Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips is perhaps the longest-tenured coach in the NFL. However, there is no denying that his most notable stint came during his years as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.
Despite a successful start to his brief tenure, he was fired after a 1-7 start to begin the 2010 NFL season. While things may not have ended the way Phillips wanted, he said there are no hard feelings toward the Cowboys organization during the team’s press conference:
“Going back to Dallas – it’s part of my past,” Phillips said. “I coached there and enjoyed my time there, obviously. The good thing about Texas is there’s no taxes. But, they still charge you that California tax when you go to Texas, so I don’t understand that deal. That’s another story. Yeah, we spent some good years there. I enjoyed being there, worked hard for three and a half years there and it was a big part of my life at the time. It still is, I have fond memories.”
Phillips was subsequently replaced by current Cowboys head coach Jason Garret — who was his offensive coordinator at the time. However, he would recover with successful coaching stints with the Houston Texans and, of course, the Denver Broncos.
Now as a member of Los Angeles, the veteran coach faces perhaps his staunchest test of the season with the high-powered Cowboys offense. If the Rams defense can somehow improve their shaky play in Week 4, that could send a message to the rest of the league that this team is legit.
