LYNNFIELD — While the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown has promoted the practice of social distancing, the Lynnfield football coaching staff has tried to adjust by meeting each week in a Zoom call — engaging in some small talk and really just trying to feel normal during the coronavirus pandemic.
But this past week’s call was anything but normal.
Thanks to assistant coach Steve Mondello, it turned into a conversation he and his fellow coaches won’t soon forget.
“With my new quarantine schedule, I was up late one night on Twitter,” Mondello said. “I saw (NFL coach) Wade Phillips posted that he had finished up a call with a team and he would be open to doing more. So I messaged him and told him about how we talk once a week. I honestly forgot about it for a day or two after that.”
But not too long after, Phillips — who’s spent his coaching career coordinating some of the most suffocating defenses in the NFL, most recently with the Rams and Broncos — answered the message.
“I got the email notification that he had answered me and he was so cool setting something up,” Mondello said. “His schedule started to fill up quickly so I was worried we might not get the chance, but we were able to make it work.”
This past Friday, Mondello, head coach Pat Lamusta and the rest of the Pioneers staff got to pick the brain of the former Super Bowl champion who has coached NFL Defensive Player of the Year winners like J.J. Watt, Aaron Donald and Reggie White.
“A big part of it was trying not to be a fanboy the whole time,” Mondello said. “This is a guy who’s coached J.J. Watt and Aaron Donald. He’s been a huge component to some of the best defenses in the league.
“It was crazy,” Mondello said. “We were joking with him and he couldn’t have been any kinder. We told him we’re going to name our Turnover Player of the Week award after him. I was worried it might be awkward but he was just another coach.”
Phillips also shared some of his key defensive philosophies with the group, allowing for plenty of takeaways for Lamusta and his staff.
“Thinking back to it, some things that stuck out was that even in the pros there’s a big focus on fundamentals,” Lamusta said. “He talked about turnovers and using drills to promote the mindset of causing them.
“It’s really nice to hear from someone at that level,” Lamusta said. “One thing I liked was him talking about how assignment is different than responsibility on defense. Everyone has different assignments on a play but it’s everyone’s responsibility to get to the football. I really liked that.”
For defensive coordinator Joe Ford and offensive coordinator Ted Flaherty, being joined by Phillips in their weekly zoom call came as a shock.
“It was a total surprise,” Ford said. “Those calls, especially now, are something you look forward to. We hadn’t had one the week before so I was excited. I wasn’t in it yet and (assistant coach) Tyler Alicudo texted me and said ‘you’ve got to get on here, we’re with Wade Phillips.’ I thought it was a joke at first.
“Once I realized it was him I just immediately wanted to talk about defense and his mentality,” Ford said. “I took a lot away from our conversation.”
Flaherty, who has admired Wade’s NFL career along with that of Wade’s father Bum Phillips (a former Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints head coach in the 70s and 80s), was also taken aback.
“I really loved his father too,” Flaherty said. “When I first started talking to him I asked, ‘you’re Bum’s kid?’ and he said, ‘yeah, I’m an S.O.B. — son of Bum.’ Just listening to him talk about players like Reggie White and coaches like Buddy Ryan was incredible. He was easy to talk to.
“We have coaches with varying degrees of experience at Lynnfield,” Flaherty said. “He made everyone’s questions feel important. You could really tell he just loved football and loved talking with some other coaches.”
