NFL

‘It's going to be pretty special': UM's Rousseau, Phillips on rival sides for Bills-Dolphins

Hal Habib
Palm Beach Post

MIAMI GARDENS — Only a few minutes had passed during which Jaelan Phillips could call himself a Miami Dolphin. Getting drafted with the 18th overall pick offered confirmation he was the top edge rusher in his draft class. While Phillips called that “a blessing,” there still was one order of business on his mind.

“Me and Greg are really tight and so I’m super excited to see where he ends up,” Phillips said.

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Everyone knew who “Greg” was. That would be defensive end Greg Rousseau, a fellow former Hurricane even if calling him a former teammate was a slight stretch because they never actually shared the field together.

Until now — in a way they never could have predicted.

Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau comes off the line against the Steelers.

Phillips was keeping one eye on the draft board when Rousseau’s name was called, 30th overall. By the Buffalo Bills. One of the Dolphins’ chief rivals and the visiting team for Sunday’s Dolphins home opener at Hard Rock Stadium.

“That was funny,” Rousseau told The Post on Thursday. “Us ending up in places where we’re going to face each other twice a year — what are the odds of that, you know? That caught me off guard. But that’s cool, too.”

Phillips and Rousseau may share a bond like brothers, but this past week, they’ve upheld the NFL’s unwritten rule many subscribe to, of rivals waiting until postgame to acknowledge one another. There wasn’t any trash talk at the Draft, just as there hasn’t been any in the lead-up to this game.

Another week of comparisons

Yet it hasn’t been lost on anyone that Sunday will be another opportunity for comparisons. Last week it was Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and Patriots QB Mac Jones, both from Alabama. Now it’s Phillips and Rousseau, both edge rushers from the University of Miami.

“I don’t mind,” Rousseau said of comparisons that could follow them most of their NFL careers. For those who can’t wait to start charting it, Rousseau inched ahead last weekend, starting against Pittsburgh and recording two tackles in 30 defensive snaps. Phillips, whom the Dolphins list as a third-stringer, played 22 snaps and had one quarterback hit. Both were in on five special teams snaps.

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Rousseau created a buzz in New York with two sacks in the preseason, which ended with Pro Football Focus saying he created pocket pressure 33 percent of the time, most of any player. Rousseau has received advice from “a dude who had 200 sacks”: Bills Hall of Famer Bruce Smith.

“It’s been a great experience so far,” Rousseau said.

Rousseau is from Coconut Creek but transferred to Champagnat Catholic in Hialeah, so Sunday truly marks a homecoming.

“I’m excited for me,” he said. “I can’t wait. It’s going to be classic, being able to play the Rock again and also being able to do it every year, it’s going to be pretty cool.”

Stats are remarkably similar

Rousseau opted out last season, concerned about the pandemic as the son of an emergency room nurse. The 2020 season would have been the first time UM could have fielded bookend edge rushers with Phillips making his Hurricanes debut after transferring from UCLA and sitting out 2019. They practiced together in the spring of 2020 but never got the chance to celebrate sandwiching a quarterback in an actual game. Instead, Rousseau watched as Phillips piled up 15.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks in 10 games, mirroring Rousseau’s 13-game career totals of 19.5 TFLs and 15.5 sacks.

“Jaelan was already a great player — he was never a slouch or anything,” Rousseau said. “He was a five-star for a reason. Being able to practice with him that spring and the year before, I already knew Jaelan was going to get in there and go crazy and just ball out like he did.”

It’s impossible not to wonder — especially if your name is Manny Diaz — what UM’s defense would have looked like with both ends.

“It would have been dope for sure, both of us coming off the edge,” Rousseau said. “Would have been a lot — a lot — of fun. I would have loved it.”

The Dolphins seem content to bring Phillips along at a slower pace. Part of it is that Phillips missed much of training camp with an injury. Part of it is that they’ve moved him to outside linebacker and have him in coverage, a role he filled at UCLA.

Phillips edged ahead of the pack with an outstanding performance at UM’s pro day, attended by Dolphins coach Brian Flores. At that point, he was rated as the top pass rusher in the draft. It was a need for the Dolphins, so it’s logical to ask why the Dolphins don’t have Phillips focus on pass rushing first and add coverage responsibilities after he gains experience.

“I think with all players, you expose them to a variety of different things and then ideally what you’d like to do is you’d like to utilize their talents to what they do best within the scheme or the structure of what we’re trying to do, given our game plan,” defensive coordinator Josh Boyer said.

Regardless of the role and regardless of the outcome of Sunday’s game, two former Hurricanes will be reunited at midfield Sunday. Odds are they’ll swap jerseys and make sure photographers capture the moment.

“Just competing on the Greentree practice field every day, just had a lot of fun with that dude, you know?” Rousseau said. “Just going over his career, hanging out, and like I said, he’s a great person off the field. I’m just really, really, really happy for him. Happy I get to play him twice a year, too.

“It’s going to be pretty special.”