Former three-time NFL head coach Wade Phillips believes his advancing age is keeping him from getting another opportunity from Big Shield. For the XFL, the only number that matters is four.
Phillips, 75, has taken the Houston Roughnecks to a 4-0 record in the XFL.
Houston’s latest victory came on Saturday night, with a 44-16 blowout of the winless Orlando Guardians.
A defensive guru, Phillips saw the Roughnecks defense rack up four sacks and six tackles for loss.
Paxton Lynch, a former first-round pick of the Broncos (one of the teams Phillips previously coached), completed 18 of 30 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns for Orlando. The effort included an 81-yard touchdown to receiver Charleston Rambo. Lynch also lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown by Houston.
Houston led 20-0 in the first quarter and never looked back. It remains to be seen whether one or more NFL teams look back on the decision to move on from Wade Phillips with regret.
Given some of the struggling defenses in the NFL, maybe they should.