Tag: Adrian Phillips

Patriots safety Adrian Phillips noticing positive changes in Mac Jones

Did Mac Jones get his groove back? Adrian Phillips thinks so.

New England Patriots safety Adrian Phillips has noticed a change in Mac Jones as training camp progresses. He believes the third-year quarterback is getting his confidence back.

“You can see [Mac Jones] getting his confidence back,” Phillips said after practice earlier this week, per the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan.

Last season was a difficult one for Jones and the offense. He put up decent numbers, all things considered. The former first-round draft pick threw for 2,997 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

He battled his way through injury in the early part of the season and was able to finish somewhat strong towards the end. But it was too little, too late for the Patriots.

However, things have seemingly changed with Bill O’Brien stepping in as the new offensive coordinator. Jones isn’t just performing well in training camp, but he’s actually competing against a stellar Patriots defense.

This is certainly a good thing to hear, but it would be wise to temper expectations until we see everything play out on the field. Right now, at the very least, things seem to be trending in a more positive direction than last year.

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Adrian Phillips has high hopes for defense in tough AFC East division

Adrian Phillips believes the Patriots will be ready for the challenge of a stacked AFC East division

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New England Patriots safety Adrian Phillips is not mincing words when it comes to the team’s 2023 schedule.

The Patriots will have a challenge within their own division. Josh Allen will be looking to lead the Buffalo Bills back to the playoffs and perhaps even contend for an AFC title. Tua Tagovailoa has the opportunity to put forth a stellar season with the Miami Dolphins, and Aaron Rodgers will try to get the Jets back to the playoffs.

That’s not even bringing into discussion the season-opener for the Patriots.

They’ll be facing the Philadelphia Eagles in what is anything but a cakewalk. Phillips acknowledged the challenges that awaits the team, when speaking to Mike Yam and Maurice Jones-Drew on NFL Total Access. The Patriots will have to rely heavily on the defensive unit this season, and Phillips is ready to step up to the challenge.

“It’s going to be tough,” said Phillips, as transcribed by NFL.com’s Coral Smith. “You know our division was already tough; Buffalo’s been doing their thing, Josh Allen’s been balling, you’ve got Mike McDaniel down in Miami dialing it up, and then you get Aaron Rodgers going to the Jets, like it’s crazy.

“…We’re going in with the mindset that if we’re just physical and we do our jobs, win all of our one-on-one matchups, we just go out there and play to the best of our abilities, then we can rock with anybody. So we’re not too worried about it, we actually love it because we love competition, love going against the best, and if you make it out of that division, you’re battle-tested.”

It will be interesting to see how Phillips steps up, especially after the retirement of Devin McCourty. Phillips and Kyle Dugger could end up being the main cogs at the safety position.

But even in what appears to be an uphill battle, Phillips is obviously ready.

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Patriots’ 15 biggest cap hits in 2023

What Patriots players have the biggest cap hits in 2023?

Things may not be perfect, but the New England Patriots are in a much better place financially than they were in the 2022 season.

Last year, wide receiver Nelson Agholor’s contract came with the second-highest cap hit, while tight end Jonnu Smith’s deal was the fifth-highest hit. Those contracts served as a punch in the gut for a Patriots team that hardly utilized the two veteran players.

Whether the onus should fall on the team or the players themselves is irrelevant in regards to the fact that it was wasted money for the Patriots organization.

We’ll see if that ends up being the case for some of the players with big cap hits for the team this time around. Here are the 15 players with the biggest cap hits for the Patriots heading into the 2023 season (via Spotrac):

Patriots’ top 10 defensive players in Week 16, according to PFF

Here are the top 10 best defensive grades for the Patriots in Week 16.

Defense doesn’t always win championships, especially if the offense continues to get in its own way. Such has been the case for the New England Patriots this season.

Nothing changed in the Week 16 matchup with a Cincinnati Bengals team that was believed to be the hottest team in football headed into Gillette Stadium.

Yet, the Patriots defense forced three turnovers, including a pick-six, on quarterback Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ prolific offense, along with holding them scoreless for the entire second half.

Of course, none of it mattered in the end as the game ended on a fourth-quarter turnover from running back Rhamondre Stevenson in the red zone. Pro Football Focus graded all of the players on the defensive side of the ball for the Patriots in the Christmas Eve loss to Cincinnati.

Here are the top-10 graded players.

Adrian Phillips travels with Patriots, Joshuah Bledsoe ruled out for game

Adrian Phillips still has a chance to play on Sunday, while Joshuah Bledsoe is being ruled out.

