Tag: Adrian Phillips

Update on Patriots releasing Lawrence Guy and Adrian Phillips

More information on the Patriots’ decision to move on from Lawrence Guy and Adrian Phillips

The New England Patriots shook up their roster last Monday by releasing veteran defensive lineman Lawrence Guy and cornerback Adrian Phillips.

For a rebuilding team looking to create as much cap space as possible heading into free agency, it made total sense for the Patriots to move on from the two aging veterans. Given their current situation, the Patriots are in a position where they should be prioritizing youth.

However, ESPN’s Mike Reiss also noted the timing of the move being significant. In his Sunday notes column, he pointed to a conversation with an agent, who viewed it as the team doing both Lawrence and Phillips a favor by giving them a head start in free agency.

Reiss wrote:

One agent viewed it as a show of respect to the two longtime veterans, giving them a head start on free agency and allowing interested teams time to study them before a glut of players fills the market.

Both Guy and Phillips were two highly-respected veterans in the locker room, and they’ll surely land on their feet elsewhere. The Patriots can only hope to replicate those personalities when attempting to build the right culture for the new era.

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Patriots reportedly cutting veteran safety Adrian Phillips

After releasing Lawrence Guy, the Patriots are also reportedly cutting veteran safety Adrian Phillips

After reporting the release of longtime defensive lineman Lawrence Guy, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero is also reporting the New England Patriots are releasing veteran safety Adrian Phillips on Monday.

Phillips’ usage dipped dramatically during the 2023 season with him only being on the field for 12 percent of the defensive snaps. It paled in comparison to the 2021 season, when he was in on 82 percent of the snaps.

Phillips was likely hoping to do more than just helping out on special teams, even at 31 years old. However, safety has been a bit of a luxury position for the Patriots with so many talented players, including Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, and Jalen Mills all competing for playing time.

The Patriots are looking to clear up space to make a splash in free agency, and moving on from older veteran players, like Phillips and Guy, helps them do exactly that.

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Studs and duds in Patriots’ pitiful 20-17 loss to Commanders

Who were the studs and duds in the Patriots’ pitiful 20-17 loss to the Commanders?

Not even a Week 9 matchup with the struggling Washington Commanders could save the New England Patriots from falling to 2-7 on the season.

It’s shocking to think this is the same Patriots team that somehow knocked off the Buffalo Bills in Week 7. The team that beat the Bills must have somehow caught lightning in a bottle because the version that showed up on Sunday looked terrible on all levels.

Offense, defense and special teams—it was all bad for the Patriots.

They had an opportunity to save the game late, but a pass from quarterback Mac Jones bobbled off of JuJu Smith-Schuster’s hands and turned into an interception for the Commanders to close out the game.

It was a completely fitting ending for this version of the Patriots. Here are the studs and duds from the game for New England after their 20-17 loss to the Commanders:

10 highest-graded players for Patriots defense vs Dolphins, per PFF

Who were the highest-graded Patriots defensive players in the loss to the Dolphins?

The New England Patriots defense could not handle the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, as they were defeated by a 31-17 margin.

Sure, the defense had moments of success, but by and large, this was a game that saw the unit struggle overall. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa passed for 324 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Running back Raheem Mostert carried the ball 13 times for 46 yards and a touchdown.

Tyreek Hill was the receiver of the afternoon, catching seven passes for 121 yards and a touchdown.

The Patriots defense had no answers for the potent Miami offensive attack. The Dolphins being on the field for nearly 36 minutes of the game didn’t help matters, either.

Here are the top-10 highest-graded defensive players for the Patriots in Week 8, per Pro Football Focus.

Patriots’ top 10 defensive players in Week 6, per PFF grades

Here are the Patriots’ top defensive players in Week 6, per PFF grades.

Defense has been the saving grace for the New England Patriots at a time when there isn’t much to feel good about with the team. That continued to be the case in Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

The unit held the Raiders’ rushing attack, including Josh Jacobs, to under 100 yards. They also shut down All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams, who finished the game with only two receptions for 29 yards.

Even with all of the injuries on the roster, the Patriots defense still stood up to the road challenge and gave the team a chance to win. But it still wasn’t good enough.

Linebacker Jahlani Tavai had another big game after snagging a pop-up interception on Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. He also tied Jabrill Peppers, who delivered the vicious hit that caused the initial pop-up interception, in total tackles.

Christian Barmore was also a big-time disruptor along the defensive front in swatting down passes, clogging up running lanes and generating pressure up the middle.

Here are the top-10 Patriots defensive players in Week 6, per Pro Football Focus grades.

