A near certainty for the 2017 Rams: Wade Phillips will improve defense

[CGI_Ram]

http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angele...-2017-rams-wade-phillips-will-improve-defense

A near certainty for the 2017 Rams: Wade Phillips will improve defense

Wade Phillips is heading into his 40th season in the NFL. It will come, for the 26th time, as a defensive coordinator, and he'll do it for the Los Angeles Rams, his 10th different franchise. In less than a month he will be 70 years old, four whole decades older than the vast majority of the players he will coach.

Last week, at the start of the Rams' rookie minicamp, Phillips was asked about his expectations for those players in 2017 and said: "We expect to do things well quickly."

You should believe him.

Phillips -- the unlikeliest of Twitter sensations -- brings to L.A. a sparkling track record as a defensive coordinator. Basically every defense he has ever inherited has performed significantly better in the first year, regardless of the scheme it ran before him. That includes the Broncos, who went from great (third in yards allowed in 2014) to historic (first in several categories in 2015). And it includes a Texans defense that didn't have a true offseason because of the 2011 lockout, yet still went from 29th to fourth in points allowed.

Before joining the Rams, Phillips had taken over as a defensive coordinator or head coach nine times. Only once did a team not improve significantly on defense in the first year. That distinction belongs to the 1986 Eagles, who fell from 10th to 17th in yards allowed during Phillips' first season. That year, though, Phillips, who specializes in running a 3-4 base set, ran the 46 defense under former Bears defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan. And within three years, Phillips was replaced by none other than former Rams coach Jeff Fisher.

Every other defense -- the 1981 Saints, 1989 Broncos, 1995 Bills, 2002 Falcons, 2004 Chargers, 2007 Cowboys, 2011 Texans and 2015 Broncos -- was better with Phillips.

And not by a little, either.

"I’ve had a lot of good players, you know," Phillips said. "But I attribute some of that to our teaching, the way we teach them. We don’t make many mistakes. We make sure we don’t make many mental mistakes, as far as alignment, assignment, and then we work really hard on fundamentals and techniques and try to improve each player."

Below is a look at each defense before and after Phillips came in. They're listed with their rankings in defensive DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average), then yards and points allowed, followed by the number of Pro Bowl players from that defense. Phillips, who has coached 30 Pro Bowl players and has been a part of 20 top-10 defenses, started as defensive coordinator at all those stops except Dallas, where he was head coach. His defenses before 1988 are not listed because DVOA was unavailable for them.

2014-15 Denver Broncos

• Before Phillips: 4th in DVOA, 3rd in yards allowed, T-16th in points allowed; 5 Pro Bowlers.
  
  
• After Phillips: 1st in DVOA, 1st in yards allowed, 4th in points allowed; 5 Pro Bowlers.
  

2010-11 Houston Texans

• Before Phillips: 31st in DVOA, 30th in yards allowed, 29th in points allowed; 0 Pro Bowlers.
  
  
• After Phillips: 6th in DVOA, 2nd in yards allowed, 4th in points allowed; 2 Pro Bowlers.
  

2006-07 Dallas Cowboys

• Before Phillips: 14th in DVOA, 13th in yards allowed, 20th in points allowed; 2 Pro Bowlers.
  
  
• After Phillips: 9th in DVOA, 9th in yards allowed, 13th in points allowed; 4 Pro Bowlers.
  

2003-04 San Diego Chargers

• Before Phillips: 30th in DVOA, 27th in yards allowed, 31st in points allowed; 0 Pro Bowlers.
  
  
• After Phillips: 13th in DVOA, 18th in yards allowed, 11th in points allowed; 0 Pro Bowlers.
  

2001-02 Atlanta Falcons

• Before Phillips: 26th in DVOA, 30th in yards allowed, 24th in points allowed; 1 Pro Bowler.
  
  
• After Phillips: 12th in DVOA, 19th in yards allowed, 8th in points allowed; 1 Pro Bowler.
  

1994-95 Buffalo Bills

• Before Phillips: 19th in DVOA, 17th in yards allowed, 22nd in points allowed; 1 Pro Bowler.
  
  
• After Phillips: 10th in DVOA, 13th in yards allowed, T-12th in points allowed; 2 Pro Bowlers.
  

1988-89 Denver Broncos

• Before Phillips: 27th in DVOA, 22nd in yards allowed, 20th in points allowed; 0 Pro Bowlers.
  
