Harrison Phillips - Odd man out Or "our kind of guy"?

[Hapless Bills Fan]

So just listened to McDermott's "Victory Monday" interview on Facebook. 

 

Matt Fairburn asked McD about Harrison Phillips (8:20 in):

Q: "What does he have to do to get back in the lineup?" 

A: "Oh, he's doing great.  I love Harrison Phillips.  Nothing's changed with that.  It's just we've got a couple other guys right now that are playing and we feel are getting into a rhythm, so we'll see.  Harrison is a hard worker, certainly our type of guy and we love who he is and what he brings to our football team.  Each week's gonna be different and we'll see what this week brings"

 

My response: *blink*  *blink* *blink*

 

I'm pretty sure there isn't room in the DL tent for 10 bodies, so WTF does this mean, McD?  If you love what he brings to our football team and he's doing great, why has his butt been sitting on the bench in street clothes?  If you have other guys playing ahead of him who you think are playing better, how is there room for him on the team?

 

Can someone translate this Fine Piece of Coachspeak into Haplessly Interpretable English?

 

 

 

[CaptnCoke11]

Translation... He’s a great guy but he sucks

[WideNine]

3 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

So just listened to McDermott's "Victory Monday" interview on Facebook. 

 

Matt Fairburn asked McD about Harrison Phillips (8:20 in):

Q: "What does he have to do to get back in the lineup?" 

A: "Oh, he's doing great.  I love Harrison Phillips.  Nothing's changed with that.  It's just we've got a couple other guys right now that are playing and we feel are getting into a rhythm, so we'll see.  Harrison is a hard worker, certainly our type of guy and we love who he is and what he brings to our football team.  Each week's gonna be different and we'll see what this week brings"

 

My response: *blink*  *blink* *blink*

 

I'm pretty sure there isn't room in the DL tent for 10 bodies, so WTF does this mean, McD?  If you love what he brings to our football team and he's doing great, why has his butt been sitting on the bench in street clothes?  If you have other guys playing ahead of him who you think are playing better, how is there room for him on the team?

 

Can someone translate this Fine Piece of Coachspeak into Haplessly Interpretable English?

 

 

 

 

Honestly I think Phillips is on the bubble.

 

They like him, he works hard in their community outreach, and he seems to be a good locker room guy, but he is not bringing enough play making to their d-line to justify starting him on game days.

 

Not sure where they go from here, but the IR and now that he is back, he is not playing at a high-enough level.... I don't see them tying up any significant cap dollars retaining him. IMO I think it was just McD saying Phillips is a great guy and just not saying the, "but we need to play guys that can get the job done." part.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

Probably as you said yourself, there's not room for 10 DL so someone will be traded.  Him and Johnson have the most tradeable contracts, maybe Zimmer too.   The other two are playing better than Phillips and considering how shaky the line has played I'd be afraid to trade anyone who has helped at all so he may be the odd man out.

 

On the other hand could be they do like him and feel right now he just can't do enough as still recovering from the ACL injury.  And as I just said, the line play is shaky but also deep with very little difference in talent between many so can't afford to play an extra guy who's not 100% healthy.

 

But he doesn't get traded, the team could see him being a more bigger contributor next year.  The other option would be if they can't trade him, he gets moved to IR for the rest of the year assuming they do really like him.

 

Bottom line is coaches GM, etc are never going to talk ill will  about anyone for the most part unless it's to motivate them.

[GunnerBill]

It means "I love hard and I hate letting go." 

 

Last witnessed with Sean's previous man crush - Peterman, Nate.

[Beast]

He could be traded this week.

[Augie]

9 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

So just listened to McDermott's "Victory Monday" interview on Facebook. 

 

Matt Fairburn asked McD about Harrison Phillips (8:20 in):

Q: "What does he have to do to get back in the lineup?" 

A: "Oh, he's doing great.  I love Harrison Phillips.  Nothing's changed with that.  It's just we've got a couple other guys right now that are playing and we feel are getting into a rhythm, so we'll see.  Harrison is a hard worker, certainly our type of guy and we love who he is and what he brings to our football team.  Each week's gonna be different and we'll see what this week brings"

 

My response: *blink*  *blink* *blink*

 

I'm pretty sure there isn't room in the DL tent for 10 bodies, so WTF does this mean, McD?  If you love what he brings to our football team and he's doing great, why has his butt been sitting on the bench in street clothes?  If you have other guys playing ahead of him who you think are playing better, how is there room for him on the team?

 

 Can someone translate this Fine Piece of Coachspeak into Haplessly Interpretable English?

