"But he cannot have the mileage to know he can hold delinquent veterans together." True. But I think all the 'delinquent veterans' you're referring to are on defense: Peters, Talib, and Suh. Phillips will play a roll in keeping them together, and he has a long record of success ... including one of these very 'delinquents'.
I believe Phillips wanted Talib on the Rams, calling him one of his favorite players in Denver. And Talib wanted to either go to the Patriots to play for Belichick or to the Rams to play for Phillips. I think the mutual respect between these two is firmly in place. Makes me think Phillips can work with Peters and Suh, too.
AlbaNY_Ram