Dennis Thurman Dennis Lee Thurman ( born April 13 , 1956 in Los Angeles , California ) is a retired American football cornerback in the National Football League . He is currently the defensive coordinator of the New York Jets . Early life . Thurman played high school football at Santa Monica High School where he was a quarterback and defensive back and was a part of three CIF Division I championship teams that combined to go 39 - 1 - 1 . He is the older brother of Ulysses " Junior " Thurman who also starred at Santa Monica High ( 1981 ) and went on to star at the University of Southern California where he played safety next to All - America n Tim McDonald . College career . Thurman played college football at University of Southern California where he graduated in 1977 as a two - time All - America safety and flanker and was part of the 1974 National Champion team . Thurman played for John McKay and later for John Robinson and was teammates with Ronnie Lott while at USC while Lott was an underclassmen . Lott credits Thurman for his development as a player in his Pro Football Hall of Fame speech stating Thurman was someone who " helped me become a better football player . " He was a member of the 1974 USC National Championship team and played on Trojan teams that won four bowl game s ( two Roses , a Liberty and a Bluebonnet ) . In his Trojan career , he had 13 interceptions , returning two for touchdowns , and led the Pac - 10 Conference in interceptions with eight in 1976 . Thurman also had 169 career tackles , 11 pass deflections and four fumble recoveries . He was USC ' s MVP in 1977 and won USC ' s Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1977 . He played in the 1978 Senior Bowl and was a 1977 Playboy Pre - Season All - America n . He led USC in interceptions in 1976 ( eight , tops in the Pac - 8 ) and led USC in punt return s in 1976 ( 68 yards ) . Thurman is tied for sixth on USC ' s career interception list ( 13 , including two intercepted fumble s ) . Professional career . Dallas Cowboys . Thurman a fifth - year player from USC , was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the 11th round of the 1978 NFL Draft , and although his experience was at safety , he originally made the team as a cornerback . He played in Super Bowl XIII in 1979 and recovered an onside kick . In 1980 he won the starting free safety position . The next year Charlie Waters retired and cornerback Benny Barnes , was moved to strong safety , so Thurman was pressed into starting at cornerback where he would remain for the rest of his Cowboys career . 1981 was also the year he made his only Pro Bowl . Thurman had three interception s , including a 39 - yard touchdown and one to clinch the victory at Texas Stadium , Irving , Texas in the 1983 NFL playoffs semi - finals against the Green Bay Packers . During the 1985 season quarterback Danny White nicknamed Thurman along with fellow safety Michael Downs and cornerback s Everson Walls , Ron Fellows , " Thurman ' s Thieves " , for their opportunistic play in the secondary . Saint Louis Cardinals . He played with the Saint Louis Cardinals as cornerback and safety in 1986 . Thurman never missed a game during his 137 - game career and finished with 36 interceptions , which he returned for 562 yards and four touchdowns . He also recovered seven fumble s . Coaching career . He made his NFL coaching debut with the Arizona Cardinals , coaching defensive backs for two seasons ( 1988 – 89 ) . He coached from 1993 to 2000 for his alma mater , the USC Trojans where he mentored future NFL ers Chris Cash , Kris Richard , Daylon McCutcheon , Brian Kelly and Troy Polamalu . Thurman was part of the Baltimore Ravens coaching staff from 2002 to 2008 . He is currently the New York Jets defensive coordinator .