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Q & A with John Phillips
Virginia senior tight end John Phillips and a large number of the Cavalier football team are currently attending summer school and participating in various conditioning programs in preparation for the 2008 season. Phillips, who is a team captain for 2008, had 17 receptions for 193 yards and two scores during his junior season. With the departure of Tom Santi (sixth round draft pick of the Indianapolis Colts) and Jonathan Stupar (free agent signee with the New England Patriots), Phillips will play a much larger role on the Cavalier offense in the upcoming season. He talks about the importance of UVa’s off-season program.
Question: How important is this part of the year for a football team?
Phillips: This is probably one of the most important times to build the team up and build the character and identity of the entire team. In the summer, there are not that many people here. We work out together in the mornings and then have seven-on-seven workouts in the afternoon, which is something we have to take control and ownership of since the coaches cannot be involved. We have to do all of that by ourselves. We spend a lot of time together off the field, just hanging out, having a barbecue or other things. We spend a lot of time together and a lot of relationships are created between the players on the team.
I love this time of year. It is perfect. You can concentrate on your school work. The teachers are all great about working with you since the class sizes are smaller. You can get a lot of one-on-one work. All of the players are around, so I really love this time of year because there are not any distractions around.
Question: What are you doing now differently since you are now a team captain?
Phillips: I’m not going to try and change up too much. I think everyone on our team is hard working and I feel like I fit into that same category. I just try to go out there and work as hard as I can every day and try to get better on every level.
Question: Describe yourself as a leader on this team.
Phillips: I think the captains are more vocal this year. We all have different personalities, but as a whole we are more vocal and try to cheer people on or to jump on people to help develop the team and make the type of team we want to have around here. We have goals we have set and we’re trying to hit them. If you want to hit your ultimate goals, the summer time is a time to do that.
Question: What are some of the things you see as positives about the team heading into the fall in terms of how it is working in the off-season?
Phillips: There are a lot of guys on this team who are buying into the system. A lot of guys on the team are really anxious about the season. We want to prove a lot of people wrong who think we are down and don’t think we will be very good. That’s a lot of motivation for us. A lot of guys are working really hard for this season and ready to go. That’s good to see.
Question: Some of the preseason football magazines are now out and one has Virginia predicted to finish last in its division of the ACC. How does that make you feel?
Phillips: It is all motivation. I’ve read those articles. We see that. People might overlook us because they see us as an academic school. That’s the type of school we are. We are solid both on and off the field. I think those types of comments and articles helps to build our character. Their job is to say or write what they think. That’s fine. Our job is to win football games. We’ll let them do the picking and we’ll just keep doing what we are doing.
Question: While the coaches cannot participate in the off-season conditioning the team does, you still have the opportunity to talk with them during the summer.
Phillips: We have one of the greatest coaching staffs in the world. We have coaches who work extremely hard, put in the extra hours and are here early in the morning and late at night. Coach (Al) Groh himself, his personality and the way he leads and coaches, it’s great to be a part of that. Chris (Long) was my roommate and we talked about that all the time. Coach Groh has a great passion for the game and I think that carries over to our other coaches. They all have a great passion and understanding of the game. They put in a lot of work to put us in a great situation to be the best we can be. I feel like we always have a solid game plan going into every game. They put us into a situation where, if we can execute the game plan, we will win.
Question: You went to the NFL Draft in New York City. How was that experience.
Phillips: I had a great time up there. We were up in the balcony. When Chris (Long) walked out he pointed up to us and it got pretty rowdy up there. It was great to be with such a solid group of guys Chris being one of them and a great friend. He’s a tremendous guy. I could not pick a better friend or roommate. Being with him and being with a bunch of other solid dudes in New York City, just having a great time, it was one of the best trips I’ve ever been on. You are with the people you really love. It’s like being with your family members. For Chris, when he got drafted, it was like we got drafted. We all feel like we are a part of him. It’s We, Us and Ours’ around here. When he was drafted, it was great for all of us. It was a compliment for the whole team.
Question: One of the things the team is doing this year is working with a yoga instructor. How do you like that?
Phillips: It is a new experience for me. But hey, anything to get an edge. If taking yoga helps you to get more flexible and that gives you an edge, then that’s what we have to do. I like the way we bring some new ideas into the team. We have a nutritionist who plans out what we eat. All of those small things help to make this an elite program. I’m not sure who came up with the idea, but hopefully it will work out. It’s a great workout.
Question: Do you have a favorite yoga position?
Phillips: Not yet. My joints are still getting used to being twisted up like this.
Question: It is summer and you need to relax a little. Have you found a fishing hole in Charlottesville?
Phillips: No, I’ll go back home to Bath County. There are three rivers about 20 minutes from my house I like to fish. Mostly for trout. My cousin owns a boat, so we’ll go out every once in a while to go bass fishing.