For Wade Phillips, Broncos’ 3-4 defense and one gap equals dominance
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Wade Phillips typically is the first to saunter out to the Broncos’ practice fields. Each morning, his small steps lead him out, his sleepy eyes gaze around with wonder, and his grin grows larger with every bystander he greets. His soft voice and round frame add to the guise he’s worn so well in his 37 seasons as an NFL coach.
Don’t be fooled.
Phillips, the man DeMarcus Ware calls a father figure, is the mastermind behind a relentless attack, a defense built on speed and pressure that he hopes to turn into one of the most fearsome units in the league.
When general manager John Elway decided to overhaul the Broncos’ coaching staff in January, his reasoning was simple. Yes, the Broncos had just clinched their fourth consecutive AFC West title under John Fox. But a lackluster performance in a divisional playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Denver exposed the Broncos’ weaknesses.
They didn’t go out “kicking and screaming,” as Elway said.
So, when new Broncos coach Gary Kubiak hired Phillips as his defensive coordinator, it was clear that Elway’s message was heard.
In his nearly four decades in the NFL, Phillips has been a part of 19 top-10 defensive units and has coached 27 Pro Bowlers. He mostly recently was the defensive coordinator on Kubiak’s staff in Houston, where he took over a Texans unit that ranked 30th in the league in total defense (376.9 yards allowed per game) and steered it to a No. 2 ranking (285.7 yards) in 2011.
Before that, as the Dallas Cowboys’ head coach from 2007-10, Phillips helped Ware accumulate 60½ sacks as an edge pass rusher and twice lead the league in sacks.
Back for a second run as Broncos’ coordinator, Phillips has implemented his version of the 3-4 defense that simplifies the duties and exploits the depth and weapons on his roster. It’s a system that is adaptable, and one that his players have embraced.
“We try to fit what the players can do in the defense rather than saying, ‘OK, we’re a 4-3 or we’re a two-gap 3-4,’ ” Phillips said. “We’re a team where if a guy can stunt and rush the passer, we let him do that. If a guy is a power guy, we try to let him be that. It’s all what individual players can do.”
It begins with the line, where in the base defense three linemen play a one-gap scheme, unlike the two-gap scheme in many other 3-4 alignments. This means the nose tackle and two defensive ends are responsible for the offensive lineman in front of them and one gap — not both — to the side of that lineman, allowing them to move up the field and attack the passer instead of waiting for the play to unfold and reacting.
This defense puts a greater onus on the two inside linebackers to step up and take on a guard, and also stuff the run and fall back in coverage when needed. Phillips has said his inside linebacker corps this year is among the deepest he has had, but the return to full health of starters Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan from injuries a season ago is crucial.“Danny and I, we’re naturals together,” Marshall said. “Whenever we’re at practice, we’re able to feed off each other. He knows the checks, I know the checks.”
The variations, of which Phillips has plenty and is known to utilize depending on his personnel, are seen most with the outside linebackers. This year he has two elite ones (Von Miller and Ware) and possibly a third (rookie Shane Ray).
Phillips has been toying with three-outside linebacker sets. He has been moving Ware and Miller up to the line occasionally. And he’s letting them do what they do best.
“We rush them a lot,” Phillips said, grinning slyly. “If they can rush the passer, we let them rush.”
Allow Ware to expound. “In the 3-4, you have five linemen on the front end and only two linebackers,” he said. “It’s a one-gap scheme. My job is now I can be a lot more aggressive on the outside, set the edge on the outside and make sure everything is funneled to the guys in the middle. It’s like
(having) one responsibility.”
The aggressiveness extends to the secondary, where Phillips has three Pro Bowlers in safety T.J. Ward and cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Chris Harris. The trio didn’t make the NFL’s top 100 for 2015, a ranking selected by their peers. But the added chip was welcome.
Talib believes the Broncos’ secondary a year ago was among the best in the NFL. Ward, now in a defense that allows him to blitz more, wants their status, and his, to be indisputable in 2015.
“I want to lead the league in interceptions,” he said. “I want to lead the league in sacks from the secondary and lead the league in turnovers. If we do that, we’ll be pretty good.”
The benchmark is Seattle’s “Legion of Boom” secondary, a group that helped the Seahawks to consecutive Super Bowl appearances and one world championship.
Under defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio’s tutelage last season, the Broncos allowed 305.2 yards per game, the third-fewest in the NFL, and only 79.8 yards rushing, second-fewest in the NFL. But they ranked ninth in yards passing allowed (225.4), tied for 16th in scoring (22.1 points) and recorded only 25 takeaways, tied for a mediocre 13th.
The one-gap philosophy raises the risk, but also the reward. A breakdown in communication can leave a running back a clear path down the field. But a talented, in-sync defense can create havoc.
“We always thought we could be good, but we know we can be good now,” Miller said. “I don’t know how Coach Phillips did it, but we’re ready to go.”
Best,
Laram
