Wade Phillips brings quick-fix wizardry to Los Angeles Rams' DBy Gregg Rosenthal
Bum Phillips loved to watch his son work. Near the end of a life spanning football's explosive growth, the legendary leader of the "Love ya Blue" Houston Oilers would regularly show up to Texans practice, wife by his side, to see Wade Phillips coordinate Houston's defense.
"Wade was 65 years old at the time," Los Angeles Rams linebacker Connor Barwin said in an interview this summer, recalling the image of his days playing for Phillips in Houston. "It was so cool to watch his parents come watch him coach. You just saw that love between them, that respect, that love for the game all in one."
Now 70 years old and ready to embark on his 40th NFL season after joining the 10th pro organization of his career, the Rams' newest defensive coordinator wears that love of sport as conspicuously as his late father once wore a 10-gallon hat. Phillips emerged as the preeminent quick-fix defensive coach of the last quarter-century by honoring his father's principles even when they cut against the NFL norms of the day. When a team needs a defensive boost, they call Phillips, and he delivers every time.
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