 

 

 

Long answer:

 

I messed around with Duolingo to freshen up on my French after taking 6 years of it in school. I stopped when I realized nobody I know speaks French. I also took some Spanish before a trip to Spain last year, and “donde esta el bano” came in VERY handy one time! I just checked, Duolingo does not have a Coachspeak module, sorry. 

 

I wonder if Harry is 100% physically (and mentally) healthy at this point. I also wonder about the ages and contract status of the other DT’s. It seems we are old and expensive at DE, and Star opted out, but not sure on the other guys. Harry on a rookie deal is at least relatively inexpensive.  Harry will start getting his chances soon, I bet. Didn’t they do something similar not starting or dressing Oliver for a while?

 

Short answer:

 

No idea. 

[FLFan]

20 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

So just listened to McDermott's "Victory Monday" interview on Facebook. 

 

Matt Fairburn asked McD about Harrison Phillips (8:20 in):

Q: "What does he have to do to get back in the lineup?" 

A: "Oh, he's doing great.  I love Harrison Phillips.  Nothing's changed with that.  It's just we've got a couple other guys right now that are playing and we feel are getting into a rhythm, so we'll see.  Harrison is a hard worker, certainly our type of guy and we love who he is and what he brings to our football team.  Each week's gonna be different and we'll see what this week brings"

 

My response: *blink*  *blink* *blink*

 

I'm pretty sure there isn't room in the DL tent for 10 bodies, so WTF does this mean, McD?  If you love what he brings to our football team and he's doing great, why has his butt been sitting on the bench in street clothes?  If you have other guys playing ahead of him who you think are playing better, how is there room for him on the team?

 

Can someone translate this Fine Piece of Coachspeak into Haplessly Interpretable English?

 

 

 

While Phillips is clearly struggling a bit right now, they believe in him and will be patient as he works himself back from his knee injury.

 

Thats my translation, anyway.  Given the severely curtailed offseason, this is a tough year to be coming back from an injury. It’s probably going to take some time.  My hope is that he will begin to regain his form in the second half of the season.

[RochesterLifer]

I’m going to guess that McDermott determined that Phillips is not fully back from his injury. A torn ACL can take 18-24 months for full recovery. The Bills need Phillips to occupy two offensive linemen, 600+ pounds of world class athlete. That doesn’t necessarily mean that he is a lost cause or out of favor with the organization. It may simply mean he needs more time to get to 100%. McDermott’s supportive words here could be encouragement to Harry as he works to get to the “ready-ready” finish line.

 

More broadly speaking, we as fans, would do well to be more respectful of injuries and what players endure:

- White has an ongoing back injury, his play suffers, and some accuse him of being happy with his money.

- Edmunds guts it out with an ongoing shoulder injury and some call him a bust, as he essentially plays one-handed.

- As Milano works through a strained or slightly torn pec, some say do away with him.

 

The commentary I have read over the past month leads me to suspect that many on this board have never played contact sports, and therefore, haven’t a clue.

Edited October 27, 2020 by RochesterLifer

[Rico]

High-motor lunch pailer (HMLP) who makes for a feel-good story for HMLP lovers, but he’s no Kyle Williams on the field.

[FLFan]

12 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

It means "I love hard and I hate letting go." 

 

Last witnessed with Sean's previous man crush - Peterman, Nate.

This is very different.  Phillips was performing at a very high level before the injury. I would fully expect that patience would be exercised with him, unless it was a work ethic thing which does not seem to be the case.

[ColoradoBills]

His benching means he's on a "Get Well Program".

Horrible Harry needs to get a lot more meaner and tougher if he wants to play DT for the Buffalo Bills.

McDermott (who likes him a lot) hated to put it this way to him but he did.

 

It's up to HH as to what his fate will be and the clock is ticking.  He's going to get a few more chances.

[WhoTom]

Translation: Pre-injury, he showed a lot of promise. He's taking a little longer to get back to full-strength, so we're playing other guys for now.

 

I don't think they're ready to give up on him at this point. He's no Kyle, but it's too early to call him a bust.

 

 

 

[JGMcD2]

26 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

So just listened to McDermott's "Victory Monday" interview on Facebook. 

 

Matt Fairburn asked McD about Harrison Phillips (8:20 in):

Q: "What does he have to do to get back in the lineup?" 

A: "Oh, he's doing great.  I love Harrison Phillips.  Nothing's changed with that.  It's just we've got a couple other guys right now that are playing and we feel are getting into a rhythm, so we'll see.  Harrison is a hard worker, certainly our type of guy and we love who he is and what he brings to our football team.  Each week's gonna be different and we'll see what this week brings"

 

My response: *blink*  *blink* *blink*

 

I'm pretty sure there isn't room in the DL tent for 10 bodies, so WTF does this mean, McD?  If you love what he brings to our football team and he's doing great, why has his butt been sitting on the bench in street clothes?  If you have other guys playing ahead of him who you think are playing better, how is there room for him on the team?

