FOOTBALL
MATT CANADA TALKS QUARTERBACKS
Mike Lucas of UWBadgers.com spoke with new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Matt Canada following the Badgers' scrimmage last Saturday about the situation at QB.
ing against the linebackers and defensive backs. Minus the offensive and defensive lines, you are left with only the "skeleton'' of the formations, i.e., skelly drills.) "While I'm only doing skelly, it's nice to make
the reads and throws — just knowing that I'm still involved mentally even if I'm not taking the reps,'' said Phillips. "Sitting back there behind the huddle (11-on-11) and seeing what they see is really big. Just making sure that I'm still in- volved is also big.''
When the team reports for summer condition- ing in early June, Phillips plans on being full-go. "Percentage-wise, they want your bad knee to
be less than a 15 percent deficit compared to the other knee,'' he said. "But I'm almost already at that point. That's not going to be an issue. "I just want to get to the point where I know I'm healthy and I can compete at a high level playing in the Big Ten. Once I hit that comfort
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level, I have to be able to go out there and do it.'' At the moment, Phillips can't get everything into his throws. "My knee is affecting my throws and accu-
racy,'' he said. "While I know where I'm going with the ball, and I know what's going on, my consistency is not there. I'm not throwing with my legs. "My arm strength is affected by that. I'll try to throw into a window that I would have been able to throw into before, but it's not getting there. I can't make some of the throws.'' Phillips has not thrown a pass in a game situ- ation since the 2009 season. Yet he remains optimistic that he can get back on the field again. "I'm more than optimistic, I'm confident,'' he said. "I've done this (rehab) before. I know what it takes to get back and I'm willing to put the work in to do it. Nobody is going to outwork me.
