SAN DIEGO – San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Frank Reich confirmed what most others in the organization think about reserve tight end John Phillips – he plays like a guy from an earlier era.
“I really do think he’s a throwback tight end,” Reich said. “He’s just a mentally tough guy.”
With talented pass catchers at tight end such as Antonio Gates and Ladarius Green, someone has to do the dirty work. And Phillips is the guy who sets the edge or digs out a linebacker in order to make the run game go.
The sixth-year pro out of Virginia played in 228 snaps for the Chargers, including five starts, before suffering an anterior cruciate ligament tear in his right knee against Oakland in December last year.
Phillips, 27, finished 2013 with just four receptions for 30 yards, and also had four special-teams tackles.
“He can block at the point, but don’t underestimate him in the passing game,” Reich said. “He’s not Antonio Gates or Ladarius Green, but he’s pretty good in the passing game. And he’s a pretty good blocker.
“He’s a very versatile player, and obviously he’s great on special teams. He just brings that tough, mental attitude to the table. So it’s great having him back at full strength.”
Phillips already had familiarity with the rehabilitation process because he suffered an ACL tear in the same knee during his second season with the Dallas Cowboys. Knowing the steps he had to take to get back on the field doesn’t make the grueling rehab work any easier, but Phillips said he felt like his old self as he got more work during training camp.
“It was a process all through camp,” Phillips said. “I started building back up, doing different things and starting to twist. The main thing was having people push back against me, and the force coming against you on the knee. So it feels good.”
Phillips is part of perhaps the deepest position group for the Chargers, with Gates, Green and H-back/fullback David Johnson all expected to contribute on game days. In fact, expect San Diego to run a lot of two-tight ends sets in 2014 because of the team’s effectiveness both throwing and running out of that personnel group.
So, like last season, a healthy Phillips should play a lot again.
“I think we can be a really good offense,” Phillips said. “I think we’ve got a lot of weapons on offense, a lot of key factors that can play off of each other. And we’ve got a great quarterback (in Philip Rivers). He’s really smart.
“With that, our offensive line can pick up a lot of games and different things. It’s kind of hard to pressure us. We can always get the ball out and make big plays.”