 

Can someone translate this Fine Piece of Coachspeak into Haplessly Interpretable English?

 

 

 

Yeah, the guy played in limited amounts during his rookie season in 2018 and showed flashes.
 

Looked like a contributor early in 2019 and had a serious injury... as much as people dismiss how easy it is to come back from an ACL year... it’s really not... just because it’s common and the rehab is common doesn’t mean it happens the same for everyone. 

 

Has struggled early this year like the rest of this defense, so he’s sitting. It think McDermott has faith in the kid, he knows he’s working hard. I don’t think it’s coach speak... I think sometimes you can just take things at face value. Sometimes you ride the hot hand and create some competition.. that’s what is happening here with Zimmer. Epenesa was a healthy scratch early and now he’s seems to be turning the corner a little bit and contributing defensively, it’s not like the concept is foreign. 
 

I come from the world of baseball, so it doesn’t necessarily work here as a 1 for 1 comp in the NFL. But plenty of times guys are talented and have the tools but things aren’t clicking or they’re not 100% back from an injury, so you send them down and give them time to get right. That’s what this seems like to me. I’d be shocked if he gets traded... we’re likely going to be cutting some DL this off-season for cap space and Harrison can be a contributor. 

[LABILLBACKER]

26 minutes ago, CaptnCoke11 said:

Translation... He’s a great guy but he sucks

Chris Kelsay approves this message. 

[Big Turk]

Phillips likely isn't fully back yet from his ACL

[Freddie's Dead]

It's pretty simple.  Last year he was making plays, this year he isn't.

[Straight Hucklebuck]

Bills fans hang on.

 

They’ll hang onto some PFF stat that said Levi Wallace and Tre White were the 2nd best tandem in the NFL two years ago, they’ll hang onto the “first four weeks”, and some are hanging onto this idea Harrison Phillips was coming into his own at the beginning of last year.

 

I think the comments about lunch pail player, and translation he isn’t that good are closer to the truth.

 

If he was a difference maker, you’d know it and he’d be out there. 

[Gugny]

38 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

Can someone translate this Fine Piece of Coachspeak into Haplessly Interpretable English?

 

Translation: "I really like the guy, but if we can get a 7th round pick for him, his ass is gone."

[Hapless Bills Fan]

18 minutes ago, Rico said:

High-motor lunch pailer (HMLP) who makes for a feel-good story for HMLP lovers, but he’s no Kyle Williams on the field.

 

Comparisons are difficult because different defensive scheme and personnel, but Kyle Williams was arguably not Kyle Williams on the field for the first 3-4 years of his career.

[Mr. WEO]

57 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

So just listened to McDermott's "Victory Monday" interview on Facebook. 

 

Matt Fairburn asked McD about Harrison Phillips (8:20 in):

Q: "What does he have to do to get back in the lineup?" 

A: "Oh, he's doing great.  I love Harrison Phillips.  Nothing's changed with that.  It's just we've got a couple other guys right now that are playing and we feel are getting into a rhythm, so we'll see.  Harrison is a hard worker, certainly our type of guy and we love who he is and what he brings to our football team.  Each week's gonna be different and we'll see what this week brings"

 

My response: *blink*  *blink* *blink*

 

I'm pretty sure there isn't room in the DL tent for 10 bodies, so WTF does this mean, McD?  If you love what he brings to our football team and he's doing great, why has his butt been sitting on the bench in street clothes?  If you have other guys playing ahead of him who you think are playing better, how is there room for him on the team?

 

Can someone translate this Fine Piece of Coachspeak into Haplessly Interpretable English?

 

 

 

 

McD loveth too hard...

 

Recall his love for a certain 2nd year QB:

 

Perhaps most impressive about Peterman's accuracy was his ability to consistently place the ball in either an area where only his receiving target could make a play on the ball or put the ball in a spot where his target could make a play after the reception.

"I think he's been accurate. We noticed that in college as well, but he gives the guys a chance to run after the catch, which is important," said McDermott.

"When you look across all the games, including practice, he has shown that consistency, which is good to see," said McDermott late last month. "A young player just in the start of his second season who has shown some poise and some understanding of how the NFL works in terms of defensive schemes. So I've watched him grow and develop, which is good to see. Still more work to do, but I think he has been consistent, which is important at the quarterback position."