  
• After Phillips: 4th in DVOA, 3rd in yards allowed, 1st in points allowed; 3 Pro Bowlers.
  

The Falcons, Chargers, Texans and Broncos (the second time around) each made the transition from a 4-3 to a 3-4 under Phillips.

The Rams will do the same.

Last year, under Gregg Williams, the Rams finished 15th in DVOA and 23rd in points allowed. But they were also ninth in yards, and a major reason for the lopsided scores was an offense that gave up way too many turnovers, never really dominated the time of possession and finished as the NFL's least productive unit by a wide margin. Since then, the Rams -- led by Aaron Donald, Alec Ogletree and Trumaine Johnson -- have added a couple of starters in linebacker Connor Barwin and cornerback Kayvon Webster. Robert Quinn (defensive end to outside linebacker) and Lamarcus Joyner (slot corner to free safety) will play different positions, at least in 3-4 packages.

They should all benefit from Phillips, who has a knack for keeping his scheme simple and adjusting it to fit the strengths of his personnel.

"I really like the group," he said of the Rams. "I think we have a lot of really good players. We have to utilize that talent, but I think we have a lot of talent to do some really good things. They had a really good defense last year. I think they were ninth, but they were 23rd in points given up, so we have to shore that up. We have an opportunity to do that with the personnel we have."

 

[bubbaramfan]

I have a nagging doubt.

Almost 50 years difference in age to the players. Can he relate to them?

Paul Boudreau is almost that old, and I believe that disparity in age was one of the reasons He couldn't teach the OL.

I hope Wade doesn't have the same problem.

 

[DaveFan'51]

I have a nagging doubt.

Almost 50 years difference in age to the players. Can he relate to them?

Paul Boudreau is almost that old, and I believe that disparity in age was one of the reasons He couldn't teach the OL.

I hope Wade doesn't have the same problem.

I don't have these same fears about Phillips! He did fine in Denver, relating and Teaching them well!
Considering his past track record the Rams should have no problem finishing in the Top 5 in every category!!:yay::yess:ball::rockon::cheers:

 

[Ram65]

I have a nagging doubt.

Almost 50 years difference in age to the players. Can he relate to them?

Paul Boudreau is almost that old, and I believe that disparity in age was one of the reasons He couldn't teach the OL.

I hope Wade doesn't have the same problem.

After reading that how can you have doubt?

There was one video of IIRC one of the rookies who talked about meeting Wade. He thought he would be an old school get in face but, was surprised at how laid back Wade is. Wade has a good been given a good defense that he can make great.

 

[bwdenverram]

I live in Denver and have watched what he did here. Trust me, he was only a couple years younger and didn't have more talent. Maybe in the backfield they did but we have a better D-line. It's all about simple execution. I'm so excited for this D. And I think the offense will be better so that will only help matters.

 

[LACHAMP46]

I have a nagging doubt.

Almost 50 years difference in age to the players. Can he relate to them?

Paul Boudreau is almost that old, and I believe that disparity in age was one of the reasons He couldn't teach the OL.

I hope Wade doesn't have the same problem.

Wade Phillips is the son of Bum Phillips. Bum was a fun loving guy that never won the big one....but he was sure fun to watch coach. I loved watching the Houston Oilers...It's funny, their theme song seems to be played by other teams now...Houston Oilers-Houston Oilers number ONE!....catchy tune....but he coached Earl Campbell....Dan Pastorini......Elvin Bethea....An interesting bunch for sure...and Bum was OLD! I think...really I know, he taught his son Wade the game right, and Wade was a great student. He's been around the pro game forever..and has had great success.

Our defense is very good...I'd have bet money that if the offense improves and Williams was still the DC, we'd have an even BETTER defense with the same players.

I think Wade's style will take some time to implement. I think the db's are not set (are these the man to man coverage guys Wade needs?)...and I wanna see how we hold up against the run with these ILB's and DE's we have.

 

[DaveFan'51]

Wade Phillips is the son of Bum Phillips. Bum was a fun loving guy that never won the big one....but he was sure fun to watch coach. I loved watching the Houston Oilers...It's funny, their theme song seems to be played by other teams now...Houston Oilers-Houston Oilers number ONE!....catchy tune....but he coached Earl Campbell....Dan Pastorini......Elvin Bethea....An interesting bunch for sure...and Bum was OLD! I think...really I know, he taught his son Wade the game right, and Wade was a great student. He's been around the pro game forever..and has had great success.

