Adrian Phillips says Patriots aren't too worried about degree of difficulty on defense next season
BOSTON -- The list of opposing quarterbacks and offenses for the Patriots this coming season is a bit imposing. To say the least.
It begins with Jalen Hurts and the Eagles, who ranked third in offense and second in scoring last year. Then it's Miami, with the dangerous Tyreek Hill/Jaylen Waddle duo working with Tua Tagovailoa. The next week, it's Aaron Rodgers and the Jets, followed by Dak Prescott and the Cowboys. The rest of the year will see the Patriots trying to stop Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, Justin Herbert and the Chargers, and of course two games against Josh Allen and the Bills.
It's a lot to deal with, and veteran Patriots safety Adrian Phillips isn't downplaying the challenge.
"It's going to be tough," Phillips said in an interview on NFL Network. "Our division was already tough. Buffalo's been doing their thing, Josh Allen's been balling. You've got Mike McDaniel down in Miami dialing it up, and then you get A-Rod going to the Jets, like, it's crazy. And that receiver core was already nice with the young cat, Garrett [Wilson], and just balling out. So when you add a vital piece like that to the quarterback position, someone who can pretty much throw the rock anywhere, look off any safety, get the first down if he needs to with his legs, it makes it tough."
That being said, Phillips said the Patriots aren't intimidated by what lies ahead.
"So we're going in with the mindset that if we're just physical and if we do our jobs and if we win our one-on-one matchups, if we go out there and just play to the best of our abilities, we can rock with anybody. So we're not too worried about it," Phillips said. "We actually love it because we love competition, we love going against the best. And if you make it out of that division, you're battle-tested."
On the personnel front, while the Patriots' defense lost a key contributor in longtime captain Devin McCourty, Phillips spoke very highly of rookie first-round cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
"Man, he's a beast," Phillips said. "He doesn't really say too much. He's kind of like a silent assassin. But when he steps on the field, you feel the confidence oozing from him. Like he wants to go out there and make that play. That's just another weapon added to our defense."
