Phillips wouldn’t mind having another shot at a head coaching job. (US Presswire)

Wade Phillips has had three opportunities as a full-time head coach, and during his two-year stint with the Broncos, his three years with the Bills and his 3½ in Dallas, he’s amassed an 82-61 record (that includes a 3-4 interim record). In fact, in nine seasons as a head coach, he’s only had two losing seasons.

So, he’s been pretty good, but there’s little doubt he’s putting together some of the best years of his coaching career coordinating the Texans defense, turning Houston from one of the worst defenses in 2010 to one of the best in 2011. Through four games this season, the Texans rank first in yards allowed per game and first in points allowed per game.

And yeah, he’s thought about wanting another shot at being a head coach.

"I'd love to be a head coach again," Phillips told USA Today. "I don't think I'll get that opportunity. I think just age. And I think people tend to think I wasn't successful as a head coach but only as a defensive coordinator.

"They don't look at my record. They say, 'Oh, you got fired here. You got fired there. So you're not a good head coach.' ”

As we pointed out, the 65-year-old’s record as a head coach is 21 games over .500 with a winning percentage of .573 (to compare, his beloved and well-respected father, Bum Phillips, had an 82-77 record for a winning percentage of .516 percentage) . Plus, his players seem to enjoy playing for him.

But one thing that might stick with Wade Phillips -- who flirted with the Buccaneers for their job in the offseason before he withdrew his name -- was the Cowboys “Hard Knocks” appearance in 2008 when he appeared more like a bumbling, gentlemanly coach than a coach who would lead Dallas to the Super Bowl.

And if you want a coach who can get your team to a conference championship game, Phillips has never done it. In fact, his 1-5 playoff record is certainly unhealthy -- the Cowboys fan base still shivers with nausea when remembering that despite earning the No. 1 seed in the postseason, Phillips' Cowboys lost to the eventual Super Bowl champions Giants before reaching the NFC title game.

Still, at this point, it’s more a matter of perception when it comes to Phillips’ head coaching chops. But that’s OK. If Phillips doesn’t get another opportunity, it seems like he’s at peace with it.

“That's all right,” Phillips said. “I love it here.”

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