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Two views of Wade Phillips

By Dave Halprin

Wade Phillips conducted some interviews at the NFL annual meeting this week and we get two articles today about the new head coach. If you prefer your Wade Phillips' articles to be about the 3-4 defense and its history in his family and the NFL, then hop on over to this San Diego paper's article. You get a nice history lesson and a very positive view of Phillips in San Diego. Sample paragraphs:

"It's player-friendly in that you can learn it quickly," Phillips said [of his 3-4]. "That's part of my success. We've got it down pretty good so they can do it in a year."

Phillips also does more from his 3-4 than Parcells did from his. Zone blitzes are a big part of Phillips' scheme; they were almost nonexistent last season while the Cowboys were surrendering an average of 322.8 yards and finishing 9-7. The Chargers' average yield was 301.6 yards and they finished 14-2.

Now, if you like your Wade Phillips' article to examine his former head coaching years, specifically in Buffalo, and want a more-rounded view that contains the good with the bad, check out this Buffalo paper's article. Sample paragraphs:

The Bills suffered a late-season collapse after a 7-4 start. Prior to a game at Indianapolis, Phillips said that neither team had a legitimate playoff shot. But the Colts routed Buffalo, 44-20, and also won their next two games to earn a postseason berth. It was the third straight loss for the Bills, who dropped four of their last five.

Phillips also was criticized for his handling of the highly publicized quarterback controversy between Rob Johnson and Doug Flutie and for hiring friends as assistant coaches...


But here was the most interesting statement, shining a light on Phillips' coaching philosophy, especially around how he will interact with Terrell Owens.
"A lot of real good players are high maintenance guys," said Phillips, who hasn't met Owens but they've talked on the phone. "With [former Bills running back] Thurman Thomas, who is going into the Hall of Fame, if everybody wore blue he wore red in practice, which is OK. I think you have to let individuals be individuals within a team concept. That was one of the great things that Marv did. I learned from Marv that you can have individuals as long as they play together as a team and for the team."

Player's coach indeed.

The Ranch Report says a QB will be visiting.

Former Washington Huskies quarterback Isaiah Stanback will visit with the Dallas Cowboys in the coming days, TheRanchReport.com has learned.

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