Hammond: keep Wade

Wade Phillips shouldn’t take the fall for the Rams’ disappointing season

Rich Hammond

https://theathletic.com/1495659/2019/12/30/wade-phillips-shouldnt-take-the-fall-for-the-rams-disappointing-season/?=twittered

LOS ANGELES — The Rams’ season started with championship aspirations and ended in late December with only nine wins. That will cost players and coaches their jobs, but defensive coordinator Wade Phillips shouldn’t be among them.

Bad games and big numbers draw eyeballs and, to be certain, the Rams’ defense had both in 2019. The pass-defense breakdowns against Tampa Bay and San Francisco and the shoddy tackling against Dallas greatly contributed to three losses. That’s inexcusable. Such inconsistency points to preparation, and if the Rams played better defense in just one of those three games, they might have been a playoff team.

It was just three games — four counting the Baltimore loss. But even the hot dog vendors were awful in that one. Three poor performances, out of 15 games, is not enough to send Phillips packing, not at the end of a season in which the defense carried the Rams’ subpar offense to victory in multiple games.

Phillips’ departure is not assured, but there are signals. The three-year contract he signed in 2017 to work under then-new coach Sean McVay is expiring. McVay got a five-year extension in July, while Phillips entered this season without a new deal. Then the Rams underachieved across the board.

Last week, a report from NFL.com hinted at a “shakeup” of the Rams’ coaching staff this offseason, “perhaps including” Phillips. The story oh-so-coincidentally was published after the writer repeatedly touted his one-on-one conversations with McVay, although the Rams head coach was not quoted as a source. Then, days later, McVay punted a question about Phillips’ status and bypassed a chance to say he would welcome Phillips back in 2020.

It seems clear that the Rams’ players would.

“Growing up as a kid, I was like 9, 10 years old and I wanted him to be my defensive coordinator,” said Rams linebacker Dante Fowler, who is set to become a free agent. “So that’s not going to change. I’m not going to like it if they do it, but it’s part of the game. He’s left a huge legacy so he will be good forever.”

It’s clear Phillips would like to return. He’s 72, but retirement isn’t on his mind. He’s going to be employed in 2020, and any team would be fortunate to add one of the greatest defensive coaches in NFL history. The better question is: Why would the Rams want to cut him loose?

The Rams ended their season Sunday with a 31-24 victory over the Arizona Cardinals at the Coliseum. The starting 11 on defense included two rookies (Taylor Rapp and Troy Reeder) and two second-year players (Darious Williams and Sebastian Joseph-Day). Rookie cornerback David Long played the majority of the game, and veterans Michael Brockers and Cory Littleton left with injuries.

The Rams’ defense persisted in a game that essentially meant nothing, against an improving Arizona offense that a week earlier put up 27 points in an upset road victory over the playoff-bound Seattle Seahawks. The Rams forced four turnovers, stopped the run and turned the Cardinals into a one-dimensional offense.

“We didn’t have the season we wanted,” defensive lineman Aaron Donald said, “but we wanted to finish strong and close this thing out right.”

Across the board in 2019, the Rams’ defense was statistically better than 2018 and equal to or better than 2017. Compared to last season, the Rams allowed fewer points and fewer yards, gave up a lower completion percentage and generated more sacks. Rams opponents had lower averages in yards per pass attempt and yards per rush.

If the Rams’ defensive effort in 2018 was good enough to retain Phillips, then why drop him now?

The knocks against Phillips include that occasional week-to-week inconsistency and the fact that he’s never had a top-10 defense while with the Rams. Both are true, but the Rams’ shortcomings on offense in 2019 (and special teams, for that matter) will be remembered much longer than the failures on defense.

So why does this seem to be trending toward Phillips being the fall guy? Twitter polls are unscientific, but one taken during Sunday’s game asked a simple question: Which coordinator had the best season? With more than 1,200 votes, Phillips drew 43.4 percent, followed by de facto offensive coordinator McVay (34.0) and special teams coordinator John Fassel (22.6).

So if McVay intends to hold Phillips accountable, will he do the same in other areas? Will he hold himself, as the Rams’ offensive architect, accountable for the clear backward steps in 2019? Will he give up play-calling duties or at least hire a full-time offensive coordinator? How about special teams coach Fassel, given the puzzling dip there in multiple areas? Fassel, like Phillips, is not under contract for 2020.

