The local reaction towards Houston Texans' defensive coordinator Wade Phillips' decision to stay put and not even interview with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as previously planned for their head coaching vacancy has been met with predictably overwhelming enthusiasm.
The gang at Battle Red Blog is willing to not question what drove Phillips' sudden change of heart, nor deny that Phillips could still move to another head coaching gig down the road, but not this week, and not while Houston prepares for Baltimore:
So what do we take from all this? First, let's acknowledge that at no point did Wade say that he no longer wanted to be a head coach again. He simply said he wanted to be in Houston, didn't want to be a distraction, and wanted to do what was best for his family. Now, it's entirely possible that his family let it be known they were happy in Houston and that motivated his decision to withdraw from consideration (if so, any Texans fan worth his salt had better buy any Phillips a drink if the opportunity presents itself). It's also entirely possible that Bob McNair has let Wade or his agent know that the outstanding work Wade has done this season will be rewarded.
The move also dovetails nicely with the Texans' franchise-first postseason run, which already includes a Wild Card round win at home. Considering Phillips' resurrected the Texans defense from one of the league's worst to one of its best in just one year (switching to Phillips' preferred 3-4 scheme), fans are starting to anticipate more playoff appearances to come.
For more on the Houston Texans, check out Battle Red Blog. For more on the NFL Playoffs, go to SB Nation's NFL page.
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