Edited October 26, 2020 by Mr. WEO

[uticaclub]

Pick was based on culture not so much talent. Harrison seems like an amazing man and does what he can to make the world a better place, but he just hasn't produced on the field. I hope he's able to turn in around

[Hapless Bills Fan]

17 minutes ago, Gugny said:

Translation: "I really like the guy, but if we can get a 7th round pick for him, his ass is gone."

 

Since Beane is the one making the personnel decisions, I can't exclude that outcome. 

 

Fairburn and others have hypothesized a similar outcome to the Zay benching.  Zay was benched for Duke Williams, Duke Williams played like he cared, and Zay got shipped for a 5th.  But in that case, McDermott was asked if there was something the coaches wanted to see from Zay to get back in the lineup and McD said sadly "not necessarily, No."  In hindsight, it meant they'd moved on, and nothing Zay did at that point would change the decision.

 

After hearing McD's response, I honestly don't think the coaches are there with HP.  McD sounded genuine about loving what he brings to the team and "our kind of guy".

 

And as others have pointed out, it would def. make some sense next year to shed some higher-paid DL and keep the guy on the cheaper contract.

 

I guess we'll see.

[Bob in STL]

12 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Comparisons are difficult because different defensive scheme and personnel, but Kyle Williams was arguably not Kyle Williams on the field for the first 3-4 years of his career.

I thought Kyle made noticeable contributions in his early years.  He always looked like a gamer to me.  
 

Can’t say the same for Harrison.  He looked good for awhile last season, before the injury.  
 

I think he ends up on IR and he gets another shot next year after more rehab.  

[Motorin']

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

So just listened to McDermott's "Victory Monday" interview on Facebook. 

 

Matt Fairburn asked McD about Harrison Phillips (8:20 in):

Q: "What does he have to do to get back in the lineup?" 

A: "Oh, he's doing great.  I love Harrison Phillips.  Nothing's changed with that.  It's just we've got a couple other guys right now that are playing and we feel are getting into a rhythm, so we'll see.  Harrison is a hard worker, certainly our type of guy and we love who he is and what he brings to our football team.  Each week's gonna be different and we'll see what this week brings"

 

My response: *blink*  *blink* *blink*

 

I'm pretty sure there isn't room in the DL tent for 10 bodies, so WTF does this mean, McD?  If you love what he brings to our football team and he's doing great, why has his butt been sitting on the bench in street clothes?  If you have other guys playing ahead of him who you think are playing better, how is there room for him on the team?

 

Can someone translate this Fine Piece of Coachspeak into Haplessly Interpretable English?

 

 

 

 

He doesn't want to diminish his perceived value while trying to trade him. 

[Rico]

14 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Comparisons are difficult because different defensive scheme and personnel, but Kyle Williams was arguably not Kyle Williams on the field for the first 3-4 years of his career.

Back then though, those teams were garbage & it didn't matter so much, anything to keep a good portion of the fanbase (ie. HMLP lovers) was a positive. Then again, Kelsay was quite the conundrum.

[Ethan in Cleveland]

29 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Comparisons are difficult because different defensive scheme and personnel, but Kyle Williams was arguably not Kyle Williams on the field for the first 3-4 years of his career.

Kyle was always a liability against the run.  He was never asked to occupy blockers like H. Phillips is being asked to do.  He was a great disruptor at times and created many more negative plays from the DT spot than is typical.  That however lead to getting out of position and being on some of the worst run defenses in Bills history. 

[Ethan in Cleveland]

17 minutes ago, Bob in STL said:

I thought Kyle made noticeable contributions in his early years.  He always looked like a gamer to me.  
 

Can’t say the same for Harrison.  He looked good for awhile last season, before the injury.  
 

I think he ends up on IR and he gets another shot next year after more rehab.  

Kyle had Dareus and Stroud around for a few of those years too.  Guys that were bigger and stronger than him.  

I hope H. Phillips is just slow to recover.  He was non-existent his rookie year and looked ok his second year.  

[Brianmoorman4jesus]

Maybe he can learn how to play Guard?

[vincec]

11 minutes ago, High Football IQ said:

At this point Phillips is just another guy and if we do look to add any outside help on the dline he's either going to be IR'd, traded or cut outright.

 

 

Unfortunately, the Bills are flush with JAGs on the defensive line.

[NewEra]

59 minutes ago, RochesterLifer said:

I’m going to guess that McDermott determined that Phillips is not fully back from his injury. A torn ACL can take 18-24 months for full recovery. The Bills need Phillips to occupy two offensive linemen, 600+ pounds of world class athlete. That doesn’t necessarily mean that he is a lost cause or out of favor with the organization. It may simply mean he needs more time to get to 100%. McDermott’s supportive words here could be encouragement to Harry as he works to get the the “ready-ready” finish line.