Some of the criticism of McVay is softened — with good reason — by the fact that he had to manage a weakened offensive line and navigate an odd path with running back Todd Gurley, who seemingly had a predetermined reduced role, one designed to keep his left knee as healthy as possible.

That’s all true, but Phillips also had to coach through plenty of adversity. Injuries forced the Rams to use a third-string middle linebacker (Reeder) for most of the season. Star safety John Johnson played only six games. Veteran cornerback Aqib Talib suffered an injury and then got traded. Marcus Peters got traded, after which the Rams incorporated two new starting cornerbacks and transitioned to more of a man-press defense.

That’s not easy. The Rams’ offense dealt with major setbacks and declined in 2019. The Rams’ defense dealt with some fairly significant setbacks — perhaps not as dire as those on offense — and actually improved. Doesn’t that say something about Phillips’ acumen as a coach?

“I love Wade,” cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman said. “Wade is a great guy. I love him. I’m going to always love him. I love this scheme. I love everything. He always was a good guy to me. He’s just a great coach and I respect him to death. I’ve only got good things to say about Coach Wade.”

Around the locker room after Sunday’s game, though, there seemed to be a semi-uncomfortable recognition that things might change. Players such as Robey-Coleman, Fowler and Eric Weddle seemed to speak about Phillips in the past tense, with the knowledge that something might be coming to an end.

“They’re going to do what’s best for this team,” Weddle said when asked about Phillips. “Whether it’s coaching, whether it’s players, bringing guys back, not bringing guys back. That’s for Sean and (general manager) Les (Snead) and (owner) Stan (Kroenke) and those guys to figure out. You know, we weren’t good enough this year, so obviously we’ve got to change something. I’m not saying it’s the coaching.

“Everyone has to reflect and look at themselves first and see if, individually, you’re not getting it done. Is it schematically? Do you need to change something? All that stuff will get going in the next weeks and months. Wade is an icon, a legend. I’ve loved every minute I’ve had under him and he’s a Hall of Famer in every sense of the word. I’ve been lucky to be able to be a player under him.”

Whether Phillips returns or not, changes will be coming to the Rams’ defense, and they might start with Weddle. In recent weeks, the 34-year-old safety periodically dropped hints that he might retire rather than return for the second (and final) year of his contract with the Rams. The team also has the option to terminate Weddle’s contract and save $4.25 million of the $4.75 million he is scheduled to earn in 2020.

After Sunday’s game, Weddle gave the strongest indication to date that he might have played his last game. He spoke of being banged-up and needing surgeries to repair his shoulder and knee, and he also acknowledged that the Rams might be ready to give his starting job to a younger player.

“I’ll just tell you, I’m not going to come back to be a backup,” Weddle said. “And that’s totally fine. And that’s what I would expect them to do. If that’s the case, then that would be it for me.”

Asked if he thought that would happen, Weddle acknowledged the Rams’ depth at safety and said, “I think it’s a foregone conclusion. (with) Rapp and JJ (Johnson), and we’ve got some good young players. We’ll see. Nothing is set in stone, but I’ve had a great run. No regrets, baby.”

The Rams do not make assistant coaches available after games, but Phillips probably would say the same. He walked through the locker room and shook hands with defensive players, then accepted a stat packet from a young staffer and walked out the door with nods toward a couple more familiar faces.

If the Rams choose not to retain Phillips, they have other options, and they’re good ones. Linebackers coach Joe Barry is a respected leader and communicator, and he has experience as a defensive coordinator in Detroit (2007-08) and Washington (2015-16), where he coached alongside McVay. Aubrey Pleasant, the Rams’ cornerbacks coach, is a natural leader who soon will land a job as a defensive coordinator.

The great unknown is the personal relationship between McVay and Phillips. Their public comments about each other have been nothing but complimentary, but again, McVay had a chance to shoot down rumors about Phillips’ future and decided against it. Perhaps some discussions need to take place about potential changes, and something can get worked out. The next few days should provide an answer.

Based purely on results, though, Phillips shouldn’t be the one to take the blame for the Rams’ 2019 failures.

“He puts his guys in great position to be successful,” Donald said of Phillips. “He allows us to play, allows us to be free, allows us to take chances at times. If you can make the play, he trusts you to go out and do it. I think we’ve done great under Wade. He’s just a great coach.”