New York Giants: What Kenny Phillips Wants and What Giants May Need, Are Two Different Things

By Sarah Bloom
NFL Writer

If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. New York Giants safety Kenny Phillips wants to do just that.

The fifth year safety has been a solid contributor for Big Blue and now he wants to get closer to the action, so he can produce more on the field.

Phillips acted more or less as a safety net on the Giants’ D last year. He was the last line of defense, as safeties most often are meant to be. Phillips was also the Giant hero who disrupted the Hail Mary pass to Patriots’ Aaron Hernandez in Super Bowl XLVI.

“For the most part, I was back deep, I felt like I was catching punts,” Phillips said. “It was tough. I mean, you never want to go through a game and be like ‘What happened?’ To hope that someone breaks through just so you can make a tackle, that’s pretty bad.”

New York had multiple injuries throughout last season at safety and cornerback, including Prince Amukamara and Terrell Thomas. Phillips and fellow safety Antrel Rolle needed to play from a position they may not have preferred. With the lack of depth, New York had little choice.

This season the alignment was supposed to shift back, giving Phillips his chance to make the kind of impact he wants to make on the field. He may not get that opportunity any time soon however or at least for the first four games.

Safety Tyler Sash is suspended for the first four games of the season due to violating NFL’s drug policy. Sash admitted to taking the prescription drug Adderall, a stimulant used for the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder and a performance-enhancing drug. He claimed to have been under a doctor’s care and was unaware that the drug was on their banned list.

With Thomas’ re-aggravated ACL, which haunted the Giants last year, Phillips may not be able to play from his ideal position.

Phillips argues that he will be able to produce better numbers, if he’s placed in the box more, opposed to the way he played center field for most of last season. What needs to be addressed is the underlying reason Phillips wants to improve his numbers so badly. If he’s a team player, shouldn’t he just worry about making contributions from where he’s asked to line-up?

Phillips is going into his final year of his contract, which only means one thing; a new contract and more money. Moving him closer to the line of scrimmage will get him more opportunities to make plays, without a doubt.

But any good defensive player would be able to show their worth to a team, no matter where they are placed in a scheme. That’s not to say Phillips isn’t a team player or that he doesn’t have that ability to shine anywhere on the field, because he is and he does. He says his desire to be closer to the action is not a selfish act, however.

“I don’t even think about my free agency,” Phillips said. “Money is not an issue to me right now. I’m just trying to finish the season healthy and make plays.”

Phillips will play where he’s asked to and while his individual numbers may take a hit as a result, he will eventually do what’s best for the New York Giants.

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