thebandit27

The numbers tell a different story:

Actually, he did get beat several times that year--he got HANDLED by Quincy Enunwa, and Tyler Boyd had a really nice TD against him that year. For the season, he gave up 2 TDs...but in general, that season taught me a lot about whether or not most fans can identify a coverage by watching the All-22.

Actually, you need to re-read that... The coverage was supposed to change from Cover 2 to Cover 4, but Gilmore/Meeks side of the field missed the check. Neither player got the call, so they were still in Cover 2 (effectively making the coverage a Cover 6 I suppose), which means that he should've had help from Meeks. Rex said that the check never happened (big surprise, how many missed checks happened on a play-by-play basis with his over-complicated crap?), which is what he criticized Gilmore for...but Gilmore wasn't wrong. He should've had deep help. I mean, Cover 2 or Cover 4, what in the world was Meeks doing jumping up on Gronk, who is already bracketed by a double?

I did!

He specifically references Rex Ryan's quote in the article that says the coverage check was missed. Maybe you don't think my opinion, TurnerE's opinion, or your opinion matters much, but I would think that the HC's opinion matters. Next time, try harder to read the article before responding with the snark.

You're aware that he allowed zero receptions in that game, right? In fact, NE moved him over to match Alshon Jeffery in the 2nd half, and Jeffery had zero receptions after that point.

Ain't that the truth? The "it all starts up front" generation resisted with a fervor I never understood.

"Shutdown" corner is a myth...even the best corners give up receptions. In general, you aren't going to find a coach that uses a corner specifically against an opponent's WR2. The typical schools of thought are: Theory 1: match your CB1 against your opponent's CB1. In theory, you can feel confident that the opponent's WR1 won't have a huge game against you. Theory 2: play your CB1 on the same side of the field all the time. In theory, you know that you don't have to worry about that side of the field, and can flood the other side of the field with coverage en masse. I don't think I've ever heard of any coach saying "I'm going to match my CB1 against the opponent's WR2 so that I don't have to..."; actually I can't think of a single idea that would make sense as a finish to that sentence. No offense. I would (again) encourage you to read the article that I posted that is specifically about that play

Check out the article I posted; he didn't get burned. It was a miscommunication between the DBs; Meeks was supposed to help him out. Getting back to his all-pro selection, here's an interesting statistic that tells a bit more about his play:

It wasn't one comment; the whole article was on the subject. That just happened to be a single snippet of interest. Give it a read; perhaps your opinion would change. Well that's kind of the point. Would the team be better off if they re-signed Gilmore, drafted Mahomes, and had the 21st overall pick to use (on, say, Calvin Ridley or DJ Moore) in 2017? Indeed...so spake Rex: https://billswire.usatoday.com/2016/11/01/bills-film-room-breaking-down-patriots-wr-chris-hogans-td-vs-stephon-gilmore/ ...but Gilmore apparently missed a coverage check on the play as well (which seemingly happened to someone on the defense in every play of Rex's tenure)

By all accounts, "doesn't love football" is 180 degrees opposite of Gilmore. Here: https://patriotswire.usatoday.com/2018/10/29/patriots-bringing-out-the-film-junkie-in-stephon-gilmore/ “I just remember how much he wanted to be the best, like all the little things, and really wanted to know everything inside and out – the way he practiced and the way he played and how competitive he was,” former Buffalo Bills coach and current Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Marrone said on a conference call in January. “I mean, shoot, when we played with him, he had one hand basically. He had hurt his wrist and he wound up out there and he was playing his butt off and just a really competitive kid.” Even though Gilmore is a quiet guy – sometimes so quiet that he’s inaudible – he makes sure his love for the game is contagious. Crossen, for example, has played beneficiary to Gilmore’s relentless love for football and his ability to absorb endless hours of film. I guess that's why I don't judge people by their body language, but rather their body of work.

I'd like to hear the justification for that statement

Maybe...I guess that feels a bit forced to me. Very few FAs do the "thank you sir" routine on their way out of town; they know it's a business just like we do.

He wasn't a great tackler, but he could stick it to WRs with authority. I'll never forget him railroading Gronk at the goal-line to break up a TD, or the shot he fed Emmanuel Sanders that was called for a BS DPI penalty. Also, if you don't like his run support, shield your eyes from Levi Wallace ...you'll have a coronary.

I don't really agree with that. He's a quiet guy that just goes about his job. And he's good at it. Patently false. The Bills low-balled him when he was going to be the #1 corner on the market. He would've gladly stayed for CB1 money, but he wasn't offered CB1 money here.

Horse manure. Deion used to give up on plays routinely. Josh Norman does it all the time as well. Was Gilmore in the right to point at teammates before the conclusion of the play? Absolutely not. Do the 3-4 isolated incidents where it happened mean he's not one of the best? Absolutely not.

So in order to be one of the best, a guy can't ever get beaten? Got it. Who is one of the best then?

I guess you don't remember seeing Deion Sanders getting out-run by Brent Jones then

This shouldn't surprise anyone. He was an excellent corner here, and now he's being used by a coaching staff that somehow always finds a way to get more out of players than any other staff.

MVP: Josh Allen - the team was 5-5 when he played the whole game, and 1-5 when he didn't OPY: Josh Allen - he accounted for over 81% of the team's total offensive yards and 85% of the team's first downs in games he started and finished; he was the whole offense DPY: Tre White - showed again that he can play both man and zone, and do a fine job taking away half the field a lot of the time ORY: Josh Allen DRY: Tremaine Edmunds Comeback Player of the Year: Matt Barkley - hadn't started a game in 2 years and gave the team a much-needed actual-NFL-QB-performance in a road win

Agreed.

He definitely strikes me more as a 1 than a 3, but ya never know. Kyle was able to pull of snaps from the 3, so maybe Phillips can do so as well.

Not at all a surprise...again though, my point is that there's going to be things about Mayfield's game--both on and off the field--that will be fleshed out over his first off-season.

Huh...guess that's out...though I suppose it's possible he'd reconsider if given an NFL offer.

Well that was utter insanity at the time. I have no clue how he lasted past the top 8...I remember thinking at the time I'd have quite the conundrum if both he and Mike Evans were on the board at 9.