Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips is regarded as one of the NFL’s brightest defensive minds. He also has what many would say is the best defensive unit in the NFL.
So when Jon Gruden had some remarks about how that defense should be utilized, Phillips couldn’t help himself.
After losses to the Atlanta Falcons and the San Diego Chargers, Gruden, currently an ESPN analyst, felt that the Broncos were being victimized by running backs and tight ends matched up against linebackers in the middle of the field. He suggested that the Broncos employ more zone coverage to stop that strategy.
Phillips didn’t want to hear it.
“Well, Jon Gruden hasn’t coached in a while, has he?” Phillips said, via Nick Groke of the Denver Post. “We were playing zone on quite a few of those plays. We haven’t played as well as we wanted to, obviously, because we didn’t win. But we’re still the best pass defense in the National Football League and against a lot of top quarterbacks.”
Phillips doesn’t have any intention of taking Gruden’s advice. He’s also good at trolling. There’s no real need to panic for the Broncos, and even in their losses, their defense hasn’t been giving up a whole lot of points.
