Tag: Adrian Phillips

Kyle Van Noy says what every Patriots fan was thinking about Zach Wilson

This Patriots-Jets game felt real familiar.

Two years ago, a second-year Sam Darnold had a rude awakening while playing the New England Patriots.

He walked away from a Monday night matchup with a 33-0 loss that included four interceptions and a sack. The “Boogeymen” name was coined for the Patriots’ linebacker crew after Darnold said he was “seeing ghosts.”

In a Week 2 loss against the Patriots, Jets rookie Zach Wilson appeared to see the same ghosts while throwing for four interceptions in a 25-6 loss. Wilson was sacked four times and finished the game with a 37 quarterback rating.

Kyle Van Noy, who was sidelined with a calf injury and throat strain, sent out a tweet with the same thought Patriots fans likely had.

It’s hard to argue that Wilson wasn’t sharing the same feeling as Darnold in that Monday night game.

Patriots fans react to the bounce-back victory over Jets in Week 2

Patriots fans were ecstatic to see their team back in the win column.

No Stephon Gilmore, no problem.

The New England Patriots’ secondary secured four interceptions in a promising 25-6 victory over the New York Jets. Mac Jones continued to impress with a high completion rate (73%) while throwing 22 of 30 for 186 yards. Although he didn’t take the top off with any big plays, he was efficient and accurate.

J.C. Jackson grabbed two of the team’s interceptions, building off the momentum of he had last year with second-most picks in the NFL. The other major storyline was the play of Damien Harris and James White, who totaled 82 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.

The Patriots didn’t look perfect by any means, but they recovered from a tough Week 1 loss and will have that momentum heading into a matchup with the New Orleans Saints next week.

Here’s how New England fans felt about the victory.

Safety Adrian Phillips credits Patriots for making him a better player

Adrian Phillips credits the New England Patriots for making him a better player.

With the New England Patriots producing ample talent on both sides of the ball, safety Adrian Phillips is certainly part of that mix. A key acquisition for New England in the 2020 offseason, Phillips is learning from his time with the organization.

His impact was felt as soon as he stepped on the field last season. After a strong opening week against the Miami Dolphins, Phillips was able to parlay that into success the rest of the way.

Phillips wound up recording 107 tackles, including seven for a loss. He also tallied a sack, two interceptions and four passes defended.

His versatility has been noticeable during his time in New England.  Speaking with the media on Thursday, he indicated that playing for the Patriots has made him a better player.

“Being with the Chargers for six years, I thought I had a pretty good handle on the league and how I attacked stuff, how I broke down film and things like that,” Phillips said. “Then I came here with Coach and being in this system and seeing how it’s just, like, something totally different. Like, dang, there was a lot that I didn’t know. It’s been fun to learn it, and it’s been a challenge to learn it, and I’ve accepted that challenge and used it to help me grow a whole lot more.

“So I would say that I’m a way better player than I was two years ago just from being in this system and learning something new.”

As he looks to make his mark at a deep safety position, Phillips’ versatility will come in handy down the road.

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Instant observations from Day 11 of Patriots training camp

We had deja vu from the QBs at practice. Adrian Phillips and Josh Uche continue to look like studs.

We witnessed a case of deja vu during training camp on Monday afternoon.

During Cam Newton’s drive in 11-on-11 drills, the New England Patriots quarterback lofted a ball out of reach of linebacker Kyle Van Noy, who couldn’t possibly make a play as the ball dropped into James White’s hands for a 25-yard pickup. A terrific play.

When Mac Jones got his own series later in practice, he did practically the exact same thing, dropping a dime to Sony Michel, who also dove forward and out of bounds. The ball went where only the running back could catch it — linebacker Anfernee Jennings could only watch the 25-yard pickup.

If you’re a fan who has followed training camp closely, you know that this quarterback competition is extremely tight. You also know that Newton is the current QB1. And perhaps you know the Patriots have been upping Jones’ workload over the last few days, giving more snaps to the rookie than Newton.

