Jaelan Phillips – November 29, 2021
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Monday, November 29, 2021
LB Jaelan Phillips
(I’ve got to ask you about the three sacks. It seemed like things were really clicking for you yesterday. What was working so well?) – “Honestly, I’ve got to give all the credit to my teammates. Without them, it wouldn’t have been possible. The first sack, Duke (Riley) and Christian (Wilkins) flushed Cam (Newton) out. The next sack, Zach (Sieler) flushed PJ (Walker) out and then the next one, ‘Gink’ (Andrew Van Ginkel) helped flush him forward in the pocket. I think honestly, as a team, we’ve been doing really well these last few weeks just continuing to play together and to build on what we’re working on. Give a lot of credit to the DBs for giving us time to get to the quarterback and for the other d-linemen for getting pressures to make it happen.”
(Was there something that changed in terms of the defensive philosophy these last four games? Because like you mentioned, the sack rate has really gone up from the first eight games.) – “I think we’ve just been playing more aggressively and looser. I think we’ve been working better as a team in terms of our coordinator on rush stunts and games that we’re running, and just playing freer and having genuine joy out there and having a great time playing together and just flying around and making plays.”
(Obviously with you coming in, you could do what you’re doing now and it’s good to see it coming to fruition. Is there something that you either added to your game or you’ve really improved on to the point where now we’re seeing what we’re seeing in the sack numbers and all of that?) – “I think I’ve just been trying to stay as consistent as possible, just trying to get one percent better every day. Like I’ve said before, I’ve been working on my hands, technique and different things like that throughout this whole year. I think now it’s just starting to pay off, just the work we’ve been putting in consistently all year.”
(What is your impression of the Waddle waddle? What do you think?) – “It’s funny because Christian Wilkins and I have been trying to get Jaylen (Waddle) to do that damn dance this whole entire year. Like after every single big play, we walk up to him and we’re like ‘Do the Waddle!’ and he never does it. Finally he pulled it out yesterday. I know if you watch the replay, you see Christian run over from like 50 yards away and he’s like ‘Jaylen! Jaylen! Do the waddle!’ So that’s super funny. That just goes to show that we’re having fun. We’re really enjoying each other’s company and enjoying the time that we spend out there.”
(You, WR Jaylen Waddle and S Jevon Holland are obviously having a lot of success. Is there something off the field that you guys have a common interest in? Something that you guys talk about or have even done together?) – “Winning football games is our common interest. (laughter) No, we hang out a lot. I think the chemistry that we have in the locker room is incredible. Whether it’s the rookies or the older guys, what I’ve found is that this team isn’t very cliquey. We kind of all hang out with each other and all really enjoy each other’s time. We have a bunch of great guys around here and I’m just blessed to be a part of it.”
(Right or wrong, and I’m sure you’re aware of this, edge defenders are very often judged by sack totals. Having said that, how much more satisfying – is there a sense of relief – now that you’re at 6.5 sacks at this stage of your rookie season whereas earlier in the season, the sack numbers weren’t there. Is there a sense of relief almost that that’s kind of out of the way?) – “To be honest with you, I’m not satisfied at all. I know I have so much more in me. Even yesterday, I could have had more. I’m just – like I said, this league is very process oriented so you can’t step outside of your boundaries and worry about weeks ahead and worry about numbers and worry about how everybody else is doing in the league. You’ve just got to focus on yourself. We say cut your own grass. Don’t worry about your neighbor’s yard. For me, like I said, I’m not satisfied. I know this is just the beginning so I’m going to continue to work as hard as I can and try to do the best that I can for this team.”
(Were you a little bit bummed that the sack near the end zone didn’t produce a safety?) – “Nah, I think it all worked out well. I didn’t even notice. (laughter) I was just excited I got a sack.”
(Besides your teammates, besides Dolphins coaches, who else has been in your ear over the last two months to give you encouragement or to offer you tips? Has it been your dad? A former UM coach? A former coach of yours? Former UM teammates? Who comes to mind, if anyone?) – “Yeah, I still talk to – what comes to mind is Coach (Todd) Stroud, Coach (David) Feeley. Those are two guys, I literally text them every single week before every single game. Ben Newman is a guy who I’ve been talking to recently. He’s kind of like a coach in terms of building confidence and things like that. I think I have a great group around me that have been really encouraging me. Kaleb Thornhill is a guy who I’m extremely close to and he’s been great and encouraging me, just reminding me to stay process-oriented. I have a lot of support and I really appreciate everybody for all of the support they’ve given me.”
(I’ve heard you and WR Jaylen Waddle have both said that you guys hang out a lot, the rookies. What do you guys hang out and do?) – “We just be vibin’. We vibe out. We hang out. We go eat. We go do community service together. We hang out on the weekends after games. We’ll go to a nice dinner down at Komodo or something. We just – like I said, we really enjoy each other’s presence and company. I think we have a really close-knit group. A bunch of great guys on and off the field. We have a really good time together.”
