Harrison Phillips thinks Jets have a ‘cancerous’ mindset problem after years of losing

SAN FRANCISCO — Jets defensive tackle Harrison Phillips believes the team has a mindset problem.

Phillips, who arrived in a trade from the Vikings in August, said he noticed a problem with the team’s attitude after it started losing.

“We have so many good dudes on the team, and we have a lot of guys who just want to win,” Phillips said at the Super Bowl on Radio Row. “I think because the organization has lost a lot of games year after year and they haven’t seen results or success, you kind of get in this mindset I feel like that people were I believe, I believe, I believe until a certain point, and then it feels like the same old thing as last year.”

Harrison Phillips walks off the field following the Jets’ Nov. 30 game. Bill Kostroun for the NY Post

Phillips said it felt like the feeling permeated the organization, and he’s not even sure where it emanates from, but the years of losing and changes in the front office, on the coaching staff and in the locker room have taken their toll.

“It always felt like it was the ‘same old Jets.’ That’s the phrase, I think someone said that,” Phillips said. “I think the narrative of if you get into the mindset that it’s the same old Jets, that’s a cancerous thought, a very cancerous idea to be a part of. That’s a cancerous thought to have.”

Phillips addressed the team at one point during the season and wanted them to focus on the “long game.”

Jets players react during the second half of their Sept. 14 loss to the Bills. Corey Sipkin for the NY Post

“I talked to the team about playing the long game and having the ability to be unstoppable and having the agency to say that I’m the problem,” Phillips said. “Those are the processes that should come into place when you get into those truculent situations. It shouldn’t be, ‘This is the same old Jets, let’s go back to what we’ve been doing.’ ”