Stewart, Phillips in attack mode
A liberal dose
September 06, 2007
Brian Stewart is the Red Bull-spiked cup of 44-ounce coffee to coach Wade Phillips' warm-milk demeanor. But he shares the head coach's belief in attack, attack, attack.
While Phillips will be the one who calls the defenses for the Cowboys this season, Stewart will serve as his apprentice and second set of eyes and ears in his first opportunity as an NFL defensive coordinator.
'We're going to be going forward instead of sideways,' Stewart said.
The coaches began working together in San Diego in 2004 after Phillips had been hired to fix a defense on a team that finished 4-12 the previous season. Stewart was the defensive backs coach.
In three seasons, the Chargers' defense moved from 18th in total defense to 10th last season.
A coach since 1993, Stewart entered the NFL through the league's Minority Coaching Fellowship program. He was a college assistant from 1993 to 2001 before being hired as an assistant defensive backs coach by the Texans in 2002.
Stewart, a former defensive back at Northern Arizona, said at the beginning of training camp that he believes the Cowboys have the talent to be the best defense in the NFL. He later backed off that bold statement after Phillips suggested he do so.
Still, his belief in this defense hasn't changed, mostly because he believes in the talent of Roy Williams, DeMarcus Ware, Bradie James, Jason Ferguson and others. Above all, he believes in the philosophy and the scheme.
'I wouldn't say they were up and down,' Stewart said of the Cowboys' defense last season. 'They had been head-on with the [opposing blockers] every single time, and they were pretty good against the run.
'Now, you can see how athletic and what else they can do [in this scheme]. They are going [through] a gap instead of going through a guy to get to the ball carrier.'
September 06, 2007
Brian Stewart is the Red Bull-spiked cup of 44-ounce coffee to coach Wade Phillips' warm-milk demeanor. But he shares the head coach's belief in attack, attack, attack.
While Phillips will be the one who calls the defenses for the Cowboys this season, Stewart will serve as his apprentice and second set of eyes and ears in his first opportunity as an NFL defensive coordinator.
'We're going to be going forward instead of sideways,' Stewart said.
The coaches began working together in San Diego in 2004 after Phillips had been hired to fix a defense on a team that finished 4-12 the previous season. Stewart was the defensive backs coach.
In three seasons, the Chargers' defense moved from 18th in total defense to 10th last season.
A coach since 1993, Stewart entered the NFL through the league's Minority Coaching Fellowship program. He was a college assistant from 1993 to 2001 before being hired as an assistant defensive backs coach by the Texans in 2002.
Stewart, a former defensive back at Northern Arizona, said at the beginning of training camp that he believes the Cowboys have the talent to be the best defense in the NFL. He later backed off that bold statement after Phillips suggested he do so.
Still, his belief in this defense hasn't changed, mostly because he believes in the talent of Roy Williams, DeMarcus Ware, Bradie James, Jason Ferguson and others. Above all, he believes in the philosophy and the scheme.
'I wouldn't say they were up and down,' Stewart said of the Cowboys' defense last season. 'They had been head-on with the [opposing blockers] every single time, and they were pretty good against the run.
'Now, you can see how athletic and what else they can do [in this scheme]. They are going [through] a gap instead of going through a guy to get to the ball carrier.'
posted by The Gryphon at 8:45 AM
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