White out to dump Pats, not Gronk

FOXBORO — There will be plenty of discussion this week about Tre’Davious White, victim of a Rob Gronkowski cheap shot when the Patriots and Buffalo Bills met in Week 13.

However, that incident, which landed Gronkowski a one-game suspension, overshadows what White has earned in his rookie season. That, quite simply, is a reputation as one of the best young cornerbacks in the league.

While it may be hard to quantify how well a player at that position does from a statistical standpoint, the firstround pick out of LSU has no doubt been a key factor in the Bills secondary not missing a beat despite losing cornerback Stephon Gilmore to the Pats via free agency.

Although White has struggled at times with certain matchups — two All-Pros, A.J. Green of the Cincinnati Bengals and Gronkowski, certainly provided rude introductions for the 5-foot-11, 192-pounder — he has already become a linchpin for the Bills defense.

The NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month in September, White has yet to drop off in production. He has four interceptions, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries, one of which he returned 52 yards for a touchdown in a win over the Atlanta Falcons. His 12 pass breakups lead the league.

So while many Patriots fans know White as the guy who yanked Gronkowski’s jersey before the tight end jumped him when the corner was laying facedown out of bounds, it serves greater purpose to be aware of how White can exact revenge in a pure football sense.

“We know if we go out there and try to do anything selfish or anything to hurt the team, we can cost ourselves a playoff spot — or one of our main players — by going out there and doing something stupid,” White told local media yesterday in Orchard Park, N.Y., as the 8-6 Bills try to maintain their tenuous grasp on the sixth and final AFC playoff spot, and end what is North American pro sports’ longest postseason drought at 17 years.

Part of what makes White so effective is what frustrated Gronk. The corner relishes tight, press coverage. On the interception that made Gronkowski snap in the 23-3 Patriots win Dec.3, White got away with a little extra.

But that’s part of the game, and Patriots coach Bill Belichick knows White’s style can disrupt the timing of any offense.

“He does a good job of rerouting the receivers at the line of scrimmage,” Belichick said, “and causing them to delay getting into their routes and give the pass rush more time and get more help over the top from the safeties.”

According to White, that will be the focus when the Bills come to Gillette Stadium Sunday.

“We gonna put (the Gronkowski incident) on the back burner,” White said, “and just focus on winning.”