Article on Wade Phillips and how he wants to attack on defense:
With Wade Phillips as the Broncos' new defensive coordinator, expect the Broncos to turn loose their pass rushers.
Phillips and Defensive Backs Coach Joe Woods became the final pieces to the puzzle of the Broncos' defensive coaching staff Wednesday night. They joined Bill Kollar and Reggie Herring, who were named to coach the defensive line and linebackers, respectively, in the previous week.
"I want a defense where we can create our own identity," [Von] Miller said at the Pro Bowl. "You've got the Seahawks defense, the old Bears defense. I want to get back to the Broncos defense (as) the Orange Crush. I want for us to start developing our own identity."
And with the personnel on hand, that identity should be an aggressive one. That style has been a hallmark of Phillips' defenses since he spent three seasons on Buddy Ryan's defensive staff with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1986-88.
Ryan came to Philadelphia after leading the Chicago Bears to their only Super Bowl win on the strength of their famed "46" defense, the unit Miller referenced, which was arguably the best pressure defense in NFL history. Ryan took those principles to Philadelphia, where Phillips joined him to craft a swarming unit led by Reggie White, Jerome Brown and Clyde Simmons.
But Phillips knew he needed to step out of the long shadows in which he coached for his first decade in the NFL: first his father, O.A. "Bum" Phillips, and then Ryan. That led him to Denver for his first Broncos stint in 1989, where he revitalized the Orange Crush for a new generation, applying the aggressive tactics to a defense featuring two elite safeties -- Steve Atwater and Dennis Smith -- and a pair of premium outside linebackers in Karl Mecklenburg and Simon Fletcher.
The Broncos rocketed up the defensive table in Phillips' first season, going from 22nd to 3rd in yardage allowed, 18th to third in yards per play permitted and 14th to fourth in sack rate.
Massive improvement is typical for Phillips when he joins a new team. In his eight previous stops as a defensive coordinator or head coach, his defenses shot up the league rankings, improving by an average of 10.25 spots in yards per play, 9.5 positions in sack rate and 12.5 spots in yardage allowed per game.
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http://www.denverbroncos.com/news-and-b ... 05659ca63cThis is exactly what I wanted to hear. I want an attacking defense.
Statistically we were good but we never played with an intensity and no team truly feared us. That's why the Colts had no problem coming into Denver and beating us.