Mind Over Matter
August 24, 2004 03:00 PM | General
August 24, 2004
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Life for West Virginia University sophomore running back Erick Phillips right now is a practice in mind over matter.
 |
||
| Erick Phillips ran for 65 yards and caught one pass before being sidelined for the season
(All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks) |
The absolute worst thing that could happen to any running back happened to Phillips the week before the Pitt game last year: he tore both the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his knee. Phillips was simply trying to jump over a blocker during a non-contact drill on a wet turf when his heel slid awkwardly to his left and his knee buckled.
The searing pain told Phillips it was something pretty serious.
“The pain stopped briefly and I actually wanted to stand up on it but (WVU trainer) Dave Kerns told me that wasn’t a good idea,” Phillips said. “People helped me up from both sides and I put a little pressure on it and my knee was wobbly. I’ve never seen it like that. That’s when I knew it was something serious.”
Phillips underwent reconstructive surgery last December and missed all of spring practice. He didn’t practice during fall camp and instead ran along the sidelines and continued to do his therapy. Phillips won’t let it loose until he’s completely confident his knee can handle the strain of making cuts. He admits that will be the biggest hurdle for him to overcome.
“This is something that I have to get better at and it’s something I have to feel comfortable with in my mind doing,” he said. “Right now I don’t think I’m comfortable in my mind first.”
Kerns says this injury typically takes “about a year to recover from” and Phillips is roughly on schedule. The trainer says Phillips’ injury time frame is similar to that of former Miami running back Willis McGahee, now playing for the Buffalo Bills. Once he overcomes the initial trepidation of cutting on his reconstructed knee, Phillips’ next obstacle will be getting his body back into playing shape.
“It’s going to take him a while to get back into football playing shape,” Kerns said. “It will be tough for him to go out there and play three plays in a row right away because he’s going to be gassed.”
The one thing Phillips is leery of is coming back too soon. The Hilliard, Ohio, native says he’s been leaning on the advice of his father Carl, a former college player at Iowa, and others to keep him straight.
“Pops is trying to hang in there with me,” said Phillips. “He’s telling me the same thing I’ve been saying … ‘Don’t come back too early and hurt yourself again so you have to sit out for two full years.’ I’m just trying to play it safe.”
Phillips realizes that Coach Rich Rodriguez hasn’t been happy at times with his running backs during fall camp for not hitting the holes and taking what the defenses give them. Sometimes they’re hunting for 75-yard touchdown runs and losing six yards in the process.
For the most part former tailbacks Quincy Wilson and Avon Cobourne were able to avoid big losses. Phillips says he is a similar type back in that regard.
“I was taught at a young age that the little yards are by far more important,” said Phillips. “I’m a back that is always going to get positive yards. Two, three, four or six yards … that’s my game. I think that might be what we’re missing a little right now. Jason (Colson) and Kay-Jay (Harris) are tremendous backs but I think that is the difference between us. I’m a short gainer and I’m going to get the little yards but I can also bust the big one, too.
 |
||
| Phillips says he won't return to the field until his knee is 100 percent
WVU Sports Communications |
“But for the most part I’m looking to at least get halfway toward that first-down marker to make it easier on my teammates,” he added.
Phillips showed signs of doing that last year, running 18 times for 65 yards before being sidelined. He had a season-high 22 yards in the ECU win. The 5-foot-9, 220-pounder is also one of the strongest backs on the team, once squatting 565 pounds.
Rodriguez mentioned last Saturday at the conclusion of fall camp that Phillips “might be the best back we’ve got.”
“He’s our wildcard,” he said.
Harris and Colson are still battling it out for the starting job against East Carolina in the opener, with sophomore Bryan Wright and true freshman Pernell Williams serving as backups. Ideally, Rodriguez would like to have at least four usable tailbacks. Unfortunately that’s all he’s got right now. That’s why it is so important to have a healthy Erick Phillips back into the fold before too long.
“Dave has a pretty good judgment on when I’m to return,” said Phillips. “I definitely don’t want to come back too early. It is something where I don’t want to come back and injure myself. I’m just taking it easy. If Dave thinks I’m ready by September then that’s when I’m ready.”
Phillips says once he got injured he began leaning on Quincy Wilson for advice. Although his injury wasn’t as serious, Wilson was able to make a full comeback and is now battling for a roster spot with the Atlanta Falcons.
“Quincy and I have bonded,” said Phillips. “He kind of took me under his wing and we became really good friends. He said, ‘The first hard step is your mind.’ Physically you’re straight and ready to go to take on that contact but mentally it’s your mind thinking, ‘If I cut too hard I’m going to hurt it.’ It’s something that I have to overcome.”
Right now Phillips is spending most of his time in the training room and getting mentally prepared for the season. Now that school has started he’s officially back in the fold and he says he might be able to put on the red jersey and get out on the field later this week.
“I just want to work extra hard on my rehab and do everything I’m supposed to do,” he said. “Do it three, four times a day. What I’ve been doing during camp is trying to learn more. Get things down pat. Learn fronts and defenses.”
Phillips’ understands the next step will be his biggest, “I think all of this is in your mind. If you have surgery on left knee it’s never going to be as strong as your right. But I can think it can be as good. Basically the first step is getting your mind right.”
