Wade Phillips was recently named the new defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos, which basically brings his NFL coaching career pretty much full circle. After getting his NFL start as a defensive line coach for the Houston Oilers, Phillips worked as a defensive coordinator for New Orleans and Philadelphia before landing in Denver.
He worked as Denver's defensive coordinator from 1989 through 1992, then as the Broncos' head coach in 1993 and 1994. After that, he made stops in Buffalo (DC then head coach), Atlanta (DC and interim head coach), San Diego (DC), Dallas (head coach) and Houston (DC and interim head coach). Now, he's back with the Broncos, again working under Gary Kubiak, who he worked under and succeeded as head coach with the Texans.
In availability with the Denver media, Phillips said, “I was a lousy head coach but I’m a pretty good defensive coordinator. That’s what I do well.”
It's rare to see this level of humility and/or self-awareness from NFL coaches. Only a coach in Phillips' position -- likely near the end of his career due to age -- would ever make this sort of admission to begin with, but here's the thing: it's kind of debatable whether Phillips was a lousy head coach.
There were valid criticisms of his coaching style, of course -- his Dallas training camps were pejoratively referred to as "Camp Cupcake," for example. But certainly, Phillips did not have a lousy record. He amassed a .569 winning percentage in 146 games (82-64) and made the playoffs in five of his seven full seasons. However, his teams went just 1-5 in those postseason appearances, and again, he was roundly considered too much of a players' coach.
Still, it's refreshing to see a coach so open about their failings in one area while still establishing bona fides in another. Phillips surely has been an excellent defensive coordinator in his career, and it seems fairly likely he'll do a good job with the talent on hand in Denver for as long as he's there as well.
