According to Wade Phillips the timing just was not right. He said that what he has going with the Houston Texans is “magical” and that he wants to keep that going. Whatever the reason may be, Texans fans were elated to hear that Phillips had withdrawn his application for consideration in the search for a new Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach.
The Texans (10-6, 1-0) are coming off a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals and have been preparing to face the Baltimore Ravens this Sunday. Phillips’ job interview, many fans complained, could not have come at a worse time. In my own article I stated that I felt as if the timing were not only bad but inconsiderate of the Texans franchise. Coaches, I said, should not be able to interview for new positions during the post-season when they should be focusing on the playoffs.
Apparently Phillips heard me…
"I didn’t want to be a distraction, or a perceived distraction,” Phillips said. “Even though I would have been doing it (interview) on Friday night on my own time, I know some would have blamed me if we didn’t do well and I had interviewed for the job. At some point, you have to decide what you want to do, and I just decided that it’s important for me to be here right now."
Phillips has helped the Texans defense improve from 30th in the league to second in the league behind a stout rush defense and shutdown pass defense. His hybrid 3-4 scheme has been instrumental in disrupting offenses all season and has helped create one of the best linebacking corps in the league – the Bulls on Parade.
Houston, Phillips stated, is where he wants to be and he has now backed up his words with actions. That, my friends, is a man we can believe in!