Wade Phillips has swung and missed twice as a head coach, and you don't usually get three strikes in that world. I get it. And he'll also turn 67 this offseason. I know that's not ideal. But how is it that nobody is giving any love to Phillips as a defensive coordinator after the staff in Houston was gutted?
We're talking about a guy who has had a top-10 defense in seven of his last eight seasons, dating back to 2006 in San Diego. His 3-4 D brought the Texans' defense to a whole other level the last three years. The results are hard to argue with.
He seems to bring a magic touch to defenses, with little delay.
Under Phillips in 1989, the Broncos had the best defense in the league. In 1988, before he arrived, they were ranked 20th.
Between 1994 and 1995, the Bills rose from 22nd to 12th in that area. The major difference? Phillips.
In 2001, the Falcons defense ranked 24th in points allowed. Phillips came on board in 2002 and they shot up to eighth in that category.
The Chargers went from 31st in 2003 to 11th in Phillips' first year, 2004.
The Cowboys shot up from 20th to 13th in terms of points allowed.
The year before he arrived in Houston, the Texans ranked 29th in the league in points allowed and 30th in yards allowed. And in his first season, they finished fourth and second, respectively.
That's off the charts. The guy simply knows how to run a defense. How can anyone argue that the Redskins are better off with Jim Haslett than Phillips? Are the Bears and Raiders really in better shape with Mel Tucker and Jason Tarver?
Phillips himself has voiced his disappointment that he didn't even land an interview this offseason despite such a solid track record.
Disappointed not even an interview after 7 straight full seasons of top 10 D with 3 different teams. Last 5 times as D C= playoffs1st yr
— Wade Phillips (@sonofbum) January 15, 2014
But he also says he's not done yet, so the league's 32 head coaches should take note. It's never too late.
