Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said Thursday that he "should be considered" for head coaching jobs in the future.
Phillips was fired as the Cowboys coach midway through the 2010 season and hired by the Texans shortly thereafter. Houston's defense has made a remarkable turnaround in his first season as coordinator, improving from 30th in 2010 to second overall this year -- a big reason why the Texans won the AFC South and are hosting the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday in the franchise's first-ever playoff game.
Phillips says he's not looking to be a head coach again, though he believes his record (82-59) would make him a viable candidate.
"I don't like to toot my own horn," said Phillips, who implemented a 3-4 scheme in Houston. "I've got a good record. I think I should be considered. I guess people may have taken it the wrong way that I ought to be a head coach. I don't believe that. I think I should be considered. If you look at my record, and you can look at all the people they're talking about now, and my record is better than most everyone they're talking about, as a head coach."
Phillips grew up near the Texas-Louisiana border, played at the University of Houston and worked under his father with the Oilers in the late 1970s. He's content to stay where he is now, though he'll listen to anyone who'd approach him about a head-coaching job.
"If you want a winner, if you want experience, you know, I'd like to talk about it," he said, "but this is the best job I've had. It couldn't be a better job than this, right now, and if we keep going the way I think we're going to go, and we're going to be good for a long time, especially defensively I think. So, you know, I'm not looking to go anywhere."
Phillips said Thursday he's still regaining his strength less than a month after undergoing gall bladder surgery, which forced the 64-year-old to take a medical leave Dec. 14. He returned last week and worked from the press box in Sunday's 23-22 loss to Tennessee. He'll work from there again for Saturday's AFC Wild Card Game.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
