ATLANTA (AP) — Wade Phillips doesn’t understand why everybody is so impressed by his ability to bridge generations of people and football knowledge with equal aplomb.The Los Angeles Rams‘ 71-year-old defensive coordinator sees nothing unusual in his ability to quote lyrics from a month-old Future song right after walking off the team plane at the Super Bowl wearing his 10-gallon cowboy hat and an ancient Deacon Jones Jersey , iconic sheepskin coat once owned by Bum Phillips, his late, great father.And though he eagerly makesgranddad jokes about his advancing age and his millennial boss, Sean McVay, Phillips is undeniably still at the peak of his profession.The Rams (15-3) are coming off two outstanding defensive postseason performances as they get ready to face New England and Tom Brady, who had one of the worst outings of his playoff career against Phillips’ defense.During 41 seasons in the NFL, Phillips has survived multiple firings and several unsuccessful head coaching stints to become a well-traveled defensive mastermind. He isn’t the type to lecture youngsters on his accumulated wisdom, but a few simple truths underline his life’s work.“You have to be able to adjust,” Phillips said. “You have to learn and grow and get better. That’s what coaching is about. Life, too. The game isn’t waiting around for you. It’s going into the future.”Part of Phillips’ future is Future, the Atlanta rapper who gets played in the Rams’ training complex. Phillips says he picked up a few bars from “Rocket Ship” this month and then dropped a verse — “I’ve been poppin’ since my demo” — on a disbelieving Aqib Talib for a team video Monday.But Phillips also carries the accumulated wisdom of his past into this late-career renaissance.After making the Super Bowl once in his first 37 seasons of NFL coaching, Phillips is back in the big game for the second time in four seasons. He won his first championship ring with the Denver Broncos just three years ago.“We try to let the guys know you have to appreciate this opportunity,” Phillips said. “You don’t know if it’ll ever happen for you, and they’re getting it now. Even if you’re a younger player, you can understand that http://www.theramslockerroom.com/authentic-sean-mannion-jersey , I think. So we just remind them.”Phillips’ clever expeditions into another generation’s culture happen too often to be just a goof. He is genuinely interested in learning about his players’ experiences, just as much as he was in the late 1970s as a 30-year-old assistant under his father with the Houston Oilers.While Phillips listens to whatever music is playing at the Rams’ training complex, he prefers Drake and likes Migos. He plays video games with his grandson, and he showed up at training camp last July with a “Fortnite Legend” T-shirt, claiming his squad would probably win a Battle Royale if he tried.When the Rams took the arena stage at media night, Phillips gleefully shot video on his phone for his popular Twitter account, which is full of SpongeBob GIFs and self-deprecating humor .“I love this,” he said. “I love the camaraderie. Some of the guys from my Houston Oilers team, (safety) Vernon Perry and Dr. Doom (Hall of Fame linebacker Robert Brazile) and those guys, I’m still in touch with them. We do a thing where we buy bicycles for kids. All along the way, I’ve had players that I’ve been close to, and a lot of coaches. Those friendships are life’s meaningful things, and that’s what I’ve learned.”Unsurprisingly, Phillips is universally popular with his Rams. Talib agreed to move from Denver to Los Angeles partly because he would be reunited with Phillips, and he joked that his eventual retirement plan is to “just chill with Wade.”Cornerback Marcus Peters Womens Aaron Donald Jersey , who has clashed with coaches in the past, would love to get in on that.“When you get to spend time with a guy who loves the game like that, and who’s so honest and genuine, you love that,” Peters said. “Yeah, we’ll hang out. Have a few drinks, and let’s groove.”Phillips jokes that having All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald on his roster has turned him into a genius, but he quickly assembled a solid unit this fall after the Rams made big offseason changes to his 2017 defense, including the departures of leading tackler Alec Ogletree and top cornerback Trumaine Johnson.The Rams’ revamped pass defense struggled at times during the season, but has been mostly solid ever since Talib returned from injury in December to renew his partnership with Peters. Talib excelled in Phillips’ scheme for the NFC title game against New Orleans’ Michael Thomas, who had only four catches after cutting up Los Angeles for 211 yards receiving when the Saints beat the Rams earlier in the year.While the Rams’ performance against the running game hasn’t been dominant this year, they’ve stopped their two postseason opponents’ ground games cold. Even while facing Ezekiel Elliott, Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram, the Rams have allowed just 98 yards rushing in their two playoff games combined.Phillips’ defenses historically have struggled against New England — just like almost everybody else’s defenses — but his Denver Broncos thoroughly stifled the Patriots three years ago to reach the Super Bowl. Phillips isn’t promising a repeat with the Rams.