Predicting the future NFL coaching changes
ByJohn Newby
[
247sports.com]
Los Angeles Rams
Throughout his storied career, Wade Phillips' teams have been known for creating turnovers and getting after the quarterback. J.J. Watt's 20.5-sack season in 2012 is the perfect example, as is Von Miller's performance in Super Bowl 50, and Aaron Donald's performance against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football. The possibly greatest defensive coordinator in NFL history has always found a way to incorporate his star defenders into the game plan with staggering results.
Let's face it, Phillips will likely be stepping away from football, much to the dismay of fans around the world. The 71-year-old Rams defensive coordinator has been a coach for 49 years, leading fearsome defenses in Houston, Denver, Philadelphia, San Diego, and many other locations, but he could potentially choose to retire. If he does walk away, potentially after a victory in Super Bowl LIII, who would blame him? Phillips has earned the right to do whatever he wants.
If he does indeed walk away from football, the Rams will be left with a massive hole on the coaching staff. No one can truly replace Phillips and his effect on the game, but there is a coach in Houston that could do reasonably well.
John Pagano is the current linebackers coach in Houston and is enjoying some relative success despite the constant injuries. This is his first season with the Texans after spending five years as the Chargers defensive coordinator and one season in Oakland as the assistant head coach/interim defensive coordinator. While Pagano's defenses have never been known for stifling yards, they have been known for creating turnovers and getting after the quarterback. In 2012, the Chargers scored seven touchdowns and notched 38 total sacks, showing major improvement over the previous seasons. This defense also sacked Greg McElroy 11 times during a week 16 victory.
As further evidence of Pagano's coaching prowess, just look at the Raiders 2017 season. Under Ken Norton Jr., Oakland struggled to sack quarterbacks or create turnovers as the defense went 10 full games without intercepting a pass. Once Pagano took over for the fired Norton, the defense began producing. The Raiders intercepted five passes and notched 14.5 sacks over the final six games of the season. This was a major turnaround for a group that had been underperforming all year long. Unfortunately for Pagano, this improvement didn't ultimately matter as Oakland cleaned out its coaching staff in order to hire Jon Gruden.
