Wade Phillips brings decades of expertise to Rams defense

Wade Phillips brings decades of expertise to Rams defense

By MARK WHICKER / STAFF COLUMNIST

THOUSAND OAKS – The Rams hired Wade Phillips, the NFL’s preeminent fireman.

But at first glance, nothing’s burning.

“Usually you get hired as a defensive coordinator because it’s a bad defense,” Phillips said Monday. “But that really hasn’t been the case in my last couple of jobs, and it’s not the case here.”

But you could always use a new inspector, a fresh set of eyes and ears. Phillips, 69, is here to sniff out what’s wrong behind the walls. Maybe it’s one of those invisible alcohol fires that you once saw at the Indianapolis 500, when crew members would start jumping around unaccountably.

The defense wasn’t the problem in the 4-12 nightmare of 2016. But the Rams needed it to be the solution. It was ninth in yards allowed and yards per play, and also ninth in third-down conversion.

It was 24th in sacks, 23rd in interceptions, 19th in fumbles recovered and 22nd in fumbles forced.

So it might not be a four-alarm situation, but it needs extinguishing.

“You’ve got to pick up things quick in this league,” Phillips said. “We’re going to attack. We’re coming after you. We’ve been doing this a long time, and we’ve got a system of teaching that’s been successful.”

Denver won the Super Bowl, 53 weeks ago, as Phillips’ defense laid waste to Carolina’s Cam Newton (18 for 41 passing, six sacks and an interception). In 2016 the defense remained sound, despite injuries, but the offense sputtered and the Broncos missed the playoffs.

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