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He’s such a good person and teammate with character through the roof.
And it usually takes an act of Congress to keep him out of a game.
But at some point, perhaps, Darren Mougey is going to have to do a cost-benefit analysis whether playing this guy every week, essentially on one leg, is the best way to go.
Talking about defensive tackle Harrison Phillips.
He’s a true warrior and consummate team player, who will do everything he can to go on Sunday.
Often players take Toradol shots before a game to be able to play. Toradol is an anti-inflammatory; many players have team medical officials administer it to them before NFL games. It is not an opioid. It’s not addictive. It makes their body feel better for 3-5 hours.
Have no idea if he’s getting a Toradol shot, but there is a chance he is. They are very common in the NFL, and it’s not forced on them by the team. It’s entirely up to the player.
But even if he takes a shot, it doesn’t take away from the fact that he has a serious ankle injury, perhaps limiting his range, and ability to push off the ankle to help shed blocks.
The Jets’ run defense up the middle last week (and most weeks) was a big problem, and Phillips struggled (as did all their defensive tackles).
Two examples: a pair of 12-yard runs up the middle by Kenneth Walker.
On one, center Creed Humphrey pancaked Phillips and right guard Kingsley Suamataia pulled to second level and took out Demario Davis. So there were two issues on this play. One: Phillips getting pancaked which opened up a big hole, and the Chiefs feeling no need to double any of the Jets’ defensive tackles, so Suamataia easily pulled to the second level and took out Davis.
On the second one, the Chiefs’ right tackle, Jaylon Moore, pushed Phillips so far to the right that Walker cut back to the big hole on the left on a zone-like cutback run. And once again, Davis was taken on the second level by Suamataia.
Surprisingly, the Jets personnel department didn’t trade for a 3-4 defensive lineman, who might be a reserve on another team, like one of those 6-5, 320-pound cats with long arms. Some teams, like Green Bay, have a few of those types in reserve.
Jets are playing too many 4-3 defensive linemen in a 3-4 front, and it’s not working.
And one of them is playing on one leg.
They do have two guys have two defensive linemen on the practice squad they haven’t tried yet – Isaiah Loudermilk and Amari McNeill.
Considering how much the current D-Line is struggling to stop the run, why not give one or both a try?
I know talking about defensive tackles and run defense isn’t sexy, and it rarely happens.
But what is going on, in football terms, not real-world terms, is an emergency.
It’s hard to win in the NFL playing this kind of run defense. So much of football success runs downstream from run defense…
The Jets have a ping-pong table in the locker room, and after practice, a lot of players like to play. They play a round robin, so more guys get a chance to play.
While some fans and sports talk hosts will make a big deal about players playing ping-pong, in the locker room, especially on a losing team, these kinds of games in the locker room are common in the NFL.
Since they get paid very well, not many would have sympathy for players, but playing in the NFL is quite stressful, so being able to have some fun with teammates in the clubhouse after a long practice can allow them to relax and let off some steam.
But here is a small issue.
The Jets have a makeshift podium in the locker room for group interviews.
It’s not far from the ping-pong table.
So often fans hear soundbites on the radio, like on WFAN, where it sounds like a festive locker room, and some fans wonder why it’s so festive with the team at 2-7.
You know that narrative you have heard for years from sports talking heads about players on the sideline smiling on the bench during a loss.
Die-hard fans will say, “I take it harder than they do.”
Those bench shots during a game are often out of context. It could be a one-second smile or laugh, after some offhand remark that is not indicative at all of how they feel about losing.
So, no, the ping-pong table and guys having some fun after practice is not a big deal.
Now, granted, surely, back in the day, if Vince Lombardi or Bear Bryant, walked into a locker room, during a losing streak, and saw guys having fun playing ping-pong, they’d probably rip the players a new one.
But this is a different era.
And one young reporter who was here today made a great point. And this reporter grew up a generation with so many young people seemingly addicted to their cell phones.
“Isn’t it better that they are bonding playing ping-pong than all sitting in their individual lockers, with their heads buried in their cell phones, and not talking to each other,” said the scribe.
Good point, especially in 2026, where so many people’s heads are buried in their phones, and there is perhaps less eye-to-eye interaction with fellow humans, which is so important for the species, than 20 years ago.
November 13, 2026
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