 |
 |
 |
|
Linebacker Shawne Merriman returns to the San Diego Chargers this week, and that's a big deal. But so was the return of linebacker Shaun Phillips three weeks ago and his reappearance didn't cause a blip on the national radar.
|
|
| Shaun Phillips has 9.5 sacks this season. (Getty Images) |
Shaun Phillips, the best linebacker nobody knows, deserves more attention than he's getting or has received. But he's at a disadvantage: He not only shares the same position as Merriman, he shares the same first name. Granted, it's spelled differently, but when fans get around to pronouncing San Diego's top linebackers they start and end with Merriman.
"That's OK," said Phillips. "I have no problem with it. It means nobody expects much from me."
Which is why we're having this conversation. Maybe people don't expect much from Phillips, but the guy is delivering. Big. Despite missing two starts with a calf injury he leads the AFC in sacks with a career-high 9.5 -- or one more than Merriman -- and leads the Chargers with five tackles for losses, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
"Shaun Phillips," said San Diego general manager A.J. Smith, "is a difference maker. He is a special, special talent who can rush the passer."
So why don't we know more about him? Well, first of all, there's that giant shadow cast by Merriman. Then there's Phillips' development. He wasn't a starter until linebacker Steve Foley bowed out this summer after that bizarre run-in with an off-duty cop. Finally, he wasn't a high draft pick. In fact, he wasn't even a first-day draft choice.
Nevertheless, when he played -- even as a sub -- he made things happen. I remember watching San Diego beat Denver in the rain in 2004 and some defensive lineman deflecting a Jake Plummer pass before making a marvelous finger-tip interception of the ball.
It was Shaun Phillips.
I also remember sitting down this summer with Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and talking to him about his next preseason opponent. It was San Diego, a club I'd just visited, and I was in the middle of telling him about the Chargers' front seven when Hasselbeck stopped me in mid-sentence.
"The guy who impresses me," he said, "is that number 95."
"You mean Phillips?" I asked.
Hasselbeck nodded.