Jaelan Phillips – August 24, 2022
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Wednesday, August 24, 2022
LB Jaelan Phillips
(You must be feeling good in that orange jersey?) – “It’s a little crinkled up and a little sweaty right now, but I’m feeling great.”
(How does last practice and this one compounding those two practices?) – “Yes, I mean it feels great. I feel like I’m just kind of really getting into gear as the season’s coming soon. So we’re just rolling along and trying to get better every day. But it’s definitely great to get these opportunities and reps out here.”
(We saw you and I think Landon Dickerson kind of mix it up. Just from your vantage point, what was going on? It looked like it was physical on that side.) – “Yes, we’re just competing man. It was hot out here. We’re having a great time competing. There’s no animosity. That’s just that competitive spirit, man. You’ve got to butt heads sometimes. So it’s just good on good. We’re getting them better. They’re getting us better.”
(What did the Eagles do on offense that is maybe a little different from what you see with your own offense every day?) – “They do a lot of quarterback run, obviously, with Jalen (Hurts) being back there. But they’re just a very multiple offense. I mean, they’re similar to ours in that sense. They’re solid. They’re good. They’re doing their thing.”
(How does this compare to going against the Bucs in joint practices?) – “Different schemes, definitely, but the intensity is there and I think that’s what’s important. We’re just trying to come out here, push our conditioning and just get better every day. So that’s kind of similar in that sense.”
(How tough is balance between not being able to go at each other full impact, but still wanting to mix it up a little bit? Talk about the delicate balance.) – “Yeah, I mean, this is pretty full impact out there. We’re going after it. (laughter) I don’t know if you saw some pulling guards coming after me, but you have to obviously take care of that the team and take care of our teammates. So you always want to hold it back a little bit, but we’re competing out there, definitely.”
(Was that you who went flying when the whole dust up happened?) – “I don’t know. (laughter) Maybe. Maybe not.”
(This defense is more accomplished than the offense at this point. Do you feel that the defense can carry this team for the first half until the offense catches up? Or could you carry the team all season if necessary?) – “Honestly, it’s just complementary football. It’s us feeding off of each other. It’s us carrying each other. You don’t ever want to have a team that’s one-sided. Like you want every aspect of the team to be able to carry that load. So I’m completely confident in our offense, our defense, our special teams. So we’re just trying to get better every phase of the ball, every game.”
(What were your impressions of another Jalen, Jalen Hurts?) – “He’s fast. He’s a really good quarterback. Obviously he has some experience in this league. I’ve been watching him since he was at college, so it’s cool to get those reps against him.”
(Too many Alabama guys out there.) – “There’s a lot of Alabama guys, a lot of Bama guys. (laughter) I think I’m only ‘U’ (University of Miami) one though, sadly.”
(What’s that like for a University of Miami Hurricane? You’re in South Florida and all these Alabama guys are running around.) – “I mean, I don’t pay much mind to it. (laughter) But it’s cool to see all these talented guys come in here and get us better, like I said, and we try to do our part.”
(Did you get to Jalen Hurts? What’s the challenge when you have a guy like that?) – “I mean, I have to watch the film. I think I got to him. But that’s up to the refs to decide. But with him, playing against a guy who can run the ball, who can pass the ball, it just makes you honor all aspects of his game. And so it was definitely good work for us, because there’s plenty of other quarterbacks out there like that. So we need to get that practice.”
(With so many pass-rushing linebackers on this defense, it feels like come fourth quarter, everybody is still going to be fresh and still going to be relentless. Have you gotten a sense of that from practice of, I guess, sharing reps and how fresh you could be at the end of the game?) – “Yes, and like I said earlier, we’re just continuously trying to push our conditioning. … We’re just trying to push our conditioning so that every one of us can be available at any time. But having that depth, having guys you can trust, it’s definitely helpful. Just keep the o-line on their toes and keep us rotating in and out.”
(I don’t know how much you might play on Saturday, if at all, but do you like these formats where it’s two joint practices and a couple days as opposed to that fourth preseason game?) – “Yes, honestly this is only my second year, and last year, I was hurt for the first preseason game. So I’m still kind of getting my footing in it, but I’m enjoying it. I think that it’s the right balance of getting us the experience before the season but not wearing us out too much before the season. So yes, I’m excited for this week and excited for Week 1 to come, for sure.”
(How much more prepared do you feel going into this year than you did as a rookie? Obviously you missed most of camp last year.) – “Yes, I mean I definitely feel more prepared, both mentally and physically. But just still continuously trying to get better every day. I have a lot of room to grow, a lot of things to work on in my game. So every day is a challenge to come out here, not think about the future, not think about the past and just really be dedicated to trying to improve all those little aspects.”
(You rushed up the middle a lot at the University of Miami, didn’t you?) – “Yes, I did a little bit of 3-(technique) action. I’m a small 3-tech, but I get loose a little bit in that pass rush.”
(I saw that today. Is that new for you this year?) – “Yes, I mean I did it a little bit last year, too. I think there’s just we have different schemes that we try to do, and I just want to be able to help the team out as much as possible and be available to do whatever they really want me to do.”
(How has LB Melvin Ingram become more incorporated as he’s gotten more reps in this defense?) – “Melvin (Ingram) is just – he’s learned the defense at this point. He’s great veteran leadership, extremely talented pass rusher and early down stopper, honestly, too. So he’s been invaluable for me and for our team, just learning from him and really just picking his brain on what it’s like to be an elite pass rusher and an elite edge player in the league.”
(What challenges does it present an offense when your defense has guys like you and LB Melvin Ingram who can rush but also drop back in coverage? What sort of challenges does that present especially for quarterback?) – “Yes, I mean I guess for – I’m not a quarterback, so I don’t really know. (laughter) But I think that just being able to do multiple things within the scheme of a defense gives them challenging looks and makes them honor both aspects of that game.”