What we don’t know is how these quarterbacks will respond to a game environment in this new-look offense. That’s what I’m dying to see. Because the truth is that we don’t know anything about this quarterback competition until we see Jones play in a contact setting at the NFL. That’s what will make Thursday’s preseason game against the Washington Football Team so fascinating. Their pass-rush is arguably the best in the league. It’s the perfect test for Jones,[vertical-gallery id=107728][vertical-gallery id=107728]

Here are our additional notes from Monday’s session.

Adrian Phillips ‘interested’ to experience his first real snow storm

It’s always nice the first time – that’s it.

For most who live in snow-heavy areas — there’s preparation and animosity involved when a winter storm is coming through.

Getting the boots and gloves out, warming up the car and shoveling the driveway are just a few new details to add to the morning routine. If you can flip your perspective and enjoy the beauty of it, the prep work is slightly easier to mentally handle. But overall, it’s a cold and messy situation that can get old, very quickly.

For New England Patriots safety Adrian Phillips, a snow storm is an entirely new phenomena. Phillips was born in Texas and played football in California, where he stayed clear of most snowy situations. While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, he dove into his first experience with a winter storm in the New England area.

“It’s different man, it’s different,” Phillips said, transcribed by NESN. “Me being from Texas and then playing down in Cali and I come here and they’re talking about a foot to two feet of snow. I’m like, ‘Oh, this is way different.’ I need to get me some snow boots. Other than that it’s alright.”

I haven’t experienced a real snowstorm, this will be my first one, but we’ve gotten a few inches in Texas before, but it’s way different down there. You get a few inches and they shut everything down, you don’t have to go to school or none of that. It’ll be different experiencing this and I’m actually interested in seeing how bad it can get and what it’s going to look like with all the snow plowed on the side of the road. I’m interested to see all that.”

Phillips arrives before most players at Gillette Stadium on a typical day and he received some advice for handling snow in the early morning.

“Yeah, I’m in here super early. They gave me some tips, they gave me a shovel and stuff to help me out, they told me about the sand bags and salt bags, so I’ve just got to do what I’ve got to do,” Phillip added. “If I’ve got to get out there and shovel I’m going to do it, just make sure my car is warmed up before I go.”

Enjoy it for now — it’ll get old pretty quickly.

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Chargers offense preparing for familiar face

After six seasons with the Chargers, Adrian Phillips is thriving in New England.

The Chargers made the tough decision to let go of Adrian Phillips this past offseason, who ultimately decided to sign with the Patriots.

After spending six seasons with the Bolts, Phillips has turned out to be a solid addition by New England. Starting all 11 games, the 28-year old leads the team in tackles (70). He also has three passes defenses and three interceptions on the season.

Phillips served as a key defender in his role as the team’s dime linebacker as well as a core special teamer. Given how poor Los Angeles’ special teams unit has been this season, his presence on the field would’ve been beneficial.

Coach Bill Belichick is grateful to have a player like Phillips, calling him “a good addition for us.” Belichick added that he is very instinctive, has a number of roles in our system, is a good football player and great guy to work with.

If Phillips was such an important piece, why did L.A. elect to move on from him? Coach Anthony Lynn explained.

“You never want to lose a player like Adrian,” Lynn said. “But free agency, every year a page is going to turn over in terms of the roster, and sometimes you just can’t keep everyone. He just happened to fall into that category. We liked him a lot, he was very good and productive player for us. We miss him dearly.”

Phillips is a part of a secondary that features reigning Defensive Player of the Year, cornerback Stephon Gilmore and J.C. Jackson, who is second in the NFL in interceptions (6). The Patriots, who are allowing 229.2 yards per game, will be looking to make life difficult for red-hot quarterback Justin Herbert this Sunday.

3 key things to know about Chargers’ Week 13 opponent, Patriots

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez previews the New England Patriots.

The Chargers are looking to show some life after suffering their eighth loss, as they’re set to go to battle against the Patriots this Sunday.

