Giants safety Kenny Phillips grows into a starting role

At the end of last season, safety Kenny Phillips was 202 pounds. During the offseason program this spring he watched his weight tick up, pound by pound, until it reached 217.

Phillips, who usually has trouble putting on weight, changed nothing about his diet or workout regimen. All the added weight was muscle, not fat, so the reason for the increased mass is still unclear.
Though Phillips has a theory.

"Maybe I went through puberty," the Giants safety joked Tuesday at the start of mandatory minicamp. "I don't know. I have no idea where it came from."

Phillips has gone through at least one growing process in the last year: his NFL rookie season, during which he admittedly reined in his personality on the field and off while playing a situational role as a backup. Now, with James Butler having left via free agency, Phillips is in a starting role alongside Michael Johnson. And so far this spring, last year's first-round pick has shown improved on-field awareness to go along with the athleticism that was always evident.

"I see better recognition. I see him getting a jump on the ball, believing in what he sees and letting his ability take him to, literally, where the ball is," coach Tom Coughlin said. "He's bigger and stronger, too. We're excited, looking forward to" Phillips' upcoming season.

A year ago, Phillips stunned former defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo during the second day of minicamp when he pivoted and sprinted across the field to make a diving interception. It was a play Spagnuolo was still talking about more than a month later at training camp, and it showed what kind of on-field speed and range Phillips had.

In Week 2, he put those skills on display again when he recovered after being fooled on a cut move by Rams wide receiver Torry Holt. Phillips got spun around on the play but somehow got in position to wrestle with Holt for the ball in the end zone. The only problem was Holt won the scrum for a touchdown.

This season, Phillips is hoping his increased awareness will put him in a better position before the throw so that his athleticism will help make the play -- not just keep him in it.

"You can see it coming now," he said of the wide receivers' routes.

During organized team activities, Phillips would see the receiver trying to fake the flag route to the sideline before running a post up the middle.

"I just run straight to the post and pick it off," Phillips said. "It just comes with playing time and experience."

And confidence.

"I'm not Ed Reed, but I feel I can make those same plays," Phillips said of his fellow former Miami Hurricanes safety. "You're a rookie and you don't want to go out there and start running around and trying to do stuff when you're not even starting. I was a little hesitant, but this year, I'm all in."

And he's all over the field. Whereas Butler was strictly a strong safety and would have to switch with Johnson if an offense flopped a formation, Phillips is capable of playing either position. So this spring, both players have been working on their communication and assignment adjustments on the fly.

"It makes us more flexible because we can do anything and everything," Johnson said. "And we can switch positions in our head instead of scrambling and running to the other side of the field."

Later, Johnson added about Phillips' improved awareness: "He's come a long way."

Phillips said the best teacher was live action because, unlike practices that include tons of deep balls, game situations involve more underneath routes and running plays. Instead of playing sandlot style football, Phillips had to learn to make better coverage reads.

"You don't get the opportunities to shine like you do in practice when they're taking deep shots all the time," he said. "I just felt I didn't really get the opportunity to make as many plays as I wanted to."

With his increased role, and his bigger physical frame, Phillips should have plenty of opportunities moving forward.

"They always felt I had the body frame to carry weight. They just said make sure you keep the speed," he said. "Obviously I did, so they're not complaining."



(nj.com)