Wade Phillips Speaks Out on Broncos Hiring Sean Payton
Serious football nerds would have noticed that former Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips is still coaching to great effect. Last Saturday, Phillips' Houston Roughnecks of the XFL suffered a shocking playoff loss after going 7-3 during the regular season.
As hurtful as the loss was for the sprightly 75-year-old coach, the ex-Bronco can't walk away from the game of football.
“They might have to scrape me off the field. We’ll see. I enjoy it,” Phillips told Chris Tomasson of The Denver Gazette. “I missed being out of it and so getting back to doing it was great for me. It’s not a long season. “
Phillips thoroughly enjoyed his previous coaching stints in Denver, which included stints as both the interim and full-time head coach. But it was his second spell as defensive coordinator in 2015 that finally ensured the well-traveled coach would get the Super Bowl ring he so richly deserved.
“I probably lived in Denver more than I lived anywhere my whole life with those stints,’’ Phillips told Tomasson. “We had a great first year there when we went to the Super Bowl when I was defensive coordinator and the second I time I went as a defensive coordinator, we won the Super Bowl. So it was a good place for me, for sure.”
There's not a whole lot Phillips hasn't seen or done in his football life, so his knowledge and affection for his former team should find Broncos Country paying close attention to what he had to say about Sean Payton taking over in the Mile High City.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt he can build teams," Phillips told Tomasson. “He’s a great offensive coach and they’ve certainly had some offensive problems... Sean’s a great fit. He does a lot with less talent than other coaches do. He’s a really good coach because of that."
Given the glaring deficiencies that existed on offense last season, Phillips is right that Payton fits the bill for a team badly in need of a dramatic turnaround. Part of that mission, of course, will involve squeezing more out of the existing talent he now inherits in Denver.
If Payton can exorcise the demons of the Broncos' long-standing playoff drought, which dates back to when Phillips was marshaling one of the NFL’s truly great defenses, the key to unlocking the entire 2023 campaign will be provided.
Phillips' field of expertise on the defensive side of the ball was always rooted in his uncanny knack of quickly rocketing previously flagging units back up the league's rankings.
Now in the twilight of his storied career, Phillips is far too affable to deal with any salty recriminations, but he did strongly suggest that the Broncos made a mistake letting him walk after the 2016 season concluded.
“I thought they should have stuck with me the last time I was there,’’ Phillips told Tomasson. “It didn’t turn out great for them, I’ll say that.’’
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