Randy Phillips heads to Detroit chasing NFL dream

When Randy Phillips blew out his right labrum against Virginia Tech last September, the Hurricanes’ safety and Glades Central graduate faced a decision.

Phillips could undergo season-ending surgery with an eye toward his pro future, or he could play the rest of 2009 in constant discomfort while providing leadership for a young team making a run at the ACC championship.

Phillips chose the latter and while he missed three games because of the shoulder injury, he tied for the team lead in interceptions (2) and finished fourth in tackles (53) on a UM squad that didn’t win the ACC title, but did record its best victory total since 2005.

That was good for the Hurricanes, but not so great for Phillips’ aspirations of getting drafted. In early January, Phillips underwent the shoulder surgery he had put off. That forced him to reject an invitation from the East-West Shrine game and caused him to perform poorly at UM’s Pro Day in late February.

So when last week’s NFL Draft came and went without his name being called, Phillips was hardly surprised.

“It’s hard to draft a guy that’s had two major surgeries the last two years of his college career,” said Phillips, referring to the anterior cruciate ligament tear he sustained early in the 2008 schedule that required surgery and caused him to miss most of that season.

But this story doesn’t have a sad ending. As soon as the seven-round draft was over on Saturday night, Phillips’ phone started ringing.

After receiving offers from five NFL teams, Phillips decided to sign as a free agent with the Detriot Lions where former UM defensive coordinator Tim Walton serves as the team’s defensive backs coach.

“I think it’s a great opportunity to get back with him because he’s the one that saw the most in me when he was here,” said Phillips, who heads to Detroit on Thursday for a rookie mini-camp. “We had a great relationship. I’m excited about getting up there and working with him.”

The situation in Detroit appears to be a good one for Phillips. Lions’ coach Jim Schwartz told reporters this week that the secondary remained his team’s biggest concern. Detroit did not take a safety in the draft and Phillips was the only safety among 12 rookie free agents signed by the Lions.

“They’re a young team looking to get better,” Phillips said. “They’re going to put the best guys on the field. I’m eager to walk into that situation and give it my all. I know I can be a starter in the NFL. I just got to stay healthy.”



(palmbeachpost.com)