New York Giants cornerback Dru Phillips might have a little “Cobra Kai” in him.
When it comes to pressuring the quarterback, New York’s third-year defensive back makes every effort to “strike first, strike hard, and show no mercy.”
In perhaps his best outing of the season to date, Phillips collected five total tackles, four quarterback hits, two sacks, and two tackles for loss in the Giants’ 27-27 tie with the Washington Commanders.
It’s no surprise that Phillips appears to be enjoying coordinator Dennard Wilson’s aggressive pass-defense style.
“It’s definitely a fun thing, yeah,” Phillips told reporters earlier this week. “It was cool to get out there and blitz a little bit.”
After blitzing at a conservative rate (22 percent of their defensive snaps) for much of the season’s early stages, the Giants have clearly increased the defensive pressure in recent weeks.
Since team captain Brian Burns suffered a season-ending injury in Week 3, the team has blitzed on 56 percent of its defensive snaps against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 4 and 62 percent against the Commanders in Week 5.
In fact, Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels looked as wide-eyed as a pre-Miyagi Do Daniel LaRusso on more than one occasion — thanks largely to Phillips’ heat-seeking style of play.
For as long as Wilson continues his aggressive approach, Phillips will be ready to turn up the pressure.
“Dennard (Wilson) has a way of cooking things up, but I definitely wouldn’t say it is a consistent thing,” Phillips said.
“It’s a week-by-week thing. It goes off of what we’re seeing and the flow of the game. So, you go out there, and if they send me, I’m going to try my best to go get it.”
At his best, Phillips is an elite run defender due to his physical, downhill style. When deployed as a pass rusher, his speed and short-area power let him quickly close on opposing quarterbacks — as shown against Daniels and the Commanders.
Phillips not only earned high praise for his Week 5 effort, but he also performed at a historically high level for the franchise. The 24-year-old became the fifth Giants defensive back since 1982 to record at least two sacks in a game.
He was also the fourth cornerback since 2006 to record four-plus quarterback hits in a single game.
With New York’s Week 6 matchup against the New Orleans Saints fast approaching, Phillips is likely to be an integral component of the club’s defensive game plan once again. Though he may be having a great deal of fun in Wilson’s aggressive system, he also remains aware of his responsibilities to his teammates.
In that regard, Phillips is rapidly becoming the embodiment of a complete football player — one whose value lies not only in his versatile skill set, but also in his commitment to doing what’s best for the team.
“I feel like anybody that blitzes, you have to look out for the people behind you,” Phillips said.
“As a DB as well, when you cover it, you depend on guys to get home. So, when I am blitzing, it’s like, ‘yeah, I got to rush my tail off so I can help these guys in the back.’
“You’ve got to be aware of that. Not trying to ease your way in there … you’ve got guys fighting for their lives behind you.”
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