The Mistakes Are Mine

Wade Phillips' philosophy for the 2015 Denver Broncos defense

Author

Cody Royle
August 04, 2025

Wade Phillips holds a unique honour: he has served as the head coach of the most teams in NFL history.

As both a full-time and interim coach, he has led the Broncos, Cowboys, Bills, Texans, Saints, and Falcons.

Despite having coached six franchises, Phillips is typically associated with being one of the game’s standout defensive coordinators — a position he’s held with the Saints, Eagles, Broncos, Bills, Falcons, Chargers, Texans, Broncos (again), and Rams.

In particular, he has become synonymous with the 2015 Denver Broncos, who had one of the greatest defenses of all-time on route to upsetting the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.

In his book, Son of Bum, Phillips dedicates numerous chapters to that 2015 defense, which featured stars like Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib, and Chris Harris Jr. With their star-studded roster and Phillips at the helm, the Broncos were the #1 ranked defense in the league, with the #1 pass defense and #1 sack count in the NFL.

On the first day of training camp, Phillips set the scene by handing out a sheet of paper with a statement of intent about how the Broncos defense would play.

Here is what was written on that sheet of paper:

PHILOSOPHY OF THE DENVER BRONCOS’ DEFENSE

Our basic defense is an attacking style. The Broncos’ philosophy on first and second down is to stop the run and play outstanding pass defense. We will play zone, man to man, and blitz in any situation. On any down we may utilize different fronts or different personnel groups.

In all situations, we will defend the inside or the middle of the field first—defend inside out. Against the run, the Broncos will not allow the ball to be run inside. We want to force the ball outside. Against the pass, the Broncos will not allow the ball to be thrown deep down the middle or inside. We want to force the ball to be thrown short and/or outside.

The trademark of the Denver Broncos’ defense is aggressiveness and physical play. We will be physically strong at the line of scrimmage and will hustle and pursue relentlessly. We will be hard and sure tacklers. The Denver Broncos will be successful on defense because we give 100 percent physical effort and do not make mental mistakes. To eliminate mental errors, we must fully understand the concept of the defense and be disciplined to play the defense called. We will not allow big plays against us.

The Broncos defense must perform efficiently inside our twelve yard line (red area) and on the goal line. We cannot allow our opponents to run the ball into the end zone. We will have a great run defense with tight pass coverage. We will prevent touchdowns and force field goal attempts by playing outstanding team defense.

Defensively, we must adapt to every situation that presents itself and execute successfully. This requires good communication, teamwork, and personnel substitution. Some defensive situations that occur are: second and long, third down, fourth down, two minute, no huddle, short yardage, red area, goal line, two-point play, four minute, protecting a lead, opponent backed up, and no huddle. We will prepare for and handle all situations.

Finally, our job is to take the ball away from the opponents’ offense and score or set up good field position for the Broncos’ offense. We must knock the ball loose, force mistakes and cause turnovers. Turnovers win games! We will be alert and aggressive and take advantage of every opportunity to come up with the ball.

**DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS**

Wade Phillips

Phillips’ focus with the 2015 group was to make things simple so it could be understood, executed, and players could find success the first time they played in the system.

“Some coaches will say, ‘Hey, this defense is so complicated, it’s going to take you a couple of years to learn it.’ We take the opposite approach,” Phillips writes. Ease of comprehension and speed of install were keys to the philosophy’s success.

Phillips says his final words to the defense before a game were as simple as his game style: “I want you to go out and play as hard as you can play. We practiced everything we had to practice. Now, you go out and play as hard as you can play, every play, and don’t look back. And any mistake you make is mine.”

He wanted his last sentence to be a reinforcement point so the players could play without worrying about mistakes.

The night before Super Bowl 50, he purposely left out the part about the mistakes to see if the players were paying attention.

“I started to walk out of the room, and a bunch of the players called out, ‘Coach, what about the mistakes?’” Phillips recalls.

“Oh, yeah,” I said with a smile. “The mistakes are mine.”

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