Patriots’ top 10 defensive players in Week 4, per PFF grades

Ranking the Patriots’ defensive players with the top-10 PFF grades in Week 4

The New England Patriots defense was put in an impossible position in the Week 4 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Not only was the unit battered with injuries, but it was handcuffed to an offense that turned the ball over three times and consistently put them in bad field position.

It was in no way a great performance for the defense, but they also didn’t look nearly as bad as the 38-3 score indicates. In fact, it’s surprising the score didn’t get even worse with the offense giving up two defensive touchdowns to the Cowboys.

The defense also lost two of their best players with cornerback Christian Gonzalez and linebacker Matthew Judon both going down with injuries. They’ll have their work cut out for them when attempting to bounce back in Week 5 against the visiting New Orleans Saints.

Let’s take a look at the top-10 defensive players, per Pro Football Focus grades, in the loss to Dallas.

Patriots’ top 10 defensive players in Week 2, per PFF grades

Who cracked the top-10 on defense for the Patriots in Week 2?

For a second straight week, most of the highlights for the New England Patriots came on the defensive side of the ball in their Week 2 matchup with the Miami Dolphins.

They were presented with the seemingly impossible task of covering the Dolphins’ otherworldly receiving tandem of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and they overachieved in not allowing the game to be broken open.

Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for their effort in stopping the run game after seeing them get pounded into the ground by Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert for 121 yards and two touchdowns.

Rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez did a tremendous job matched up on the outside against Hill, who had five receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown, after going off last week for 215 yards and two touchdowns. The first-round draft pick even undercut Hill on one play and leaped high into the air to snag the first interception of his NFL career.

Let’s take a look at Gonzalez and the other nine defensive players that received the highest Pro Football Focus grades for the Patriots in Week 2.

Madden 24 ratings for every Patriots safety

Three Patriots safeties received an 80-plus overall rating.

The New England Patriots will be entering the 2023 season with one of the best defensive backfields in the NFL, and the ratings on the upcoming “Madden NFL 24” video game reflect it.

There are three players at the safety position for the Patriots rated 80-plus overall in the game. It’s a good thing for a unit that lost legendary defensive back Devin McCourty in the offseason.

McCourty, who rode off into the sunset in retirement, will be watching from the sidelines as players like Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, Jalen Mills and Adrian Phillips step up as defensive leaders.

Madden players, on the other hand, will love running this unit against that one friend that constantly heaves up deep throws on every play. Here are the official Madden 24 ratings for every Patriots safety.

Patriots veterans joke with Christian Gonzalez for getting trucked

Safety Adrian Phillips empathized with Patriots rookie Christian Gonzalez’s “welcome-to-the-NFL” moment.

New England Patriots rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez got his “welcome-to-the-NFL” moment in last Thursday’s preseason opener, when he got trucked by Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins.

Patriots veterans have lightly teased Gonzalez about the play, which is the quintessential taste of life in the NFL.

The collision made Gonzalez go backwards and allowed the corner to get his feet wet early in terms of action. Patriots safety Adrian Phillips empathized with the rookie, as he told of a play he encountered early in his career as well.

“Yeah, you always got that welcome-to-the-NFL moment,” safety Adrian Phillips told media members, via NESN.com’s Dakota Randall.. “And we teased him about it a little bit. But everybody goes through that.

“I remember mine. I was on kickoff, I got double-teamed, and after the play, they still were going and they picked me up and slammed me to the ground. Everybody has that welcome-to-the-NFL moment.”

Gonzalez finished the game with two tackles and a forced fumble that wasn’t recovered. It wasn’t all bad for the rookie, who got a chance to flash his skills.

He will have a chance to get his feet under him again on Saturday, when New England takes on the Green Bay Packers at 8 p.m. ET.

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Patriots S Adrian Phillips admits rookie Marte Mapu is a rare defender

Patriots linebacker Marte Mapu continues to impress in training camp.

New England Patriots safety Adrian Phillips has been offering up some initial impressions of players early in training camp. One of the players mentioned that have particularly caught Phillips’ eye has been Marte Mapu.

The rookie third-round draft pick’s versatility as both a linebacker and safety is exceptional in its own right, but Phillips has been impressed by the effectiveness Mapu is having at both positions.

“I have to think. Off the top of my head, I don’t know if I have (seen players Mapu’s size that can play anywhere),” said Phillips. “You see a lot of guys that come in that are tweeners that play linebacker and safety like that but not really excel at it.”

Mapu comes to New England after having a productive senior season for Sacramento State. He recorded 76 total tackles and was named to the first-team All-Big Sky Conference.

That success is beginning to carry over at the next level with Mapu putting together a strong training camp for a Patriots defense that could use depth at the linebacker position.

Mapu would be another draft steal on the defensive side of the ball, which seems to be the norm for Patriots coach Bill Belichick at this point. Here’s to hoping he can carry his preseason momentum into the regular season.

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