From Dolphins.com:
Jordan Phillips Motivated To Live Up To Potential
May 15, 2015
Alain Poupart
Lead Writer
Dolphins.com
Rookie defensive tackle Jordan Phillips is pretty sure the time will come but swears he’ll be ready for it. At some point, Phillips expects one of his new Miami Dolphins teammates will want to see visual evidence of the remarkable feat he pulled off in his first practice at the University of Oklahoma.
While his teammates were warming up that day a few years ago, Phillips, listed on the Dolphins roster at 6 feet 5, 329 pounds, did a standing backflip. In full pads.
“I learned it when I was little,” Phillips said. “I’ve just been able to do it ever since. Growing up, I was always the biggest, so I had to keep up with everybody and I played a lot of basketball and baseball, and that’s really helped my athleticism.
“The first day of practice I did it and everybody just went crazy. Besides that, everybody knew how good of an athlete I was.”
As the story goes, Phillips’ defensive line coach at the time was so freaked out by the move he immediately outlawed it among his players. That coach, by the way, was Jackie Shipp, a former Oklahoma linebacker who was the Dolphins’ first-round pick in 1984.
Back to this year’s Dolphins, Phillips says he anticipates his new teammates asking him about the backflip and perhaps even asking for a demonstration.
“Probably eventually, and when that time comes, it’ll happen,” Phillips said. “But I’m just going to take it easy for now.”
Left unsaid there was “take it easy” when it comes to backflips. Because Phillips doesn’t plan on taking anything else easy as he begins his NFL career.
On the contrary, Phillips is looking to go full throttle.
See, based on physical ability alone, Phillips almost assuredly would have been a first-round pick in the 2015 NFL draft. He lasted until the 52nd overall selection, the 20th pick of the second round, because his production at Oklahoma didn’t necessarily match his natural talent.
More specifically, Phillips was criticized in draft circles for lack of consistent effort. It’s a perception Phillips is well aware of, one he addressed during the rookie minicamp.
“I made that perception on myself,” Phillips said. “I should have worked harder for people to not say that about me. That’s just something I’ve got to change around Fin Nation.
“It’s just motivation. It’s something I’ve got to deal with. Obviously, I did something to make people believe that, so I’ve just got to change it.
“I didn’t do what I needed to do to be a first-round pick. That’s OK. It doesn’t matter how you got here. It matters what you do when you’re here.”
In the end, though, perhaps it worked out for the best for Phillips because by lasting until the second round he now will get to line up alongside proven stars like Ndamukong Suh and Cameron Wake.
Phillips said after being selected that he expected to get drafted by the Dolphins following his pre-draft visit, specifically mentioning his talk with new defensive line coach Terrell Williams.
“I felt like Miami was the place where I was going to be,” Phillips said. “After they got Suh, I just knew that it would be the perfect situation. There’s too many playmakers on the defensive line to not want to come here and be a part of it.
“One of the best things about this D-line is that everybody on it is a playmaker. There’s going to be a lot of one-on-one opportunities and a lot of them hopefully are coming my way. It’s a great opportunity.”
Along with his rare athletic ability — Phillips averaged a double-double as a basketball player in high school — Phillips brings a big presence in the middle of the defensive line.
Clearly, he has a chance to play a major role right away for the Dolphins, but Head Coach Joe Philbin said it will be up to Phillips to show his coaches he’s ready for the task.
“We’ll see how everything goes,” Philbin said. “In an ideal world, you’re going to keep people fresh on the defensive line. I wouldn’t rule anything out. He’s a guy that’s got to learn the system, learn the fundamentals, produce when he’s given opportunities to in preseason games. He’ll dictate more than me once we get a look at it.”
One thing to remember about Phillips is that, even with the criticism about his effort and modest stats, he still showed enough last season to earn second-team All-Big 12 honors in a vote of the league coaches.
Getting bypassed in the first round is serving as a major motivator for Phillips, who says he’s eager to learn from guys like Wake and Suh.
“Mainly just their work ethic, just learning how to come out here and work like they do,” Phillips said. “They’re the best at what they do for a reason and I just need to figure out what that is so I can imitate it. Having a motor like Wake, like Suh, that’s what I really want to do.
“I thought I was a for-sure first-round pick, but it didn’t happen and it’s just motivation, showing the other 31 teams that didn’t pick me what they missed out on.”
