Before the Bills’ first meeting with the Patriots this season, Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore said that he was hoping to cover Rob Gronkowski.
Gilmore and the rest of the Bills didn’t really do too good of a job against the Patriots tight end, who finished with seven catches and 117 yards on a day that saw Tom Brady throw for 466 yards overall. That hasn’t dimmed Gilmore’s confidence in the team’s ability to keep Gronkowski from having a big game this Monday, however.
“We got a game plan to take him out of the game,” Gilmore said, via ESPN.com. “We’re gonna be ready for him.”
Gilmore didn’t outline that plan, but did reference the work that the Giants did against Brady in the pocket in last week’s narrow loss to the Patriots.
“They [were] getting to Tom Brady, getting him off his spot,” Gilmore said. “They [were] sacking him and they are playing tight coverage on the back end. So first all of you have to get to him to make him mess up.”
The Patriots got three offensive linemen back at practice on Wednesday and could have a more robust group protecting Brady this weekend. That may make getting him off his spot more difficult, although it’s hard to dispute the notion that it’s the best way to disrupt New England’s offensive attack.