There were times this year when Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore looked like a bad investment.
He was worth every penny Sunday, when he broke up Jacksonville’s final fourth-down attempt, allowing the Patriots to hang on and advance to the Super Bowl.
“I came here to have an opportunity to go to the Super Bowl,” Gilmore said, via Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston. “When New England called, that was the reason I came here.”
Well, that and a five-year, $65 million contract. But he admitted this season didn’t go wholly as planned, and that making the defensive play of the game helped.
“It ain’t always going to go all gravy,” Gilmore said. “You move to a different team, you gotta figure everything out. Meeting new people. Getting used to playing with these guys. Getting used to all new things. It’s no excuse, but you’ve just gotta keep working and preparing and playing hard.”
Patriots coach Bill Belichick praised Gilmore’s work after the game, and his teammates clearly respect the work he put in after a rough first month with the team, after coming from Buffalo as a free agent.
“Just seeing where he’s grown through this defense over this past year, it’s amazing, man,” safety Duron Harmon said. “You had a guy who had a lot of scrutiny at the beginning of the year. All he did was continue to get better, ignore the noise, put in the extra work, and it’s no coincidence why he was able to make that play on that fourth down today.”
And now he’s where he wanted to be, and a big part of the reason why and not just a big part of the payroll.