Funny how a change of sidelines can bring about a change of attitude.

During his two seasons as head coach of the Denver Broncos in the early 1990s, Wade Phillips used to complain about the cannon going off in Qualcomm Stadium each time the Chargers scored. The loud boom often caught Phillips off guard. On one occasion it caused him to nearly jump out of his skin.

But after agreeing to a two-year contract yesterday to become defensive coordinator of the Chargers, Phillips said he has had a change of heart about the cannon.

"I hope it goes off a lot," he said, chuckling. "I like it now. It's all about perspective."

Phillips, 56, brings a wealth of experience as both a coordinator and a head coach. He was a head coach in Denver and Buffalo and was the interim coach in New Orleans and, for the final three games this season, Atlanta.

He worked the past two seasons as the defensive coordinator with the Falcons, and though the unit finished last in the league overall this season, it did not tarnish his reputation because the unit was weakened by injuries.

"I know him very well from competing against him so much," coach Marty Schottenheimer said. "He went to Denver the same year I started in Kansas City (1989). He always did an excellent job with the defense. He has an excellent background of excelling in things that are important to me.

"His teams were always good at producing sacks and producing takeaways, which is what I'm interested in."

Despite playing much of the season without key contributors such as Juran Bolden, Tod McBride, Sam Rogers and Will Overstreet, the Falcons ranked third in the league with 16 forced and recovered fumbles. They had 31 takeaways overall, 11 more than the Chargers. Atlanta also had 36 sacks (13th overall), despite playing catch-up most of the season because of the absence of injured quarterback Michael Vick.

In 2002, the Falcons had 47 sacks, second-most in team history, and 39 takeaways, second-best in the league. Their 24 interceptions ranked fourth in the league.

Phillips said he prefers running a 3-4 defense, in which a team goes with three linemen and four linebackers. But he said he will adjust his defense to the personnel. The Chargers, according to one longtime observer, have run a 4-3 defense nearly every year – if not every year – since they were founded in 1960.

"I'm excited about the opportunity," said Phillips, whose father, Bum, was an assistant on Sid Gillman's Chargers staff. "The Chargers have a lot of good young players, and it's great to work for a coach as successful as Marty Schottenheimer has been. I got to work for Dan Reeves and Marv Levy, guys who won a lot of games, and Marty fits that category. It was important for me to work for a good head coach."

Defensive end Marcellus Wiley played under Phillips at Buffalo and gave him high marks yesterday.

"Good Lord," he said. "That's big. I'm excited. Obviously I love Wade and respect Wade. He knows the game and can make adjustments. He understands how players play and feel, so he can talk our language and get us in the best frame of mind to play. He doesn't bore you with any unnecessary things that won't show up on Sunday, which I love. This is big for us."

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