Our defense is very good...I'd have bet money that if the offense improves and Williams was still the DC, we'd have an even BETTER defense with the same players.

I think Wade's style will take some time to implement. I think the db's are not set (are these the man to man coverage guys Wade needs?)...and I wanna see how we hold up against the run with these ILB's and DE's we have.

I think we will get a good idea Pre-Season game #1 against Dallas!

 

[Merlin]

Our defense underperformed pretty badly last year. They gave up way too many points, and too many big plays. Best thing about Wade is he simplifies things for the players so they can execute and play fast, so it's a big difference from Williams' approach and probably better for this roster of personnel.

I think he can get this defense to within the top 10 in points allowed. Somewhere in there and we're going to be extremely competitive every week. And if somehow the offense can raise the bar to middle of the pack, watch out. That's why I'm so excited for this season.

 

[Picked4td]

I think the bigger reason for an improved D, is an improved O. Dont get me wrong, I think Wade is the best DC in the league, but Williams is quite great himself imo and he wasnt the biggest reason why the defense was never as great as it could be.

 

[Rams43]

We need have little fear that Wade is "too old" for these young players.

It's not about calendar years.

It's about understanding D and being mentally youthful. Wade checks both of those boxes. Wade relates well to his players. And they know he will use them in the best possible way which will make them look good at Pro Bowl selection and contract time.

Wade's players will love him and play well for him. His former players certainly did both.

Wade is a classic "good old boy", the kind that everybody loves to love.

McVay hit a HR with THIS hire.

As an aside, GW was a helluva DC. He just got very little help from our pathetic O year after year. Sigh...

 

[BonifayRam]

I would tend to agree with Alden Gonzalez. Talent is here but we have some questions to be answered.

*How will the two new outside Lb'ers (Barwin/Quinn) play after moving from 43 DE.
*Will Mark Barron adjust to playing ISLB'er after seasons as a weak-side OLB'er & strong safety posts.
*How will Lamarcus Joyner play deep free safety post after playing close to the LOS & SSLB'er.
^Will Mo Alexander continue to improve in his new Strong Safety post.

@ this time Wade's biggest weakness in his defense is depth @ outside corners.

I think in the end Wade will be successful on 4 of the 5 above questions.

 

[Snaz]

I think the biggest difference you will see is the CB cushion will disappear. How many times opposing team would have a quick short pass where they gain yards because the CB's were 10 yards off the line of scrimmage? Wade likes press corners.

 

[den-the-coach]

What me worry?

 

[OldSchool]

I would tend to agree with Alden Gonzalez. Talent is here but we have some questions to be answered.

*How will the two new outside Lb'ers (Barwin/Quinn) play after moving from 43 DE.
*Will Mark Barron adjust to playing ISLB'er after seasons as a weak-side OLB'er & strong safety posts.
*How will Lamarcus Joyner play deep free safety post after playing close to the LOS & SSLB'er.
^Will Mo Alexander continue to improve in his new Strong Safety post.

@ this time Wade's biggest weakness in his defense is depth @ outside corners.

I think in the end Wade will be successful on 4 of the 5 above questions.

One thing I'll point out is Barwins best years were as a 3-4 OLB. He was miscast last year in Philly's change to a 4-3 that's why they cut him. Quinn is a question but Barwin is a return to his strength. That's why the signing was so good. He filled a need and he has a past with Wade and can help Quinn and others with the change.

 

[Mojo Ram]

If making the playoffs is the immediate goal....I'd settle for the same good D we've had the last few years. Wade coming in and improving it would be gravy.

#NOTWORRIEDABOUTOURDEFENSE

 

[Florida_Ram]

2014-15 Denver Broncos
Before Phillips: 3rd in yards allowed, T-16th in points allowed; 5 Pro Bowlers.
After Phillips: 1st in yards allowed, 4th in points allowed; 5 Pro Bowlers.

2010-11 Houston Texans
Before Phillips: 30th in yards allowed, 29th in points allowed; 0 Pro Bowlers.
After Phillips: 2nd in yards allowed, 4th in points allowed; 2 Pro Bowlers.

2006-07 Dallas Cowboys
Before Phillips: 13th in yards allowed, 20th in points allowed; 2 Pro Bowlers.
After Phillips: 9th in yards allowed, 13th in points allowed; 4 Pro Bowlers.

