Adrian Phillips isn’t a typical safety, even if the New England Patriots have made a habit of identifying players with a similar skill set. Patrick Chung and Phillips have a similar brand of play, but they are uniquely talented individuals who can handle a great number of responsibilities.
When New England added Phillips this offseason, he didn’t spend his time learning the playbook with the safeties alone. He worked with linebackers, too. And judging from his role in Week 1, that work proved essential. Phillips spent most of his time in the box. Though he spent a great deal of time in coverage — and even managed an interception — Phillips lined up like a linebacker before the snap.
His strong play in the box drew a funny compliment from Patriots inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo – who said Phillips is a linebacker at heart, he just stopped growing a bit early.
“I like to say Adrian is a linebacker at heart,” Mayo said Tuesday. “He just stopped growing a little early, a little sooner than the rest of us. … He’s just a hard-nosed player. He loves to run and tackle. You guys got a chance to see that on the field this past Sunday. He just loves to tackle and I can definitely appreciate that.”
So when Phillips finished Sunday with a team-high eight tackles, Mayo probably wasn’t surprised. He has a knack for coverage (with the interception) and for physical play (with those crucial tackles). The interception was an obvious game-changing highlight, but coach Bill Belichick pointed out Phillips’ all-around excellence on Sunday.
“He’s a smart player, he’s tough, he’s physical, he runs well and he tackles well and plays really within the defense, plays a smart game,” Belichick said on a video conference call on Tuesday. “Glad we have him and he’s working well with our other linemen, linebackers and specifically defensive backs, which is where he works the most. But, when he’s around the line of scrimmage, he has to have a good feel for what those other guys are doing, too. He’s shown the ability to play near the line and not near the line, so it just kind of depends on what they’re in and what we’re trying to do.”
Phillips’ versatility seems to be coming in handy already for the Patriots in 2020. With New England’s defense and an ever-changing game plan, he could see his snaps go up or down in any given week. But to start the season, he played 43 snaps (69%), fifth-most among defensive backs.
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