Former Dallas Cowboys head coach Wade Philipps is surprised that he hasn't received any interviews for defensive coordinator positions around the NFL, but he's got one theory as to why that is: his age. Phillips said on Sirius XM NFL Radio that he hasn't received a call for an interview, and followed up with "maybe it's my age."
Wade Phillips believes his age might be preventing him from a job as DC
Former Dallas Cowboys head coach and Houston Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips thinks his age could be preventing him from getting another job in the NFL.
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Phillips was named the interim head coach of the Houston Texans after Gary Kubiak was fired midseason, but did not remain on staff when the team hired Bill O'Brien to be its new head coach. Phillips is 66 years old though, which isn't that much older than some other coaches in the league.
Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks is 62 years old, Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots is 61 and Tom Coughlin of the New York Giants is one year Phillips' senior. Of course, there being other coaches in the league of around the same age doesn't disqualify other teams being wary of Phillips' age by any means.
Phillips also would not be the first person to claim age discrimination in recent years. Two former employees of the Oakland Raiders filed a lawsuit in 2013, after being let go when Mark Davis took over the organization, and a former St. Louis Rams equipment manager filed suit against St. Louis for the same reason in 2012.
Still, Phillips’ recent history as the Texans defensive coordinator was a mixed bag. The good folks over at Battle Red Blog said that Phillips “completely revolutionized the smoking crater of waste that Frank Bush presided over” when Phillips took over in 2011, but the following two seasons were not nearly as productive.
Houston had one of the league’s top defenses in 2011, after having one of the worst the previous season. The Texans allowed just 18 passing touchdowns all season, and eight rushing. In 2012, they dropped a little but still boasted a top-10 defense. This past season, however, everything blew up in their face, though that happened on both sides of the ball.
Maybe teams are wary to go for him due to his lack of consistency over time, or maybe he’s got a point with the age thing. That’s something we’ll probably never know.
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