2003-04 San Diego Chargers
Before Phillips: 27th in yards allowed, 31st in points allowed; 0 Pro Bowlers.
After Phillips: 18th in yards allowed, 11th in points allowed; 0 Pro Bowlers.

2001-02 Atlanta Falcons
Before Phillips: 30th in yards allowed, 24th in points allowed; 1 Pro Bowler.
After Phillips: 19th in yards allowed, 8th in points allowed; 1 Pro Bowler.

1994-95 Buffalo Bills
Before Phillips: 17th in yards allowed, 22nd in points allowed; 1 Pro Bowler.
After Phillips: 13th in yards allowed, T-12th in points allowed; 2 Pro Bowlers.

1988-89 Denver Broncos
Before Phillips: 22nd in yards allowed, 20th in points allowed; 0 Pro Bowlers.
After Phillips: 3rd in yards allowed, 1st in points allowed; 3 Pro Bowlers.

2016-17 Los Angeles Rams
Before Phillips: 9th in yards allowed, 23 in points allowed; 1 Pro Bowler
After Phillips: ?

The Falcons, Chargers, Texans and Broncos (the second time around) each made the transition from a 4-3 to a 3-4 under Phillips.
________________________________________________________________________________

2016-17 LA Rams
Before Phillips: 9th in yards allowed, 23 in points allowed; 1 Pro Bowler
After Phillips: ?

Wade Phillips has a very consistent Trend going by improving the Defense for each new team he ends up with next.

The cautionary tale like with all trends, is that Wade's next team is probably well "overdue" to not improve and maybe even have a bit of a drop off from the prior seasons statistics.

Let's hope this is not the case or McVay's Offense will have even more pressure to be much better than most realistic fans are expecting.


The odds for "Trends" finally breaking the other way becomes more relevant each new season.

 

[RamDino]

I understood Fisher and Williams "bend but don't break defense", but it seems like opposing offenses were so scared of our pass rush that they constantly took 3 yard drops and threw quickly, in order to avoid the likes of Donald and Quinn. But then Fisher and Williams played soft coverage, and the receivers were wide open!! We constantly gave up 5-15 yards while making mediocre quarterbacks like Blane Gabbert look like all-stars against us. I never understood that, but I am very excited about Wade Philips taking over this D and have no concerns about it. It will only get better, IMHO.

 

[Noregar]

I would tend to agree with Alden Gonzalez. Talent is here but we have some questions to be answered.

*How will the two new outside Lb'ers (Barwin/Quinn) play after moving from 43 DE.
*Will Mark Barron adjust to playing ISLB'er after seasons as a weak-side OLB'er & strong safety posts.
*How will Lamarcus Joyner play deep free safety post after playing close to the LOS & SSLB'er.
^Will Mo Alexander continue to improve in his new Strong Safety post.

@ this time Wade's biggest weakness in his defense is depth @ outside corners.

I think in the end Wade will be successful on 4 of the 5 above questions.

These are many of the same questions I have Boni.

If the Rams can get a full-health version of Robert Quinn I think he can adjust to the 3-4 and our Rams front 7 will be really dangerous. I also hope Barwin is not slowing down and he has some gas left in the tank. He is at an age where play can begin to decline.

How well Barron can hold up and adjust to the inside is a concern to me. I like his talent but he is way undersized as a 3-4 inside backer. At this point I am not going to sell him short though because I thought he played very well in Williams scheme.

My biggest question mark is Joyner at free safety. I just do not know if he has the size and range for that job. When Joyner was forced to play as an outside corner he was bad. He played well from the slot and was physical but he cannot cover on the outside. I do trust that Wade can maximize his talents and limit exposing his weakness. Note: if the rookie Johnson develops early I expect that we might actually see a lot of him too.

I feel pretty confident with Alexander at Safety and think he is an ascending player.

Another question I have is can Webster become a fulltime starter. I think he can but he has not had too much full time duty. Bum thought enough of him to bring him over but we have seen where D-Coordinators acting as talent evaluators have not always worked out well for our Rams. Hopefully Bum has more sucess than Williams had at bringing on former defensive backs.

 

[Rynie]

Yes, he DEFINITELY will. The best defense in the Romo era was Philips'. I wish we had him still. Rod Marinelli is OVERRATED AF.