Wade Phillips rejoins the Denver Broncos as Their Defensive Coordinator
By Joe Morrone
Oct 13, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips coaches against the St. Louis Rams during the second half at Reliant Stadium. The Rams won 38-13. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports
The coaching staff for the Denver Broncos is now complete, at least in terms of the big spots. Wade Phillips is returning to the Broncos for a second stint as their defensive coordinator.
The Broncos made no secret of their desire to hire Vance Joseph from Cincinnati but the Bengals never budged on letting him out of his contract, and today was reportedly the Broncos self-imposed deadline to make a decision.
Despite not getting their number on choice, Gary Kubiak and the Broncos could not have done much better than Phillips. His defenses are consistently in top five and he is widely considered as one of the best defensive minds in the game.
In his last job with the Houston Texans, Phillips took a defense that was ranked 30th the season before he got there and led them to the second ranked unit in football the following season.
What should Broncos’ fans expect from a Phillips led defense? For starters, the days of playing passive and consertative are over. He believes in getting pressure on the quarterback and does not shy away from sending five or six players to get it done.
Phillips believes in the blitz and will use it. His defenses are also known for creating turnovers, something the Broncos have struggled with for years now. The defense in 2014 ranked high but lacked in impact plays. Those impact plays tend to come from pressure and Phillips will bring that.
The Broncos also figure to change from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 under Phillips. The 3-4 is set up to get pressure on the quarterback because usually it means that the two best pass rushers are standing up as outside linebackers, and have more freedom. For those who may not know, 3-4 simply means that you have 3 defensive lineman and four linebackers as opposed to the other way around.
The Broncos will move DeMarcus Ware from defensive end to linebacker, a spot where he enjoyed his two best seasons in terms of sacks. Ironically, those two seasons took place under Phillips who was the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys. That move will give the Broncos Ware and Von Miller at the outside rush positions. There are few teams who can match that.
The Broncos have the secondary to support a defense that uses its front seven liberally to get pressure on the quarterback, and Phillips is one of the best at scheming to get that done.
As for Phillips himself, he has to be ecstatic. He has coached some great defenses and some great individual talent, but it would not be a reach to say that he is walking into the most talent he’s ever had.
The Broncos are set up on defense to be the type of unit that can dominate; not just in terms of the rankings but in terms of impact plays that turn momentum.
He may have been their second choice, but Phillips is a very good choice. He’s an excellent defensive coordinator and, like Kubiak, he’s coming home.