This time, Phillips isn't going to get the fat contract or starting job he got from the St. Louis Rams as the sixth pick in the 1996
draft. But he will get what most thought he had blown when he was cut by the Rams and Dolphins in 1997: one more "last" chance. Phillips, free to sign with an NFL
team now that play in NFL Europe is finished, has drawn interest from at least six clubs. Green Bay and Oakland appear to be the front -runners.
"I speak for just about everybody in football that realizes he's a talented guy," Raiders coach Jon Gruden says. "He's clearly the marquee player in the World League. You've got to
admire what he's doing over there."
Wide receiver Marcus Robinson and quarterback T.J. Rubley were the league's last two offensive MVPs. Seen anybody wearing their jerseys lately? Although NFL Europe has
helped several players improve, the league has yet to prove itself as a sure-fire way to develop talent. Phillips' big numbers might not mean as much as the simple fact he made the
commitment to go over there and stuck with it.
"I think you do have to understand the level of competition, but also understand that the guy is
over there for a number of reasons," Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin says. "Each player that's there is there either to gain experience or to make a statement about who he is and his ability
to play over a period of time. And so, I think you take all those things into consideration."
Let's not forget that arrests and missed meetings aren't the only reasons Phillips wasn't in pads
last season. In two NFL seasons, he never really proved he was anything more than a goal-line specialist. He topped the 100-yard mark in three of the 20 games he started and averaged 3.3 yards per carry.
For what it's worth, Barcelona coach Jack Bicknell has had nothing but positive things to say about Phillips' conduct this spring.
And in a league where there probably are two Latrell Sprewells for every David Robinson, morality doesn't play a big part in personnel decisions. But the NFL is becoming more
conscious of the perception that it is a haven for thugs. Phillips could face a suspension if he has another brush with the law, and that will be enough to ward off most teams.
But for the team that takes a chance on him, Phillips needs to keep doing what he did for perhaps the first time in his life this spring: Play - and live - as though he appreciates it.
