Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips has a lot of big playoff wins under his belt.
He hopes to earn another one when the Rams face Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
In 2002, Phillips was the Falcons’ defensive coordinator on Dan Reeves’ staff when they went to Green Bay to slay a major football streak.
Most of Green Bay’s titles were built in part on getting home-field advantage and dismantling folks in the cold. But Phillips and the Falcons went to Green Bay and shocked the football world by becoming the first visiting team to win a playoff game at Lambeau Field.
“I was with coach Reeves, he won over 200 games,” Phillips said. “One of the great coaches.”
The Falcons, led by quarterback Michael Vick, upset the Packers 27-7 on Jan. 4, 2003.
“That was a tremendous experience for us,” Phillips said. “Then Michael Vick ran a touchdown against the Eagles, but they called it back and we got beat the next game. The officials missed a call.”
In 2003, things went off the rails after Vick’s injury. Reeves was fired, and Phillips finished the season as the interim head coach.
While with Denver as the defensive coordinator in 2015, Phillips’ defense beat Brady and the Patriots in the AFC Championship game, 20-18. The Broncos controlled the game as the Patriots posted a garbage-time touchdown with 12 seconds left to play.
“Really, that was one of the great defensive teams of all-time,” Phillips said. “People were comparing (the Broncos) to the ‘85 Bears.”
Phillips, 71, isn’t sure how his current unit will hold up against Brady.
“I’ve had teams that played against him and didn’t do very well,” Phillips said. “That team did really well.”
Phillips had to make some adjustments this season and is playing more zone defense than he normally does over the second half of the season.
The Rams appear to be hitting their stride after a statistically weak season. They Rams ranked 19th in total defense during the regular season. They ranked 23rd against the run and 14th against the pass.
The Rams were able to hide their weaknesses by getting 30 turnovers.
“You can’t fool the great quarterbacks,” Phillips said. “You have to outplay them.”
The Patriots have leaned heavily on their rushing attack in the playoffs.
“They are really efficient in what they do,” Phillips said. “In the playoffs, they’ve got the leading quarterback, the leading receiver and the leading running back. It’s a tremendous challenge to play this team with the offensive team that they have.”
In the playoffs, defensive tackles Aaron Donald, Ndamukong Suh and Michael Brockers have played exceptionally well against the run.
The Rams held the Cowboys to 50 yards rushing on 22 carries in the divisional round and the Saints to 48 yards on 21 carries in the NFC Championship game.
“He’s had two great back-to-back games,” Phillips said of Suh. “I think we are used to seeing him play well and have some big games. I think the last two have been his best. When he’s at his best, he’s hard to stop.”
Suh signed a one-year, $14 million deal to help bolster the Rams’ front line and make teams pay for double-teaming Donald.
“I think just me getting used to what he needs to do and him getting use to what we want him to do,” Phillips said. “He’s putting it all together. He’s a great talent, and he’s certainly showing it.”
Suh, who played against Brady twice a year when he was with Miami, believes Phillips will have a stealth plan for the defense.
“I think that’s a huge advantage, having that experience,” Suh said. “They are very smart.”
Stopping the Patriots’ run game will be key.
“Very potent run game,” Suh said. “They’ve got multiple backs that can run the football. They have a lot of things that they like to do out of the backfield. We have our hands full.”
Phillips is popular with his players.
“I think he just knows the game really well,” cornerback Aqib Talib said. “He knows how the game flows really well. Growing up around football all of your life, you kind of naturally fall into that.”
Stopping Brady will be a challenge if the Rams can’t slow the fleet of running backs.
“He’s the GOAT (Greatest of All Time), man,” said Talib, a former Patriot. “One of the best to do it. Super competitive guy. He’s really like an offensive coordinator on the field.”
Cornerback Marcus Peters has a strategy for playing against Brady.
“You play Tom Brady from the first play to the last play, that’s all I’ve got to say,” Peters said.
About the Author
