Adrian Phillips shares his 'welcome to the NFL moment' following one rookie's debut
On Thursday night, the New England Patriots first-round pick made his debut. And while the hype surrounding him continues to grow, Gonzalez naturally had some moments throughout the game that showed it was his first NFL game. "You always got that welcome to the NFL moment," Adrian Phillips said. "We teased him about it a […]
On Thursday night, the New England Patriots first-round pick made his debut.
And while the hype surrounding him continues to grow, Gonzalez naturally had some moments throughout the game that showed it was his first NFL game.
"You always got that welcome to the NFL moment," Adrian Phillips said. "We teased him about it a little bit but everybody goes through that."
And to make him feel a little better, Phillips even shared his 'welcome to the NFL moment," with the media on Sunday.
"I remember mine. I was on kickoff, I got double teamed and after the play, they were still were going and they take picked me up and slammed me into the ground," Phillips said. "Everybody has that 'Welcome to the NFL moment,' but it was fun seeing all the rookies go out there, all the guys that haven't competed in the NFL games and go out there and cut loose and just have fun."
Phillips entered the league in 2014, signing with the Los Angeles Chargers (formerly San Diego) as an undrafted free agent. He spent six seasons with the Chargers before signing with the Patriots in 2020.
Through his nine year career, Phillips has 446 total tackles with one sack and 11 interceptions across 114 games.
But it took him a lot to become one of the top defensemen on the Patriots.
And those growing pains are normal for new players.
So Gonzalez can use Phillips' career as inspiration and while he might get teased a bit for some mistakes, it's a natural part of learning and growing, especially in the NFL.
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He is off to a very good start.
Featured Image via Sophie Weller – A to Z Sports