“Coach Wade always has something to show them,” Talib said. “He’s always planning John Sullivan Jersey , always thinking.”When told about Talib’s faith, Phillips replied: “Oh, he knows I don’t think a whole lot.” ATLANTA (AP) — Sean McVay has had very few bad days during his two seasons in charge of the Los Angeles Rams. His coaching tenure had been a rocket ride all the way to the Super Bowl.Until Bill Belichick sent this bright football mind and his exciting team plummeting back to Earth.What McVay does about it will determine whether the Rams are still an ascending powerhouse or another NFL contender broken by the New England Patriots.After Belichick’s defense turned McVay’s offense into the worst version anyone had ever seen, the Rams’ 33-year-old offensive guru was visibly frustrated and embarrassed. His clenched jaw in postgame interviews also signified a determination to never let it happen again.“The thing that is so tough about all of this is the finality to it,” McVay said Sunday night after his Rams failed to score a touchdown for only the second time in his 36 games in charge. “Usually, if you go through some adversity, you get a chance to bounce back right away. This one is going to stick with you. It just stings in your gut. I’m still kind of numb right now, but I have so much love for these players and these coaches. That’s where it really eats at you, because you feel like you didn’t do your part to help them achieve success.“This is going to be a very humbling, tough one that you learn from. But you have to demonstrate that mental toughness you talk about, and that is all I know how to do.”McVay could have been speaking partly to convince himself after he coached only the second team in 53 Super Bowls to fail to score a touchdown. The wunderkind’s confidence appeared to be shaken to its core by a New England defense that held the 11th highest-scoring team in NFL history to 260 total yards, six first downs in the first three quarters and their fewest points in McVay’s era.“It’s embarrassing,” left tackle Andrew Whitworth said. “It stings to play that way. You’d almost rather score a ton and lose that way, but that would take away from what the defense did. They gave us every opportunity to win.”McVay thrives on X’s and O’s, and he will have six months to scheme new ways to attack the similar zone defenses used late in the year by Detroit http://www.theramslockerroom.com/authentic-todd-gurley-jersey , Chicago and New England to throttle the Rams’ passing game. He also will endeavor to teach Jared Goff to make better decisions under pressure after the young quarterback’s stinker of a Super Bowl .General manager Les Snead has big calls to make on soon-to-be free agents and roster vacancies. The Rams will return with a wealth of talent, but they must determine whether their 4-3 record in their final seven games was a sign of bigger flaws.Financially speaking, the Rams’ championship window remains wide open for at least one more season before Goff likely gets a significant raise and consumes a larger chunk of their cap space in 2020. They can deal with their disappointment by adding players, not culling them — and after the bold moves of the last offseason, there is no reason to suspect the Rams won’t go all in again in 2019.Although the Rams are hurting, a franchise with 13 consecutive non-winning seasons before McVay arrived is not likely to panic over one Super Bowl setback, particularly since much of its core — running back Todd Gurley, two-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald and 1,200-yard receivers Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods — is locked into place with long-term deals.“The first thing (Super Bowl MVP) Julian Edelman said to me when I was congratulated him after the game was, ‘You guys are going to be really good for a long time,'” Whitworth said.Los Angeles’ unrestricted free agents include defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, safety Lamarcus Joyner, edge rusher Dante Fowler and left guard Rodger Saffold.Although Suh loves living in LA and got his first career playoff victory this season, he likely could make more money elsewhere. The Rams must think about using the franchise tag on Fowler, who clearly would like to stay.“We’ll be ready next year Womens Nickell Robey-Coleman Jersey ,” Fowler said after the Super Bowl.Linebacker Cory Littleton, the Rams’ leading tackler, leads a shorter list of restricted free agents.They also will await a decision by Whitworth, the oldest offensive lineman in the NFL. The 37-year-old left tackle still plays superbly, but he has not committed to returning for the third season of his contract, saying Sunday he will “see how the offseason plays out.”While the defense could require several changes, the fate of the Rams’ stalwart offensive line is a key. No starter has missed a game due to injury in McVay’s two seasons, but center John Sullivan will be 34 and Saffold will be 31 by training camp. After another stellar season, Saffold could be expensive to keep.No matter the changes, the Rams’ returning players will carry the motivation of this Super Bowl loss — and so will McVay, who sees no end to his work after two wildly successful seasons.“There is no other way to say it,” McVay said. “I got outcoached.”