Lions hire Vince Tobin as defensive coordinator.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

DETROIT _ When the faxing and the signatures were finally complete, when Lions head coach Marty Mornhinweg introduced Vince Tobin as his defensive coordinator and then disappeared, it was clear even then that something different was at work.

As a 14-year NFL coaching veteran who most recently had been the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, Tobin certainly didn't need Mornhinweg to stick around and observe the proceedings of Thursday's news conference. And with another round of coaching interviews to conduct _ not to mention a candidate waiting in Mornhinweg's office _ Tobin was more than happy to go it alone.

Besides, as both relayed, a kind of comfortable and confident relationship had already formed between them. This, from two men who had barely known each other before this week.

"Back when I originally thought of staff members, even in the interview process in discussion with Matt (Millen, the Lions' new president), Vince Tobin's name was always at the top of the list," Mornhinweg said of his first major hire. "He has led some of the very best defenses in the NFL. He's had experience as a head coach. He's a man that I will lean on _ bounce multiple things off of him throughout the season _ because he's had those experiences."

Tobin, 57, whose older brother, Bill, will formally be introduced today as the Lions' new director of player personnel, long has been known as one of the league's elite defensive coaches. And with the Lions, he returns to his defensive coordinating roots _ a position he last held in 1995 with the Indianapolis Colts.

"I've had the fortunate ability in my career to always be the guy that's put the defense in," Tobin said. "I've never had to adapt to another defense or learn another defense. I'll bring the defense that I know best and coach the best.

"I hope it will be a very aggressive defense. A lot of people associate aggressiveness with blitzing all the time. Well, you don't have to blitz all the time to be an aggressive defense. It's part of your package."