Adrian Phillips is listed on the New England Patriots’ depth chart as a safety, but that hardly looks like the position he plays. He’s lined up with the team’s linebackers in the front-seven, which is likely contributing to the fact that his leading the team in tackles. Phillips was asked whether he’s accustomed to playing so much linebacker during a call with reporters Wednesday.
“I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily a linebacker,” Phillips said. “If you want to put generics on it, I guess it’s a linebacker. But when you get in-depth with it, it’s more of just playing close to the line, getting more into the action. For the past few years, I’ve been doing this. We’ll switch it up week to week and the game plan might change, but it’s nothing I’m not used to. I did it a lot in college actually. In the league — my first 3 or 4 years — I was in the back end, but I made my way up to the action, to the line.”
It’s not a role that’s totally novel in New England’s defense. Safety Patrick Chung was often near the line of scrimmage to help out with run support while working in coverage against tight ends and defensive backs.
New England has faced a handful of pass-heavy teams, which means the Patriots are countering by putting more defensive backs on the field. That means players like Phillips, admittedly on the small side to be in a spot that typically involves fighting off blocks from offensive linemen, gets on the field more often in that linebacker-like role. Because of his versatility, he has played 70% of defensive snaps and 36% of special teams snaps.
“I like to say Adrian is a linebacker at heart,” linebackers coach Jerod Mayo said on Sept. 16. “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.”
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