How Atlanta Falcons CB Clark Phillips III 'Raised His Level,' Validated Hype vs. New York Jets
Through the first 12 weeks of his rookie season, cornerback Clark Phillips III played defensive snaps just once.
The Atlanta Falcons' fourth-round pick had been a healthy scratch six times, firmly planted as the third option at nickel behind Dee Alford and Mike Hughes.
Phillips, who arrived in Atlanta fresh off winning Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors in his final season at the University of Utah, enjoyed a celebrated summer of offseason activities, headlined by his viral interception against Falcons star receiver Drake London.
In his lone action at cornerback, coming Week 10 against the Arizona Cardinals while Alford was out with an injury, Phillips drew praise after allowing only one interception on four targets ... but after Atlanta's bye week, Phillips returned to being inactive.
Falcons assistant head coach/defense Jerry Gray, an All-Pro defensive back in his playing days, approached Phillips with a message.
“Hey, you’ve got to stay in it mentally - you’ve got to do this," Gray told Phillips.
Gray serves as a pseudo-coach in Atlanta's secondary and has developed a reputation across the league of providing mentorship to young defensive backs.
Phillips is his latest protege.
Young players often have ambition to play, Gray said, but not always for the right reasons. He's been trying to get Phillips to find the desired mentality.
“There’s a difference between playing in the NFL and winning in the NFL when you play, but some guys don’t understand that," Gray said. “They think, ‘I’m playing,’ and then you’ll get beat, or you lose a game.
“They need to flip their brain to say, ‘I want to play to win,’ and now, you’ve got to put miles on it and time on time."
Ready or not, Phillips knew he'd have a role entering Sunday's 13-8 win over the New York Jets, as Hughes was inactive with a hand injury, opening up roughly 20 defensive snaps.
Instead, Phillips played a career-high 65 snaps at cornerback following a concussion to starter A.J. Terrell on the Jets' first series.
As things turned out, Phillips was ready.
Despite his role changing not once but twice Sunday, Phillip starred, making four tackles, one tackle for loss and allowing only three receptions for 15 yards.
Falcons defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen was quick to point out Phillips delivered the first hit on Jets running back Dalvin Cook's fourth quarter fumble, allowing linebacker Nate Landman to take a swing at the ball and ultimately force a turnover.
Nielsen thought Phillips was tough and executed well - but most importantly, he played fast, an encouraging notion that he knows where to be and what the Falcons are trying to accomplish schematically.
“I thought he played pretty good," Nielsen said. “When you watch the tape, he flew around. When guys play fast like that, the confidence ... He had some really big tackles. It was good to see. He played a couple of games earlier in the season. He played ok then.
“He raised his performance level, and we need to continue to do that with him.”
Atlanta Falcons cornerback Clark Phillips III at work during rookie minicamp.
USA Today Sports
Though he wasn't playing defensively on Sundays, Phillips was still practicing against the Falcons' first team offense every week. Led by safety Jessie Bates III, Atlanta's defensive backs compete at a high level each day, breeding confidence and preparation for when their numbers are called.
Phillips is a prime example of exactly that, with Falcons head coach Arthur Smith noting his competitive nature as a key reason the team was fond of him coming out of Utah.
Smith also gave praise to Gray and defensive backs coach Steve Jackson for the work they've done with Phillips, who kept pushing even when snaps didn't come.
And Gray, when asked to reflect on Phillips' performance, spoke like a proud mentor.
“I thought he did a great job," Gray said. “You can see right now, it was time for Clark. The curtains opened up, A.J. went down, it’s time for you to step up, and I thought he did a great job.”
Confidence has never been a problem for Phillips - but Gray needed his mentality to be rooted in the right spot.
The Falcons needed a win in New York, and they needed Phillips to rise to the occasion. They received both ... and Gray saw the right mentality in the aftermath.
“When he got his chance, he’s playing to win, not just going out there and call my buddy and say, ‘Hey, did you see me play?’" Gray said. “But that’s different though. You don’t just want to have young guys playing, you want them playing to win. And to me, that’s a big difference.”
Belief in Phillips goes beyond Atlanta's coaching staff - his teammates feel the same.
Phillips' rapid start proved he could play. The way he's handled adversity in the months since proves even more ... and his reward Sunday left Okudah delighted.
“I was extremely proud of him," Okudah said. “He's someone that caught my eye since he first came out here, and see him go out there, get his opportunity to play, play at a high level. I think if you ask anybody in the locker room, no one would be surprised."
The next step for Phillips is turning his strong showing into the standard. Atlanta's perched atop the NFC South, holding a one-game lead over the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers with five weeks remaining.
Tampa Bay will march into Atlanta for a 1 p.m. EST kickoff Sunday, riding high off a victory last week and boasting star receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
Okudah's been limited at practice Wednesday and Thursday, as has Terrell, who's in concussion protocol. Their status is in doubt for Sunday.
If one - or both - can't play, Phillips will be thrust back into a prominent role, with a stout duo of wideouts coming into Mercedes-Benz Stadium for a critical division games.
But since the moment he was drafted, Phillips hasn't flinched. It's part of who he is, and part of why the Falcons love him - from coaches to teammates and everyone in between.
"He's always been a confident individual," Okudah said. "So, I think he's probably excited he had a chance to display it to everyone on Sunday."