Jordan Phillips Motivated To Live Up To Potential
May 15, 2015
Alain Poupart
Lead Writer
Dolphins.com
Rookie defensive tackle Jordan Phillips is pretty sure the time will come but swears he’ll be ready for it. At some point, Phillips expects one of his new Miami Dolphins teammates will want to see visual evidence of the remarkable feat he pulled off in his first practice at the University of Oklahoma.
While his teammates were warming up that day a few years ago, Phillips, listed on the Dolphins roster at 6 feet 5, 329 pounds, did a standing backflip. In full pads.
“I learned it when I was little,” Phillips said. “I’ve just been able to do it ever since. Growing up, I was always the biggest, so I had to keep up with everybody and I played a lot of basketball and baseball, and that’s really helped my athleticism.
“The first day of practice I did it and everybody just went crazy. Besides that, everybody knew how good of an athlete I was.”
As the story goes, Phillips’ defensive line coach at the time was so freaked out by the move he immediately outlawed it among his players. That coach, by the way, was Jackie Shipp, a former Oklahoma linebacker who was the Dolphins’ first-round pick in 1984.
Back to this year’s Dolphins, Phillips says he anticipates his new teammates asking him about the backflip and perhaps even asking for a demonstration.
“Probably eventually, and when that time comes, it’ll happen,” Phillips said. “But I’m just going to take it easy for now.”
Left unsaid there was “take it easy” when it comes to backflips. Because Phillips doesn’t plan on taking anything else easy as he begins his NFL career.
On the contrary, Phillips is looking to go full throttle.
See, based on physical ability alone, Phillips almost assuredly would have been a first-round pick in the 2015 NFL draft. He lasted until the 52nd overall selection, the 20th pick of the second round, because his production at Oklahoma didn’t necessarily match his natural talent.
More specifically, Phillips was criticized in draft circles for lack of consistent effort. It’s a perception Phillips is well aware of, one he addressed during the rookie minicamp.
“I made that perception on myself,” Phillips said. “I should have worked harder for people to not say that about me. That’s just something I’ve got to change around Fin Nation.
“It’s just motivation. It’s something I’ve got to deal with. Obviously, I did something to make people believe that, so I’ve just got to change it.
“I didn’t do what I needed to do to be a first-round pick. That’s OK. It doesn’t matter how you got here. It matters what you do when you’re here.”
In the end, though, perhaps it worked out for the best for Phillips because by lasting until the second round he now will get to line up alongside proven stars like Ndamukong Suh and Cameron Wake.
Phillips said after being selected that he expected to get drafted by the Dolphins following his pre-draft visit, specifically mentioning his talk with new defensive line coach Terrell Williams.
“I felt like Miami was the place where I was going to be,” Phillips said. “After they got Suh, I just knew that it would be the perfect situation. There’s too many playmakers on the defensive line to not want to come here and be a part of it.
“One of the best things about this D-line is that everybody on it is a playmaker. There’s going to be a lot of one-on-one opportunities and a lot of them hopefully are coming my way. It’s a great opportunity.”
Along with his rare athletic ability — Phillips averaged a double-double as a basketball player in high school — Phillips brings a big presence in the middle of the defensive line.
Clearly, he has a chance to play a major role right away for the Dolphins, but Head Coach Joe Philbin said it will be up to Phillips to show his coaches he’s ready for the task.
“We’ll see how everything goes,” Philbin said. “In an ideal world, you’re going to keep people fresh on the defensive line. I wouldn’t rule anything out. He’s a guy that’s got to learn the system, learn the fundamentals, produce when he’s given opportunities to in preseason games. He’ll dictate more than me once we get a look at it.”
One thing to remember about Phillips is that, even with the criticism about his effort and modest stats, he still showed enough last season to earn second-team All-Big 12 honors in a vote of the league coaches.
Getting bypassed in the first round is serving as a major motivator for Phillips, who says he’s eager to learn from guys like Wake and Suh.
“Mainly just their work ethic, just learning how to come out here and work like they do,” Phillips said. “They’re the best at what they do for a reason and I just need to figure out what that is so I can imitate it. Having a motor like Wake, like Suh, that’s what I really want to do.
“I thought I was a for-sure first-round pick, but it didn’t happen and it’s just motivation, showing the other 31 teams that didn’t pick me what they missed out on.”
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