ENGLEWOOD — Between his sudden promotion last month and his formal introduction from Denver Broncos coach Vance Joseph this week, new defensive coordinator Joe Woods finally got his wish: a prime desk at Dove Valley.
“I got the corner office, man,” Woods said.
The Denver defense’s newest boss will lead a unit that has ranked among the league’s top five in total defense in each of the past three seasons.
“I was so happy when I got here,” said Woods, who was hired as a defensive backs coach under former defensive coordinator Wade Phillips two years ago. “It was the first time in 10 years I had an office with a window. I said, ‘I don’t care what office I get, so long as it has a window.’ “
Woods, a first-year coordinator, takes over from a titan. Phillips, who directed Denver’s defense the past two years, left after the season to become defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams after his contract was not extended. Phillips, with 39 years of NFL coaching experience, was the mastermind behind the Broncos’ defense-led run to the Super Bowl championship a year ago.
Phillips may be gone, but expectations at Dove Valley remain sky high.
At 46, Woods is among a four-headed band of new guys at the top of the Broncos’ coaching rung. Joseph, the defensive coordinator at Miami this past season, is in his first year as a head coach. Woods and special-teams coordinator Brock Olivo both are entering their first seasons as coordinators. Only offensive coordinator Mike McCoy has previous experience at or above his level. He was head coach at San Diego the past four years and before that the Broncos’ offensive coordinator.
“Losing Wade, that was disappointing, obviously,” Joseph said. “But keeping the system and keeping the core intact was important.”
Broncos general manager John Elway and Joseph promoted Woods in large part for continuity. Woods was in charge of the NFL’s best pass defense the past two seasons and plans to keep much of the same scheme that Phillips ran. Woods’ secondary was so dominant, it led a Denver defense that allowed the fourth-fewest yards in the NFL this past season despite a run defense that ranked 28th in yards allowed.
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