Broncos DC Vance Joseph shares advice Wade Phillips gave him

It's rare that a head coach of a team is fired and ultimately returns to that same organization as a coordinator. For the Denver Broncos, however, it's happened multiple times. 

Wade Phillips was fired as Denver's head coach in 1994 but returned two decades later as defensive coordinator and aided the franchise in their Super Bowl 50 victory. 

Now there's Vance Joseph, who was Denver's head coach in 2017 and 2018. Joseph was fired after posting an 11-21 record. But now a few years removed from that firing and a new ownership group in control of the Broncos and a new coaching staff with head coach Sean Payton at the helm, Joseph has returned to Denver as their defensive coordinator.

The comparisons between Phillips and Joseph will be brought up aplenty in the days to come, and even more so if Joseph is able to follow the same trajectory of Phillips. From getting fired to coming back and winning a Super Bowl. 

Joseph said he talked to Phillips shortly after being hired as DC of the Broncos. Phillips had a precise message for Joseph. 

“He reminded me that he was the coach and he was let go and he came back as a coordinator and he won a championship," Joseph said, per the Denver Gazette. "That was his message to me, so hopefully I can follow his trail.”

Broncos head coach Sean Payton won a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints, and Payton's plan isn't merely to cash paychecks, he wants to win more hardware. Granted, Payton and Joseph are in an incredibly difficult AFC West, but their aspirations are as sky-high as the altitude in Colorado. 

Phillips' return to Denver and subsequent Super Bowl win as DC was a remarkable storyline, and if Joseph's able to do the same it would be even more impressive in an ever-evolving NFL. 

While Joseph may never get to the promised land, Phillips' message to him was a poignant and uplifting one Joseph won't soon forget.