Between his sudden promotion last month and his formal introduction from Broncos coach Vance Joseph this week, new defensive coordinator Joe Woods finally got his wish: a prime desk at Dove Valley.

“I got the corner office, man,” Woods said.

The Denver defense’s newest boss will lead a unit that has ranked among the league’s top five in total defense in each of the past three seasons.

“I was so happy when I got here,” said Woods, who was hired as a defensive backs coach under former defensive coordinator Wade Phillips two years ago. “It was the first time in 10 years I had an office with a window. I said, ‘I don’t care what office I get, so long as it has a window.’ ”

Woods, a first-year coordinator, takes over from a titan. Phillips, who directed Denver’s defense the past two years, left after the season to become defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams after his contract was not extended. Phillips, with 39 years of NFL coaching experience, was the mastermind behind the Broncos’ defense-led run to the Super Bowl championship a year ago. Related Articles February 7, 2017 PHOTOS: New Broncos coaches introduced at media day

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Phillips may be gone, but expectations at Dove Valley remain sky high.

At 46, Woods is among a four-headed band of new guys at the top of the Broncos’ coaching rung. Joseph, the defensive coordinator at Miami this past season, is in his first year as a head coach. Woods and special-teams coordinator Brock Olivo both are entering their first seasons as coordinators. Only offensive coordinator Mike McCoy has previous experience at or above his level. He was head coach at San Diego the past four years and before that the Broncos’ offensive coordinator.

“Losing Wade, that was disappointing, obviously,” Joseph said. “But keeping the system and keeping the core intact was important.”

Broncos general manager John Elway and Joseph promoted Woods in large part for continuity. Woods was in charge of the NFL’s best pass defense the past two seasons and plans to keep much of the same scheme that Phillips ran. Woods’ secondary was so dominant, it led a Denver defense that allowed the fourth-fewest yards in the NFL this past season despite a run defense that ranked 28th in yards allowed.

In today’s pass-dominant, quarterback-driven league, the Broncos have a defense built back to front.

“Teams are spreading you out more,” Woods aid. “It’s harder to get to the quarterback. But the thing that helped me here is the cover guys we have. We just say: ‘You got him. And you got him.’ We make the quarterback hold the ball, then let Von (Miller) and D-Ware (DeMarcus Ware) come off the edge.”

The Broncos will continue to use a base 3-4 scheme, Joseph said. Woods benefits from the return of all-pro cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Chris Harris, plus safeties Darian Stewart and T.J. Ward. Miller, too, was an all-pro last season at outside linebacker. Ware is a free agent whose return is in question.

Despite Joseph’s experience as a defensive coordinator, he will cede defensive play-calling to Woods. And together they are focused on fixing what turned into a porous run defense last season. The Broncos allowed the third-fewest yards rushing in 2015 before falling 25 spots.

“Teams started playing us differently,” Woods said, addressing the problems of the run defense. “I talked to a few coaches of teams we played against. Teams thought they could stay in their base and attack us that way. We got a lot more runs. And when we gave up a few big runs, once it starts raining, they just keep bringing it.”

Woods said his goal is to carry on what Phillips built, namely, a dominant, championship defense.

But Woods’ influences run much deeper. He still carries a book of notes from 1998 full of ideas about defensive schemes and philosophies. At the time, he was a defensive backs coach at Hofstra in New York. And those ideas came from Johnnie Lynn, then defensive coordinator with the New York Giants who is now an assistant defensive backs coach for Woods.

“As a coach, you have to understand each of your players,” Woods said. “You have to understand what pushes them, and what buttons to push. We have big personalities. But there’s a time when we have to go to work. Those guys know that. There is a time to let loose and have fun, and there’s a time to get to work.”