Wade Phillips could get another chance to be a head coach

Houston Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips has served as the head coach for five NFL teams over the course of his career, compiling a record of 82-59. It’s not a terrible mark by any stretch of the imagination, but Phillips has only won one postseason game as a head coach in his. Even worse, Phillips, who has made a living as a great defensive mind, is most remembered as the head coach of the Bills when the Tennessee Titans pulled off the Music City Miracle to beat the Buffalo in the AFC wild-card round following the 1999 season.

Still, through all the years of being a head coach and failing to bring home a trophy, Wade Phillips may get one last chance to lead an NFL team.

A season ago, Phillips was given credit for transforming the Texans into one of the best defensive units in the NFL. That, combined with the Texans’ great offense, propelled Houston easily into the playoffs.

This season is much different. The Texans are, well, awful. Their defense isn’t performing up to par, but even more so, the Texans’ offense has been handing out interceptions like candy. After four straight losses, many are now wondering just how long head coach Gary Kubiak can hang onto the job.

And that’s where Phillips may have his opening.

If the Texans’ current slide continues, Kubiak may be dismissed well before the end of the season. If that’s the case, it would make too much sense to let Phillips take over as the interim head coach. As we’ve seen in the past, interim head coaches are essentially conducting an extended audition. Usually, that doesn’t work in the favor of the interim coach simply because the team they’re coaching is talent-deprived, but not so with the Texans.

If Phillips took over a 2-6 Texans team, he would have a great opportunity to show huge growth. The Texans could even make the playoffs after a 2-6 start, considering the level of talent on the team. Plus, the race for that final wild-card spot might be wide open.

It’s strange to consider how many opportunities Wade Phillips has had to be a head coach in the NFL, and at 66 years of age, he won’t get many more opportunities. In fact, if he gets the chance, this will likely be his last such opportunity to lead an NFL team, and with the way the Texans’ season is going, Phillips may get his shot.

About Shane Clemons

Shane Clemons came from humble beginnings creating his own Jaguars blog before moving on to SBNation as a featured writer for the Jaguars. He then moved to Bloguin where he briefly covered the AFC South before taking over Bloguin's Jaguars blog. Since the inception of This Given Sunday, Shane has served as an editor for the site, doing his best not to mess up a good thing.

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