There has been plenty of speculation regarding the future of defensive coordinator Wade Phillips after the Los Angeles Rams fell vastly short of expectations in the 2019 NFL season.
The Rams were officially eliminated from the playoffs with their heartbreaking 34-31 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 16. As a result, rumors have already begun to swirl about there being some significant changes on the way this offseason.
It appears Phillips is among the first names that could be on his way out. Regardless, the veteran coach does not seem to be paying much attention to anything outside of his game plan for the Arizona Cardinals in the season finale.
Phillips says he still enjoys coaching and is focused on ending the year on a high note against Arizona, via Lindsey Thiry of ESPN:
“I’ve heard a lot of rumors out there, but I don’t pay attention to rumors,” said Phillips, who is in the final season of his contract. “I’m going to do the best that I can do and if that’s not good enough for somebody, then it isn’t.”
Rams head coach Sean McVay acknowledged that Phillips will certainly be among the members of the coaching staff that are evaluated after the season, but it won’t be addressed until after this week:
“Wade and I discuss those things so we make sure there’s a clear understanding of what goes on,” McVay said. “And we keep those things behind closed doors.
“We’ll finish off this season… we’ll take some time to really be able to reflect back on the year, look back at some of the things that we need to do as we’re moving forward.”
It is safe to say that McVay’s plans are an indication that he could be looking to switch things in the offseason. Whether or not Phillip is a part of those changes remains to be seen.
For the most part, the defense had been the strength of this team throughout the course of the 2019 campaign until their recent slide. Regardless, they still had to overcome some significant changes and key injuries in order to stay afloat.
Meanwhile, it was McVay’s offense that undoubtedly served as the biggest disappointment this year after establishing themselves as the highest-scoring group in the league the previous two seasons. Despite holding himself accountable with the promise of improvement on a weekly basis, the Rams were never able to put it together and there is no question that it resulted in them missing the playoffs.
As a result, McVay may be forced to acknowledge some of his shortcomings as a play-caller by perhaps shaking things up on his side of the ball. Regardless, there is no denying that some change needs to happen if Los Angeles hopes to spark a potential resurgence in their new home for the 2019 NFL season.
