Cornerback Stephon Gilmore was a solid player for the Bills during his first five NFL seasons, but he’s bumped his play up a few notches since joining the Patriots in 2017.
Gilmore has made two straight All-Pro teams and he was named the defensive player of the year for 2019. During an appearance on a podcast hosted by fellow Patriots defensive backs Devin and Jason McCourty, Gilmore said stability in the organization is the main reason for his uptick in play.
“Me in Buffalo, the first five years, I had four different defensive coordinators, three different head coaches, so I was kind of trying to learn each and every year,” Gilmore said, via MassLive.com. “Once I got to New England, I got some consistency and the same guys around, same coaches. I feel like that is why my game took off more.”
The Patriots have had turnover on the defensive staff since Gilmore arrived, including the departures of defensive coordinators Matt Patricia and Brian Flores. Head coach Bill Belichick has always overseen the entire endeavor, however, and his presence continues to be as big a reason as any to think the Patriots can continue to succeed in the post-Tom Brady era.