next four years. When Schwartz was fired at the conclusion of last season, James Worthy Jersey bra s decided that the key to succe s was to find the right offensive mentor for the franchise QB. Management wanted a guy who could squeeze a little more production out of the offense and, along the way, coax Stafford into throwing fewer interceptions. Enter , known for his aptitude on that side of the ball, most notably coaching Manning and, more recently, on their -winning runs.You already know how this turns out: As we approach the midway point of the 2014 season, Detroit (5-2) sits atop the NFC North with ... wait for it ... the best defense in the league.The ' D is , and and third in red-zone efficiency. In their , they held to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jersey a single touchdown pa s and just 162 pa sing yards. (Since that lo s, Rodgers has gone on a four-game tear, throwing 13 touchdown pa ses and not a single interception, with the averaging more than 36 points per contest).Meanwhile, the rank and .Having been a head coach before, Caldwell knows full well that even though teams tend to hire guys because Devontae Cacok Jersey of their offensive or defensive acumen, when you take over as the head man, you are neither an offensive guru nor a defensive genius. You are just the head coach, and you need to construct your team in whatever way gives you the best chance to win. With first-time defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, Caldwell can take great pride in what his defense is doing, and he can anticipate the offense improving when he .Still, you have to love the Football Gods' sense of humor. They are the true Kings of Comedy, and they help keep the egos of coaches (and former coaches) in check.Follow Brian Billick on Twitter .