How Will Shaun Phillips Fit Into Indianapolis Colts’ Lineup?
Nov 17, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos defensive end Shaun Phillips (90) in the third quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos won 27-17. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
If you’re a fair-weathered football fan who loves the Colts and you heard yesterday’s news about the Shaun Phillips signing, you probably thought, “I’ve heard this name before. He’s played in a Super Bowl. He might be good. We need pass rush.”
And that’s exactly right. The Colts need pass rush and Shaun Phillips might be good.
After a somewhat failed experiment in Tennessee for a year, Phillips was handed over to the waiver wire on Tuesday. The Colts instantly put in a request and grabbed Phillips before any possible contenders were able to pick him up. Phillips will likely take the next few days getting oriented to the city of Indianapolis, Greg Manusky’s playbook and the new locker room surrounding him. Suddenly, Phillips finds himself surrounded by a championship-caliber football team instead of the mediocre team in Tennessee.
However, there is a reason that Phillips hit the waiver wire; the Titans didn’t just throw gold out there to see who’d pick it up first. Phillips (33) was brought in to establish some leadership among a once-promising defensive front. Phillips responded by not really bringing any leadership qualities and only posting two sacks on the year. At 33 years of age, he’s definitely dropped a bit of his explosiveness. However, he is just a year removed from a 10-sack season with the AFC Champion Denver Broncos.
So the question remains: How will the Colts fit Shaun Phillips into the defensive rotation?
The former Purdue standout will have plenty of chances in upcoming weeks to find a niche in the defense. However, in order to get any amount of significant playing time, he’ll have to battle incumbent OLBs Bjoern Werner and Erik Walden. Phillips fits best in the pass rush on the blind side, currently Werner’s role. Werner has not been great this year, only logging four sacks after huge things were expected of him. He only gets after the quarterback against bad offensive lines and hasn’t been much of an asset in the run defense as well. Phillips’ signing can mean a number of things, but it may light a fire under Werner.
Phillips will not be rushed into the system and may even be inactive for Sunday’s game against the Redskins. However, if he is active and the Colts start fast against the Redskins (a story for another article) and go up big, Phillips will have the opportunity on passing downs to show what he can do. I fully expect there to be competition between the young Werner and the old-timer Phillips. My guess is that the Colts err on the side of youth and maintain Werner, but it never hurts to keep Phillips as a strong veteran presence along with much needed depth.
It should be noted that though Phillips has only notched two sacks this season, one of them was against Pittsburgh, an offensive line that the Colts could not penetrate. He may not have fantastic numbers to back it up, but perhaps Shaun Phillips can be an asset to the team in more than just sheer sacks.
At any rate, I can’t wait to see Phillips in a Colts uniform and see him compete for a job, hopefully on Sunday.