‘It was fun’: Stephon Gilmore on stopping Amari Cooper
"I was just trying to get my hands on him every snap."
When the Patriots tweeted that Stephon Gilmore was “the best corner in the NFL”, Gilmore had one response.
“No debate,” he tweeted back.
No debate https://t.co/Qud4pLWCcC
— The Gilly Lock (@BumpNrunGilm0re) November 25, 2019
In a 13-9 win on Sunday against the Cowboys, the Patriots cornerback stepped up big-time against Cowboys’ wide receiver Amari Cooper. Gilmore was on Cooper for 26 of his 30 routes and held him to zero catches. In the second quarter, he picked off a pass that Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott thew to Cooper and dove for the interception – tumbling to the ground with the ball securely in his hands.
After the game, Gilmore admitted that while Cooper is a talented receiver, he knew he could take him.
“He’s a good player, quick. He’s one of the best receivers in the league. But I’m confident in myself,” he said. adding that he enjoyed the matchup.
“It was fun. I was just trying to get my hands on him every snap.”
Amari Cooper was held without a catch for the first time as a Cowboy.
Stephon Gilmore was matched up with Cooper on 26 of his 30 routes today 🔒 (via @NextGenStats) pic.twitter.com/i9TSL4VrEZ
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 25, 2019
Even Gilmore’s opponents gave him props for the play.
“We can say whatever the reason is, I just didn’t drive it,” Prescott admitted about the pass. “I didn’t step into the throw, I sat on my back heel, threw it and he [Stephon Gilmore] made a great play undercutting it and it was a great catch. Great catch by him.”
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said it was one of the team’s best plays of the season.
“On that individual play, it was obviously a great play,” he said in a conference call on Monday. “His timing – that was one of the hardest catches. It would have been a good play for him to knock that pass down and he was able to extend and lay out and be able to complete the catch. That was an outstanding play, probably one of the best plays we’ve had all year.”
Gilmore, who has four interceptions and thirteen passes defended so far this season, is currently tied for third in the NFL for interceptions. While teammate Devin McCourty is tied for first in that category, McCourty raved about the advantages that come with having Gilmore on the team.
“We put a lot on our corners in general to go out there and compete against some of the better receivers in this league,” he said. “It’s no secret it starts with Steph. He goes out there, competes his butt off every time someone makes a catch on him it’s going to be highly contested [and] they’re going to have to make a great play. We count on him to do that and I think a lot of it goes into his film study, understanding the defense, when he has help, when he doesn’t have help and then all of us executing as eleven guys on the field.”
Wide receiver Julian Edelman said he benefits by going up against Gilmore in practice.
“He’s a monster,” he said. “I get to battle against him every day and I love getting to do so because it makes me better. He has a knack for the ball, he’s confident and he’s got that steady mind where he is never up [and] he’s never down.”
“It’s unbelievable to have a teammate like him. You’re just seeing the tip of it. He does that stuff in practice all the time.”
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