Here are three things to know about Los Angeles’ Week 13 opponent:

Checking in on Cam

The Patriots acquired quarterback Cam Newton before the start of the season, eventually being named the starter. It’s been an up and down season for Newton, who is 5-5 as the successor to QB Tom Brady. While he has thrived at running the football, carrying the football 92 times for 387 yards and nine touchdowns, Newton has struggled as a passer. The former No. 1 overall selection has nine interceptions, three fumbles, has taken 18 sacks and has only thrown four touchdown passes. His struggles could be due to the lingering effects from his shoulder injury or simply confident issues. But New England has tailored their offense around him, resorting to a run-heavy approach.

Running wild

Like I mentioned, the Patriots have shifted to a run-heavy offense and the team is thriving on the ground. New England is fifth in the NFL, averaging 149.6 yards per game. RB Damien Harris serves as the team’s early down option, James White has the change-of-pace role while Newton is deadly in the red zone and short yardage situations. RB Sony Michel, who’s been out since Week 3 should also be back in the mix.

How’s their defense?

The Patriots have produced a mixed bag of results. After getting owned by Texans QB Deshaun Watson, the defense held Cardinals QB Kyler Murray last weekend to one of his worst offensive outputs of the season, limiting him to less than 200 passing yards and only 31 yards rushing. Their pass defense, which features a strong secondary, including former Chargers safety Adrian Phillips, is No. 14 in the NFL, allowing 229.2 yards per game while their run defense is No. 21, allowing 123.3 YPG. New England has only gotten to the quarterback 11 times this season.

Longhorns in the NFL: Week 12 recap and highlights

Week 12 of the NFL season isn’t technically over with the Pittsburgh-Baltimore game set for Wednesday. How the other former Horns performed?

The NFL’s Week 12 was a wild one. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens were set to kick off on Thanksgiving. That game was moved to Sunday. Then to Monday. Then to Tuesday. Then to Wednesday. Who knows if that game is going to take place before week 13 kicks off. The Ravens were also supposed to host the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday. That game is now kicking off on Tuesday, allegedly.

This week’s NFL action saw the Texas Longhorns’ all-time leading passer return to the football field. Due to an injury to New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, Colt McCoy was thrust into action against the Cincinnati Bengals. He would lead them to a win to give them possession of first place in the NFC East.

The weekend also saw two players from the 2020 NFL Draft class have big contributions to their team. Collin Johnson showed by the Longhorns offense missed him this year and Brandon Jones recorded the first sack of his NFL career.

A look at the rest of the Texas exes:

Adrian Phillips says Bill Belichick won’t ‘sell out’ his players for wins amid pandemic

How do Patriots players feel about the team’s protocols?

Bill Belichick’s leadership has impressed the New England Patriots players amid a COVID-19 outbreak. With the team putting four players on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, the Patriots may have been victims of bad luck or bad practices. Whatever the reason, the novel coronavirus is spreading through the locker room, with the last player testing positive on Saturday. But the Patriots coach has clearly acted with a level head to ensure his players and their families stay safe.

“You can tell that coach isn’t willing to sell out his whole team or put his whole team at risk just to get a win.” safety Adrian Phillips said Wednesday.

He added: “I think the main thing you want to see from your coach is that you’re not just a player. You’re a human being. You have family. You have feelings. … When you have a person who tests positive on the team, it doesn’t matter who it is. He just says: ‘OK we’re fitting to shut the whole thing down.’ That shows he cares about you as a person and not about just the wins and the losses.”

The Patriots and the NFL have been working to create the proper response for the team’s bout with the novel coronavirus, though it seems the solutions haven’t always been compliant with CDC recommendations. Though 20 players had been in close contact with Cam Newton, who tested positive for COVID-19 on a Friday, the team flied to Kansas City for a game on the following Monday. When more players tested positive, the NFL finally postponed the team’s Week 5 game against the Denver Broncos, which will be played in Week 6.

Even with the scheduling moving and New England shutting down its facility, Phillips said he was pleased with the Patriots’ transparency with the players. The NFL has passed on information to the Patriots, who immediately relay that information to the players. Whenever Phillips has questions, he gets answers.

“A lot of our information comes from the doctors themselves, our team doctor and then we might have someone come in and talk to us and give us more information with any questions that we might have,” Phillips said.

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Patriots’ Adrian Phillips explains why he wouldn’t call himself a linebacker

“I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily a linebacker.”

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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