New England Patriots star cornerback Stephon Gilmore took to Twitter to defend Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper after former NFL head coach and current ESPN analyst Rex Ryan threw shade at Cooper on Friday.
Gilmore credited Cooper as being one of the toughest covers in football.
Come on Rex he one of the toughest receivers in the league to cover. His release game is probably top 2.
— The Gilly Lock (@BumpNrunGilm0re) April 3, 2020
However, Gilmore is not fazed by having to match up with one of his AFC East foes.
One Twitter user suggested Gilmore should focus on handling new Buffalo Bills receiver Stefon Diggs' release game, to which another user replied “That's light work.”
https://twitter.com/cdot6662/status/1246213184089882628
Though the initial reply did not elicit a specific response from Gilmore, he “liked” the reply, implying he is not intimidated by matching up against Diggs.
Of course, Gilmore has every reason to be confident in his abilities.
The 29-year-old led the NFL in both interceptions (six) and pass deflections (20) last year, and he has been named First Team All-Pro in each of the last two seasons with the Patriots.
Opposing quarterbacks have not had much success when targeting Gilmore's side of the field, completing just over 50 percent of their passes when he was the nearest defender. Gilmore did not concede a single touchdown catch last season.
That said, Diggs is arguably the most talented receiver in the division after joining the Bills. He has posted consecutive 1,000-yard plus seasons, and last year he averaged close to 18 yards per reception.
The Bills pounced on the opportunity to add an offensive playmaker. For his part, Gilmore will have to be at his very best as the Pats hope their defense can anchor a team that will no longer be led by Tom Brady in 2020.
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