'Canes safety is in a hurry to make NFL impact

One of Kenny Phillips' few regrets is never meeting the former University of Miami safety with whom he was so frequently compared.

Even so, the late Sean Taylor influenced Phillips more than the former will ever know.

Taylor's killing last November — combined with the still-unsolved 2006 shooting death of Hurricanes defensive end Bryan Pata — helped sway Phillips to turn pro after his junior UM season.

"I don't want to say that kind of had something to do with my decision, but I thought about it," Phillips recently said. "I've been dreaming my whole life to get a chance to play in the NFL and here it is. I didn't want to lose that opportunity because you never know what's going to happen."

Phillips is only 21, but he already knows how fleeting life can be.

The Miami high school Phillips attended (Carol City) is fed with students from Opa-Locka, a city with one of the nation's highest rates of violent crime. There is danger even 18 miles away at UM, which is located in a far more upscale area of South Florida.

In July 2006, two other UM defensive backs were forced to defend themselves following a robbery attempt at their South Miami home. Brandon Meriweather, who now plays for New England, fired his legally registered gun three times at a group of assailants after Willie Cooper was shot in the buttocks. Click here to continue reading...