In Week 1, Kenny Phillips not only returned, he sparkled. In his first game back after left knee surgery, the Giants safety robbed the Panthers of two touchdowns — one with a tackle and one with an interception.
Phillips has remained healthy since, playing in every game for the 5-2 Giants.
Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell credited his safety trio of Phillips, Antrel Rolle and Deon Grant for being “the biggest improvement in our defense.”
Nevertheless, you certainly can argue that the two biggest plays of Phillips’ season happened in Week 1 against Carolina.
“He’s making the plays he has to make,” safeties coach David Merritt said. “Kenny is waiting to make a ‘wow’ play. His plays are going to come.”
Four years ago, Phillips did make such a play, and it just so happens it was against Charlie Whitehurst, who will start for the Seahawks against the Giants tomorrow in place of the injured Matt Hasselbeck.
Both players were still in college — Phillips at Miami and Whitehurst at Clemson. On Sept. 17, 2005, the Hurricanes topped the Tigers, 36-30 in triple overtime, with Whitehurst going 31-for-55 for 288 yards, two touchdowns and a pick.
“It was actually my first game starting,” Phillips said.
Phillips said he doesn’t remember much else, though he does recall Whitehurst intercepted during overtime. Actually, Phillips didn’t mention this part — he was the one who picked off Whitehurst in the third OT to end the game.
Whitehurst, 28, has yet to attempt a pass in a regular season NFL game, but Giants coach Tom Coughlin said his team has done its film study and is familiar with Whitehurst, going back to Clemson.
Meanwhile, Rolle and Co. believe they can get inside Whitehurst’s head.
“No matter what it is and no matter how long he’s been in this league, this is his first NFL start. In our eyes, he’s definitely a rookie,” Rolle said. “There’s going to be a lot of things we can do to rattle him. There’s some things that we can do to rattle any quarterback in this league. Being that it’s his first start, we’re definitely going to try to keep him off-balance with a lot of things.”
As for Phillips, he says his knee is a non-issue. Rolle said he asks Phillips daily how he feels and that his fellow University of Miami alum “doesn’t lie to me about anything. If he tells me he feels good, he feels good.” What has Phillips told Rolle recently? That his knee is feeling the best it has felt.
Phillips, who has 34 tackles on the year, gets anxious to make a big play — or as Merritt might put it, a “wow” play. But ironically, because of how well the Giants’ defense has performed, it makes it more difficult for Phillips to do something spectacular.
“I do [get anxious],” he said. “But with the way everybody’s playing on defense, the opportunities are hard to come by around here. [The] D-line’s playing great, the corners and everybody is just doing such a good job. But right now I think my biggest thing is just be patient, and when it’s time to make a play, just take advantage of it.”
Additional reporting
by Paul Schwartz
