In XFL built on ‘second chances,’ Wade Phillips, Roughnecks win season debut handily, ‘The Rock’ calls coach a ‘perfect’ fit

HOUSTON – Wade Phillips’ trademark aggressive defense swarmed the Orlando Guardians’ quarterbacks Saturday night at TDECU Stadium as the Roughnecks earned a convincing victory.

The former Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills coach and Texans defensive coordinator and interim coach watched in approval as the Roughnecks piled up seven sacks in a 33-12 win over the Orlando Guardians.

Having Phillips in place to lead the Roughnecks in their first game of the season in the relaunched XFL was all part of a plan to create a connection with fans familiar with the veteran coach’s handiwork, according to XFL owner Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

“I mean, it was by design, he’s not only a local icon, but he’s also a hometown boy,” Johnson said of Phillips, a former University of Houston linebacker. “It’s Wade Phillips. It’s his entire family, University of Houston. Really, it’s perfect. As pretty decent storytellers as we are, it was a really nice story for us.

“Great for it to converge, but also what you realize, when you look at how these Houston Roughnecks are playing, there’s an experience that they’re already playing with based on Wade Phillips. He’s been around and won championships, so you can see that on the field.”

Johnson and fellow owners Dany Garcia and Gerry Cardinale held court at halftime of the season opener.

After the game during which Trent Harris recorded four sacks and quartrerback Brandon Silvers passed for 272 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, Phillips, the son of the legendary Oilers coach Bum Phillips, reflected on his journey to the XFL in a homecoming.

“It’s great to be home, especially when this happens,” Phillips said. “I was excited about being able to coach this team and they went out and played like I thought they would .A lot of hard practices, I thought we would be a good team, but you never know until you start playing the games.

“It’s my home and I was blessed to be able to get this, job especially in my home city. I couldn’t be happier. I couldn’t be happier for the players. I had several players play outstanding games.”

Former Denver Broncos first-round quarterback Paxton Lynch was benched, and his backup, Quinton Dormady threw two interceptions.

Roughnecks running back Max Borghi rushed for 42 yards and one touchdown.

And wide receiver Deontay Burnett caught eight passes for 90 yards and one touchdown.

Former University of Houston and Indianapolis Colts defensive back Alex Myres had a fumble recovery and one sack. And former Rice University linebacker Emmanuel Ellerbee, who has played in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons and other teams, had a team-high seven tackles.

The Roughnecks’ roster includes former Texans outside linebacker Duke Ejiofor, who injured his ankle against the Guardians during the first series and will undergo more tests to determine the severity of the injury, and former Texans wide receiver Davion Davis.

A former University of Miami defensive tackle who earned fame as a wrestler and actor, Johnson wishes the league had been around when he was still playing football.

“I wish I had the XFL around when I was coming out of the University of Miami,” Johnson said. “We, the three of us, have put a lot of effort into creating a league of second chances, a league of passion, a league of grit.”

Aaron Wilson is a contributor to KPRC 2 and click2houston.com