Adrian Phillips watched the New England Patriots maintain their standing as the NFL's winningest franchise over the first six seasons of his career, and now he's able to experience first hand what makes them so great.
The veteran safety signed with the Patriots in free agency back in March, and it didn't take him long to figure out why the team has been able to consistently win so many games.
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What's been the biggest bright spot about joining the Patriots this offseason?
"It's a first class organization," Phillips recently told Patriots.com's Megan O'Brien in an interview. "You notice that from afar and you wonder, 'How does that keep happening?' So, actually being in the mix, you see that, and being in the meetings with the guys and with the DBs, you see why they're always in the position that they're in. It's just great to be part of."
Phillips already feels at home with the Patriots, and he credits that feeling to the way his new teammates and coaches have embraced him.
"That's a testament to those guys -- to embrace me the way that they did and treat me like I've been there for so long, and not even having met me face-to-face," Phillips said. "It's a huge testament to them, and it's a huge testament to the coaches, just showing that they're real people who really want to know the best of you and really want to see the type of person you are and embrace you and bring you into the winning culture. So, it's real cool to be a part of that."
Phillips has a chance to become one of the steals of free agency.
The 28-year-old safety played just seven games for the Los Angeles Chargers last season due to injury, but in 2018 he played all 16 games and earned first team All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods. In addition to his play on defense, Phillips excels on special teams. He made the 2018 All-Pro first team for his special teams performance.
Phillips' versatility makes him the ideal kind of player for the Patriots, and if healthy, he should play a key role on special teams alongside Matthew Slater during the 2020 season.