"Son of Bum's" Best

Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips is entering his 41st year as an NFL coach. Head coach, coordinator, position coach, he's done a lot and he's seen a lot. He's coached some of the best defensive players of the last five decades. In a conversation on Adam Schefter's podcast Phillips was asked to pick an All Time "Son of Bum" defense, a defense made up of the best players that he ever coached. The available talent is so ridiculous that he couldn't even narrow the line down to his preferred three, let alone four.

Line
Reggie White
Bruce Smith
Curley Culp
Elvin Bethea
J.J. Watt
Aaron Donald

Phillips never really picked his starters but he did focus on Reggie White and Bruce Smith. It's fairly safe to say that those all-time greats are his ends. Curley Culp was the first great nose tackle so he fits nicely between White and Smith. That leaves a bench of Elvin Bethea, J.J. Watt, and Aaron Donald. Nasty.

Linebackers
Rickey Jackson
Karl Mecklenburg
Robert Brazile
Von Miller

Phillips' most glowing words were for Karl Mecklenburg. Perhaps that's due to the failure of history to give the former Broncos do-everything linebacker his proper respect. Mecklenburg was great and deserves Hall of Fame consideration. Phillips has DeMarcus Ware on this team's bench. I was actually surprised how little Phillips said of Ware. I'm sure that was less a slight to Ware than a need to talk up Mecklenburg. Welcome to Canton, Robert Brazile. It's about damn time.

Secondary
Aqib Talib
Chris Harris
Steve Atwater
Dennis Smith

All Broncos from two different eras. The corners, Aqib Talib and Chris Harris, are from the current era. The safeties are from a much earlier, much different era. Terence Newman was the only other defensive back that Phillips mentioned. Eric Allen and Antoine Winfield are two corners that I thought might come up but Phillips had both for only a year or two.

Hall of Famers:
Reggie White
Bruce Smith
Curley Culp
Elvin Bethea
Robert Brazile
Rickey Jackson

Arguably should be in the Hall:
Karl Mecklenburg
Steve Atwater

On their way to Canton:
J.J. Watt
Aaron Donald

Maybe:
Aqib Talib
Chis Harris
Dennis Smith

Wade Phillips has been one of the most successful defensive coaches in league history. That's seen in his success. At every stop, and there's been a lot of stops, he quickly flips the defense into a solid unit. That success is also seen in the ridiculous talent that he's coached.