New Orleans Saints Forums - blackandgold.com - 10 days after release, Kenny Phillips grateful to continue comeback with Saints

By Evan Woodbery, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

While the New Orleans Saints opened the season on Sunday at Arizona, safety Kenny Phillips was back home, contemplating how his NFL comeback attempt had fallen short.

"Going back home and going back to that same (place) I was at for the last two years, it was like, 'I can't believe I'm here again,'" said Phillips, who last played an NFL regular season game in 2012.

Phillips made the Saints initial 53-man roster on Sept. 5 only to be released a day later when the team picked up two players on waivers.

The Saints told Phillips that they might give him a call later in the year, but he wasn't sure if that was sincere or a perfunctory gesture.

"After they told me they were going to release me, you kind of block everything else out," he said.

As it turns out, a cruel blow dealt to another player offered salvation for Phillips.

Rafael Bush suffered a season-ending pectoral injury in the second quarter at Arizona. The Saints quickly called Phillips, who just as quickly returned to New Orleans.

He practiced with the team on Wednesday and could be the starting free safety on Sunday when the Saints (0-1) play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1) at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

"They called me back and I'm very appreciative of it," he said.

Phillips signed with the Saints in January and played regularly in training camp and preseason. With health questions swirling around starting free safety Jairus Byrd, he seemed in good shape to make the team.

But the Saints ultimately chose to keep more players at other positions, waiving Pierre Warren, releasing Phillips and leaving Jamarca Sanford as the Week 1 backup at both safety spots.

"When they spoke to me, they told me they thought I did everything they wanted to see. So it was a little confusing when I didn't make the team," Phillips said. "But I'm just happy I'm back."

Phillips said he had interest from a couple of other teams who had been impressed by his play in the preseason, but he knew his best bet for returning was in New Orleans.

"The coaches know me, the players know me, I'm familiar with the system," he said.

He hopes his performance will validate the Saints decision to bring him back.

"For two years I've been home, trying to get this opportunity," he said. "I don't take it for granted."

The last 10 days have also reinforced a lesson about the fickle existence of an NFL player.

"There's a lot of great players out there who will never get a chance to get back in this door, because it's so hard to get in once you're out," he said. "And even once you get back in, it's not guaranteed that you're going to stay. It's tough. I'm definitely grateful to be here."

10 days after release, Kenny Phillips grateful to continue comeback with Saints | NOLA.com