 

More broadly speaking, we as fans, would do well to be more respectful of injuries and what players endure:

- White has an ongoing back injury, his play suffers, and some accuse him of being happy with his money.

- Edmunds guts it out with an ongoing shoulder injury and some call him a bust, as he essentially plays one-handed.

- As Milano is works through a strained or slightly torn pec, some say do away with him.

 

The commentary I have read over the past month leads me to suspect that many on this board have never played contact sports, and therefore, haven’t a clue.

Great post.  I suffer from Edmunds bashingitis at the moment but I do take into consideration his injury.  I didn’t get mad when he dropped the sure pick to end the game. Or the other pick that hit him in the left hand.  I was happy to see him in position to make the play.  I think he’ll make those catches down the road when he’s healthy.....as long as he’s in position. What makes me mad about Edmunds is when he looks lost.  Play action and any sort of deception seems to stop him in his tracks for a second and that second is usually the difference in a defensive stop and a 1st down.  On some occasions he gets fooled so bad, he’s no where near the ball. The mental part of the game just seems to fast for him as he still doesn’t seem accustomed to playing MLB.  Too much thinking, not enough action. 
 

regarding Tre, I’m not mad at him.  He’ll be alright.  
 

regarding Milano, he’s just that guy that will likely be hurt half of every season.  When he’s there, he’s one of the best LBs in the game imo.  If the nfl keeps the 3 weeks IR, he’s probably worth investing in imo. If they go back to the old IR rules, I think we’re going to let him go.

 

i had mentioned in a previous thread, bummy buddy has a friend in the S&C staff.  He said that Milano is regarded as super injury prone and they treat him like glass.  Not sure if they plan on paying glass.

[MJS]

Coach speak. He does NOT love what Phillips is bringing to the table right now. But he isn't willing to call him out to the media.

[msw2112]

I am going to go with the crowd that says that Phillips is not fully recovered from his knee injury, thus, he's not playing as well as he did before the injury and thus, he's riding the pine until he is fully recovered and playing at the level he can play when healthy.  He appears to be the type of guy with the right attitude and work ethic, plus he's young and on a rookie contract, so I believe they'll give him an opportunity to get better.  If he doesn't demonstrate a full recovery soon, they'll get him in IR for the knee and start fresh next year.  McDermott likes him, but can see that he's not playing at 100% and thus not contributing as much as some other guys on the roster, so they are on the field and he isn't.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, Freddie's Dead said:

It's pretty simple.  Last year he was making plays, this year he isn't.

 

Last year game 4 and on, he was on IR

 

2 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

It means "I love hard and I hate letting go." 

Last witnessed with Sean's previous man crush - Peterman, Nate.

 

That guy does puzzle me because overall, I do feel McD tries to be "hands off" to the offense

 

All I can think of is what Peterman has in the QB meeting room must be freakin' Catnip for Coaches. 

Still is, man - the Raiders be paying him $1M/yr

[Doc Brown]

I'm guessing McDermott would talk him up as much as possible if they were looking to trade him.  He seems like a high character guy but hasn't shown much since entering the league.  If they could get anything for him I'd do the trade.

[Green Lightning]

2 hours ago, WhoTom said:

Translation: Pre-injury, he showed a lot of promise. He's taking a little longer to get back to full-strength, so we're playing other guys for now.

 

I don't think they're ready to give up on him at this point. He's no Kyle, but it's too early to call him a bust.

 

 

 

+1. Not the same player as he was before the knee. Needs more time to heel. They will maneuver him to IR is my bet 

[todd]

Sometimes it takes a long time to return from injury. Some people have a harder time than others. 
 

he might also be on the trade block

[Freddie's Dead]

42 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Last year game 4 and on, he was on IR

 

When he did play last year, he was incredibly disruptive.  Just not seeing it this year.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

2 hours ago, Bob in STL said:

I thought Kyle made noticeable contributions in his early years.  He always looked like a gamer to me.  
Can’t say the same for Harrison.  He looked good for awhile last season, before the injury.  

 

I think one must perhaps remember that Kyle was drafted in 2006, when Jauron Ball ruled the land of perpetual 7-9

Different defense, different expectations.

 

20 minutes ago, todd said:

Sometimes it takes a long time to return from injury. Some people have a harder time than others. 
He might also be on the trade block

 

There's been a lot of speculation about that latter.  I thought so myself.

After listening to McD's presser, I'm no longer sure

[billieve420]

He is coming back from a major injury. If you can’t move him, I would try to sneak him on IR. I think a trade for a run stopping DT will be much easier to pull off versus trading for a pass rusher.