Kenny Phillips eases way into training camp while others doubt his health

The doubters are everywhere and Kenny Phillips knows it. He also knows they'll be there until he proves them wrong. The Giants safety even knows they won't believe him even after he returns to practice.

And he knows opposing teams are ready to target him as a weak link in the Giants' defense, until he can prove he's still as good as he was before.

"I'm looking forward to that," Phillips said recently, and with a smile. "They're probably going to think 'He's not ready. He had a real serious knee injury. He's not his old self.' So I hope I get tested early. More plays for me to make."

It's that positive attitude that's carried the 23-year-old Phillips through the last 10 months since the Giants decided to shut him down for the 2009 season after Week 2. He had been diagnosed with patellofemoral arthritis in his left knee. He was in pain, and there was a chance that playing on it would make it worse.

Since then, Phillips has undergone microfracture surgery that he hopes fixed some of the damage from a condition many orthopedic surgeons believe is potentially career-threatening. He's also answered hundreds of questions about his recovery and his outlook for 2010 while missing all of the Giants' spring practices.

And the entire time he remained focused on one thing: Returning to practice when training camp opens in Albany on Sunday afternoon.

That still appears to be the plan for Phillips, the Giants' first-round draft pick in 2008. He expects to be ready for at least limited action - if not for the first practice, then soon after. But the lingering questions remain: How limited will he be? How quickly can he recover? Will he still be his old quick, explosive self? And, most importantly for the Giants, will he be ready for Week 1?

Phillips, for the most part, has maintained his optimism. However, in a recent chat on the NFL's website, he admitted the obvious, that he'd be limited at the start of camp. He also said he expects to be healthy enough "to get some type of playing time" in the opener on Sept. 12, although he probably won't be ready to reclaim his starting role.

That's actually part of the Giants' plan to protect his future and ease him back into a full-time role. Grant and Rolle are the starters at safety for now, and the presence of Grant will give Phillips what he needs most: Time.

"Deon took it upon himself to talk to Kenny and say. 'Kenny, take your time, all right?'" said safeties coach Dave Merritt. "He said, 'I understand my role. And I understand you are the Giants for the future. So take your time and make sure the knee is right when you come back. When you're ready to come back, be ready.' "

"What's important is for him to be on the field when we play Carolina (in the opener)," added GM Jerry Reese. "So we'll start him really slow at the beginning of training camp, get his feet under him. Obviously he's been doing some work while he's been away. We've been monitoring that. But we just want him to take it slow because we want him to be our starting safety when we line up against Carolina on (September) 12th."

When asked if Phillips will be ready to play in the season opener, Coughlin said he wants to take it one step at a time.

"First I want to get him on practice field without any limitations and I'm hoping that that will happen within the first couple of weeks," Coughlin said. "I'm sure it will be one-a-day restriction once he does start practicing. We want to make sure that we build this whole thing up and our doctors and medical staff, which has worked with him tirelessly through the entire process, has a chance to see again exactly where he is and what needs to be done."

Phillips feels he's definitely ready. He was antsy during the Giants' minicamp in June when he was a spectator, left to do solo running on the side of the field while his teammates scrimmaged. He said by then he had already begun cutting, back-pedaling, "pretty much everything" and he had experienced no swelling or pain.

"I feel fine," he said. "I really do."

He really believes that, even if no one else outside the Giants organization seems convinced. Phillips also has no doubts about his readiness for actual football action, despite the long layoff. He doesn't expect to wonder how his knee is reacting every time he changes direction on the field.

The doubts and worries and wonder, he said, are in the minds of other people. And, of course, he knows they will.

"I know it's not going to change until you guys see me out there at practice, making plays," Phillips said.

Finally, that may just be a few days away.

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(nydailynews.com)