The Rams finished near the middle of the league this season in points and yards allowed, but the defense's bad games were glaring debacles
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Los Angeles Rams Wade Phillips during game against the Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 29, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
What to Know
Longtime coach Wade Phillips teamed up on the Rams in 2017 with Sean McVay
The Rams' defense remained largely solid this season, as it had been for his entire tenure in Los Angeles
Phillips has coached in the NFL during every season but one since 1976, working for 11 franchises
Veteran defensive coordinator Wade Phillips has been fired by the Los Angeles Rams after three winning seasons.
Phillips announced Monday on Twitter that the Rams are not renewing his contract. The 72-year-old says he wants to stay in coaching.
Phillips teamed up on the Rams in 2017 with Sean McVay, who became the youngest head coach in modern NFL history. Phillips provided leadership and veteran perspective to McVay while running a defense that backstopped the Rams to 33 regular-season victories, two NFC West titles and two playoff berths in three seasons.
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Aerial shot taken over the new Los Angeles Stadium under construction in Hollywood Park, Inglewood, California, near Los Angeles, 20 February, 2019. - The stadium, which is slated to open in 2020, will be home to the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League. It is also scheduled to host Super Bowl LVI in February 2022. (Photo by Daniel SLIM / AFP) (Photo credit should read DANIEL SLIM/AFP/Getty Images)
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INGLEWOOD, CA - JUNE 07: Construction continues on the new Los Angeles Rams stadium site in Inglewood on Friday, June 7, 2019. The LA Stadium will open for the 2020 NFL season and will be home to the Rams and Chargers. (Photo by Scott Varley/MediaNews Group/Daily Breeze via Getty Images)
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INGLEWOOD, CA - SEPTEMBER 18: Work continues on schedule for the new Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park on Tuesday, September 18, 2018 in Inglewood, California. When completed in the summer of 2020, it will be the new home of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers. (Photo by Scott Varley/Digital First Media/Torrance Daily Breeze via Getty Images)
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INGLEWOOD, CA - SEPTEMBER 18: A plane come in for a landing at LAX as work continues on schedule for the new Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park on Tuesday, September 18, 2018 in Inglewood, California. When completed in the summer of 2020, it will be the new home of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers. (Photo by Scott Varley/Digital First Media/Torrance Daily Breeze via Getty Images)
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INGLEWOOD, CA - SEPTEMBER 18: Work continues on schedule for the new Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park on Tuesday, September 18, 2018 in Inglewood, California. When completed in the summer of 2020, it will be the new home of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers. (Photo by Scott Varley/Digital First Media/Torrance Daily Breeze via Getty Images)
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INGLEWOOD, CA - SEPTEMBER 18: Members of the media tour the new Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park on Tuesday, September 18, 2018 in Inglewood, California. When completed in the summer of 2020, it will be the new home of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers. (Photo by Scott Varley/Digital First Media/Torrance Daily Breeze via Getty Images)
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INGLEWOOD, CA - June 28: Aerial of new stadium construction for Los Angeles Rams football team (Photo by Nick Ut/Getty Images)
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KNBC-TV
An aerial view of construction at the new Rams and Chargers stadium in Inglewood.
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South aerial perspective rendering of the Los Angeles Stadium.
Jeff Lewis
A model of the Los Angeles Stadium on display.
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Michelle Valles
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LA Stadium Premiere Center First Look and Coach McVay Meet and Greet, Thursday, May 11, 2017, in Playa Del Rey, CA. (Jeff Lewis/Rams)
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Michelle Valles
The Rams won the NFC championship last season, and Phillips' defense held New England to 13 points in the lowest-scoring Super Bowl ever. But McVay's offense scored only three points against the Patriots, and its fall from the league's elite continued this season.
Phillips' defense remained largely solid this season, as it had been for his entire tenure in Los Angeles. Led by Aaron Donald, the Rams finished near the middle of the league this season in points and yards allowed, but the defense's bad games were glaring debacles that inflated the statistics of an otherwise above-average unit.
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Phillips has coached in the NFL during every season but one since 1976, working for 11 franchises. He was a head coach at Denver, Buffalo, Dallas, New Orleans, Atlanta and Houston.
He coordinated the defense with which the Broncos won the Super Bowl four years ago.
The Rams' defense consistently outplayed McVay's offense this season, but its bad games were stinkers. Los Angeles gave up a combined 144 points in losses to Tampa Bay, Baltimore and Dallas while the Rams missed the playoffs by one game.
"I want to thank them for the opportunity to be a part of their success the last 3 years," Phillips wrote. "Most of all I want to thank the players who I loved working with. I still want to coach and feel I can contribute."
