Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips has been around for a long time and New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick knows it.

Phillips landed his first NFL coaching job in 1976 when he became the defensive line coach for his father Bum Phillips' Houston Oilers before landing his first defensive coordinator position with the New Orleans Saints in 1981.

The 71-year-old has bounced around with a bunch of teams ever since, maintaining his relevancy in an ever-changing league.

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick lauded the job Phillips has done in his 40-plus years in the NFL, saying that his scheme hasn't even really changed all that much because it has been so effective.

“I’ve certainly changed a lot in the last 30 years, schematically,” Belichick said, according to Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston. “Wade really . . . hasn’t. He really hasn’t. You’ve got to give him credit for that. The system has lasted. I mean, really, this is part of his dad’s system that he’s developed and adapted and developed there. I mean, I have a ton of respect for what he’s done and how he’s done it over every different kind of offense you can see. Multiple tight ends, run-and-shoot, 10 personnel, 11 personnel, 12 personnel, 21, 22. He’s been able to do the same thing — not the same thing, but his system has been able to handle all that. And I think that’s a real credit to what he put together 30 years ago.”

Phillips took over as the Rams' defensive coordinator in 2017.

He has now been a defensive play-caller for seven different teams, including two stints with the Denver Broncos.