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Jets defensive lineman Harrison Phillips was asked about new Jets safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and what he can do for the team’s defense.
And in praising Fitzpatrick (pictured above), Phillips made it pretty clear that some stuff that went on last year in pass coverage can’t continue.
“He has that cerebral football IQ that can really get everyone on the same page,” Phillips said. “Because gosh dang it is frustrating when someone walks into the end zone wide open. That’s frustrating, and with the leadership and high football IQ, we make those guarded at a minimum.”
Phillips was part of some good defenses in Buffalo and Minnesota before arriving in Florham Park last summer via a trade with the Vikings. He knows what sound team defense looks like.
With that quote, the erudite Stanford graduate made his feelings pretty clear about some of the undisciplined play that was too often the case with the Jets’ defense last year.
Aside from using the word “frustrating” twice in that quote, he used a phrase you don’t hear a lot in these parts – “gosh dang it.”
In googling that phrase, I heard a description on the internet saying that it is “the perfect phrase to let off a little steam.”
All the blown coverages last year by the Jets’ back seven were far from ideal.
Phillips was kind of saying that players are going to get beaten in coverage, at least somebody should be covering the offensive player, and be somewhat close.
Too often, there were missed assignments, and guys were wide open.
A perfect example was in the Jets’ loss at New Orleans late last season.
It was actually a competitive game in the first half, with the Saints leading 9-6 at the half.
But then in the second half, the bottom dropped out on the Jets, and the Saints scored 20 unanswered points en route to a 29-6 win.
The Saints obviously made some pretty good halftime adjustments, but there were also some major blown coverages, including three plays where the Saints’ top receiver was pretty wide open.
I’m going to start with a TD late in the fourth quarter, a 38-yard pass from QB Tyler Shough to Chris Olave. Nobody was near the Olave, the Saints’ top offensive weapon.
How does the Saints’ top weapon, one of the better receivers in the NFC, not get covered under any circumstances? He might beat you at times. He’s really good. But for him not to be covered is beyond the pale.
Once again, receivers are going to catch passes. Playing defensive back is hard in the NFL, especially these days with most of the rules favoring the offensive players, with PI flags galore.
But there was nobody near Olave on this play.
That should not happen in the NFL.
Same thing happened in the third quarter, on an 18-yard reception by Olave down the left side. Nobody was near him. This drive ended with a 23-yard TD to Olave, another play who was pretty wide open. Not as bad as the other two plays because there were people in the vicinity, but those other two plays were shocking to see on the NFL level.
The Jacksonville game, a 48-20 Jaguars romp over the Jets, was another contest with too many wide-open, easy throws for the opponent.
For a veteran defender like Phillips, who has seen what good defense looks like on the NFL level, he had to be aghast at this.
Phillips feels that with the veteran Fitzpatrick leading the deep patrol, this nonsense is less likely to happen.
Fitzpatrick should be a good traffic cop for the coverage players on the back end.
June 4, 2026
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