by John OehserFiled under: Texans, AFC South
Wade Phillips' first full day on his new job is Monday.And while it's true the Houston Texans' newest coaching hire may have more work to do than just about about any other NFL defensive coordinator, Phillips said he believes he can do what he has been hired to do:
Namely, improve one of the NFL's worst defenses.
"I think I can contribute," Phillips told Dale Robertson of the Houston Chronicle, "and I'm really looking forward to going back to work. You spend a few weeks watching games on TV and you realize how much you miss it. I've always loved the pressure of coaching."
Phillips, fired midway through the season as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, was hired by the Texans this past Wednesday, two days after coach Gary Kubiak fired defensive coordinator Frank Bush and three other defensive assistants.
The Texans lost eight of their last 10 games this season, and owner Bob McNair left the season with the belief that a major reason was a defense that ranked 30th in the NFL, 32nd against the pass.
McNair also believed the way to fix it was to hire a coordinator with a history of NFL success.
Phillips certainly meets that criteria.
He has worked for eight NFL teams, and as Robertson noted, has coached in the playoffs with six of them. He also has immediately and drastically improved defenses six different times.
"You don't usually go to a new place because the team was already doing well," he said. "We've got some challenges, but I think the players are going to like our defense. It'll let them be aggressive, and it's easy to play.
"My experience with players has always been they're excited to try something new."
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