Lions defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham has become fairly talkative this year. Most recently, he has fired a mini-shot at Chargers tight end Antonio Gates.
“Gates, he’s not doing the things he did five, six-years ago, but he’s gotten a lot smarter,” Cunningham said Thursday, via Anwar Richardson of MLive.com. “His routes are exceptional. He sets you up. If a young guy covers him, you’re in trouble. He knows exactly what he’s doing and the quarterback feels him.”
It’s not nearly as harsh as the assessment made earlier this year by an unnamed member of the Chargers organization, who called Gates “old and fat.” Gates told NBC SportsTalk last Friday that he wasn’t bothered by that remark.
Thus, Gates likely won’t be troubled by Cunningham’s comments. Indeed, there’s a chance Gates would agree with Cunningham.
Regardless, the Lions need to find a way to deal with the suddenly souped-up San Diego offense on Saturday. I think the Lions will; Rosenthal disagrees.