NASHVILLE Kyle Philips clearly understands the philosophy of the team that drafted him.A very productive wide receiver
Colorado Rockies Jersey and punt returner at UCLA, the Tenne see Titans rookie nonethele s steered the conversation in a different direction when asked about the strengths of his game.I would say number one, just blocking, Philips said, and then just being a mismatch, going against man-to-man.That the 5-foot-11, 189-pound Philips mentioned blocking before anything else might sound surprising, but it does make sense on a couple of levels.First, Philips comes from a ground-centric offense at UCLA, as the Bruins ran the football on 59 percent of their offensive plays in 2021 (22nd in the nation) and 60 percent of their offensive plays in 2020 (16th in the nation).Second, Philips knows how much the Titans prioritize blocking at the wide-receiver position, given that Tenne sees run-heavy offense is fueled by tailback Derrick Henry.What came most naturally for me (during the Titans offseason) is just the receiver support in the run game here, Philips said. Thats something that translated perfectly from UCLA. Maybe some teams dont have their receivers blocking. But here were a big factor in the run game, so thats something I feel like Ive been able to just step right into and feel comfortable.The Titans hope and expectation, of course, is that Philips will be using his hands to do more than push aside defenders in the coming season.He may make a
Mark Reynolds Jersey special-teams impact even before he does so on offense, as the fifth-round draft pick returned (19.3-yard average) and two touchdowns at UCLA. Philips only returned nine punts in 2021, which didnt qualify him to rank among the in that category. But his 22.6-yard average was seven yards better than NCAA leader Jaylin Lane of Middle Tenne see State.Its no surprise that special-teams coordinator Craig Aukerman is eager to see Philips in action.Scroll to ContinueThe Titans have only once in the last decade finished in the NFLs top 10 in punt-return average. That happened last season when Chester Rogers whos no longer on the roster finished ninth at 9.8 yards per return.Kyle brings a lot of good things for us, and the one thing we liked watching him at
Chris Iannetta Jersey UCLA is when he caught the ball, he would run and get vertical, Aukerman said. There wasnt a lot of dancing around, trying to make too many moves. He was just going to catch it and go upfield.Added Philips: Being a returner, you dont have a lot of time to go sideline to sideline, so youve just got to be one cut, make the first guy
Ian Desmond Jersey mi s, read the blocks and go from there.Philips quick feet, precision route-running and ability to beat man-to-man coverage make him a natural for the slot-receiver position, where he played almost exclusively at UCLA.The Titans would love to see the kind of productivity from the slot that Philips displayed in college. He with 10 touchdowns on 59 catches in 2021, averaging a TD every 5.9 receptions. Kyles definitely a great route runner, quarterback Ryan Tannehill said. Hes got some quickne s, some agility, (and Im) getting to learn his craft as he learns our offense and sees where he fits in.But
Scott Oberg Jersey definitely hes flashed for me a few times and (Ive) seen some good things. So, Ill definitely keep the pre sure on him as he learns what were doing, and I think if he does that, hell continue to make plays.Philips said his challenge for training camp is to master the playbook, which will allow him to play at a faster pace.One thing he doesnt need to learn: the importance of blocking.Its definitely something I take pride in, Philips said. Coming from UCLA, if you werent blocking, you werent going to be on the field. Its something I enjoy doing. I like being able to make plays for other people.
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