The New England Patriots are flying out for Sunday’s much-anticipated matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and they’re hopeful to have safety Adrian Phillips back on the field.

Despite dealing with a rib injury, the veteran defensive back is traveling with the team, which indicates he’ll have a real opportunity to suit up and play in the game.

However, it’ll likely be a game-time decision with him still listed on the injury report. The Patriots will need all of the help they can get on the backend of the defense to keep Pittsburgh’s receivers under lock and key.

While Phillips made the trip, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported second-year safety Joshuah Bledsoe is being ruled out with a groin injury.

This will be the first meeting between the Patriots and Steelers since 1998 that neither Tom Brady or Ben Roethlisberger were the starting quarterbacks. The expectations this time around is this game being more about defense and less about offense.

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Mac Jones and Adrian Phillips both at practice on Wednesday

Mac Jones and Adrian Phillips were both at practice on Wednesday

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones practiced on Wednesday, despite dealing with the back injury he suffered in Sunday’s loss to the Miami Dolphins.

Safety Adrian Phillips was also present during the open media portion of practice.

Phillips left the game on Sunday with a rib injury. Teammate Kyle Dugger indicated he thought Phillips’ injury wasn’t too serious earlier this week. So Phillips’ presence on Wednesday was certainly a positive.

Every member of the Patriots’ 53-man roster was present on Wednesday, as the team gets set to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Marcus Cannon was also present Wednesday, as he took the practice field with the Patriots for the first time since 2019, per Zack Cox of NESN.com

The health of Jones will be especially important for a Patriots offense that is looking to get back on track. It’ll also be important to have Phillips back on the field at a safety position that relies heavily on veteran leadership.

In any event, the statuses of both Jones and Phillips will be worth monitoring throughout the week.

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Patriots safety Kyle Dugger shares thoughts on severity of Adrian Phillips’ injury

Kyle Dugger’s words seem promising for Adrian Phillips’ health status.

New England Patriots safety Adrian Phillips left Sunday’s 20-7 loss to the Miami Dolphins with a rib injury. Safety Kyle Dugger played well in his absence, recording six tackles, including two tackles for a loss.

Phillips would finish with three tackles for the game, including one tackle for a loss. He has served as a key piece for the Patriots’ safety position ever since his arrival in New England. His veteran presence has been a source of stabilization for the team.

Dugger was able to give a small injury update on his teammate following the game, as transcribed by Dakota Randall of NESN.com.

“You’d have to ask him,” Dugger said in the Patriots locker room. “I’m not 100% sure, but I think he’s gonna be all right.”

The Patriots will need all hands on deck as they face the Pittsburgh Steelers this coming Sunday. Kickoff time is set for 1:00 p.m. ET.

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Patriots S Adrian Phillips questionable to return with rib injury

Adrian Phillips is questionable to return to the game.

The New England Patriots suffered a blow in the defensive backfield with safety Adrian Phillips going down with a rib injury late in the second quarter.

Coming out in the second-half, the team reported that he was questionable to return to the game.

Right after the injury occurred, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa hit wideout Jaylen Waddle for a 42-yard touchdown pass. So the problems keep on building for the Patriots in their opener against a division rival that has had their way with them up until this point.

Keep in mind, the Patriots are also missing safety Joshuah Bledsoe, who is inactive for this game with a groin injury.

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Positional Preview: Breaking down safety position after the 53-man roster cutdown

What does New England’s safety position look like heading into the regular season?

Tuesday’s deadline to trim the roster down from 80 players to only 53 resulted in some key subtractions for New England. While the Patriots did sign many of the preseason favorites (Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Kevin Harris, J.J. Taylor, and more) back to their 16-man practice squad, many players who were featured in the preseason matchups and training camp are no longer on the team.

While the current 53-man roster may not be the finalized one that the Patriots carry into the regular season, the vast majority of the players on the roster will be those who will be on the team for this upcoming season. Here is a positional preview of New England’s safties after the 53-man roster cutdown.

 

Patriots players share statements following the Texas school shooting

Multiple New England Patriots players share their thoughts following the tragic school shooting in Texas.

Multiple New England Patriots players shared their thoughts following the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

An 18-year-old gunman, identified as Salvador Ramos, killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School, before law enforcement killed him. Lt. Christopher Olivarez of the Texas Department of Public Safety released a statement and said Ramos barricaded himself in the fourth-grade classroom.

The killer “barricaded himself by locking the door and just started shooting children and teachers that were inside that classroom,” Olivarez said. “It just shows you the complete evil of the shooter.”

The Patriots players were fed up and called for immediate change.