Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips is fine joking around every now and then. Just don't mince words about his defense.
Phillips coddles the legacy of this Super Bowl winning unit, and even though the team is performing better this year than last year in terms of points per game allowed, they lost narrow battles with the Falcons and Chargers over the last two weeks.
The losses prompted former head coach and current stream of consciousness color announcer Jon Gruden to offer a pro tip: Play more zone so running backs and tight ends don't wreak havoc on your linebackers.
"Well, Jon Gruden hasn't coached in a while, has he?" Phillips told 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."
With Phillips' defense coming under question for the first time in nearly a year, it will be interesting to see how he responds with a potential home run on tap against former Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler.
If comments from linebacker Brandon Marshall are any indication of the tone inside Denver's defensive meeting rooms, Phillips has every indication of flexing some muscle tonight against the Texans.
Conveniently, Gruden will also be in town.
