is tradinG Gilmore the answer for patriots?
In theory at least, Stephon Gilmore can come off the Physically Unable to Perform list in Week 7, when the Patriots host the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium.
Patriots notebook
Unless the star cornerback has suffered some kind of setback with the partially torn quad he suffered nine months ago, he should be healthy enough to practice and play.
At this stage, however, there’s no guarantee of him returning, and being in the lineup for that Oct. 24 game with Gang Green. Why?
His contract dispute hasn’t been resolved. It’s no secret Gilmore wants a raise, and to this point, the Patriots
haven’t budged. If Bill Belichick doesn’t blink, Gilmore could very well remain in limbo. But will it get to the point where he won’t entertain getting back on the field?
Another possibility: with the NFL trade deadline on Nov. 2, the Patriots could trade their shutdown corner and yield some return before he heads to free agency in 2022. Already, there are several top teams (including Tampa Bay and San Francisco) who could use a top-flight corner due to early-season injuries.
How much is enough for Gilmore?
A late-round pick won’t cut it. A middle-round pick shouldn’t, either. But why would any team hand over much more, if Gilmore only winds up a rental for a little more than half the season,
and possibly the playoffs?
Belichick certainly isn’t going to keep Gilmore around if a desperate team makes him an offer he can’t refuse. His team is certainly better with Gilmore, and needs him to contend, but Belichick is also a pragmatist, and might want to net something better than a future compensatory pick.
That basically leaves J.C. Jackson, Jalen Mills and Joejuan Williams to man the boundaries with Jonathan Jones in the slot.
Thus far, Jackson has performed well the first two games, assuming Gilmore’s role as the No. 1 corner. Corey Davis only caught two passes with Jackson helping in coverage. Miami’s DeVante Parker was also limited to two catches.
Moreover, the secondary hasn’t been exposed or
greatly exploited with two games played. But there’s still time.
Tom Brady and Dak Prescott will visit Foxboro before Week 7, with their explosive receiving corps ready to test the Patriots defenders. It should be noted, however, that when it comes to Jackson, the Patriots are headed into the same boat with him as Gilmore.
Jackson will be an unrestricted free agent after this season, and if he continues to play well, will also command a significant contract — one the Patriots aren’t likely to want to pay, just based on their history. So it’s possible the Patriots will ultimately lose both.
The more immediate question, though, deals with Gilmore and his future. The Patriots are much better with him handling one side
of the field, assuming he’s healthy. They would gain a significant defensive asset if he returns to the lineup Week 7 and plays the rest of the year.
How surprising would it be if the Patriots opted to cut their losses, and trade the 31year-old corner?
Patriots Hall of Famer Ty Law, who had his own contract battles with the team, ultimately leaving in free agency in 2005 after winning three Super Bowls, wouldn’t be happy about that development. But he also wouldn’t be shocked if it came to that.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the Patriots made a move with Stephon because of the history of the team, or just being a part of the NFL,” said Law.
“It hits close to home here in New England, but to put it all in perspective, Tom Brady’s playing somewhere else. That alone should tell you no one is indispensable in the National Football League if Tom Brady is playing in Tampa Bay. I just think as far as surprises nowadays, I think we should just end that conversation.”
Belichick has had a longheld reputation for letting players go a year or so before they hit the age wall.
He’s been right plenty of times, but the Brady case was a huge fail.
Gilmore, who didn’t take the field for a single practice or preseason game, turned 31 a week ago. For comparison, Law still had several good seasons after he left before retiring at age 35. Darrelle Revis, on the other hand, hit the age wall shortly after he left, hanging it up at age 32.
Given all the money spent,
and the Patriots seemingly in win-now mode, it would seem like a no-brainer to make it work with Gilmore.
At least, that’s how Law sees it.
“I’m always an advocate for players getting paid what they’re worth. It’s no secret my stance on that. And I think Stephon Gilmore is one of those players that don’t come around in a long time. To be able to do some of the things he does on the football field is a rarity,” said Law. “There’s a lot of good cornerbacks in the National Football League, but there’s only a few great ones. Stephon is one of the great ones.
“When you have a chance to lock him in, and you’re looking to win another championship, he’d be a key cog in any defense because of his abilities, and just how good he is,” Law continued. “He’s not far removed from defensive player of the year, which is rare for a cornerback. Yes, he had an injury, but this is football. If Stephon Gilmore is healthy and ready to go, you pay a guy like that what he’s worth, in my opinion.”
Because of the injury, some believe Gilmore needs to get back on the field, and prove he can still play.
Law, who’s now an owner and big-time distributor of V-One Vodka, thinks otherwise.
“Stephon is proven,” said Law. “You don’t have to see no more film on him.”
Proven or not, many star players wind up bouncing from team to team given contract demands. In Belichick’s case, it’s the contract and whether or not he deems the player close to being on the downside.
“Does he go by choice, does he get traded, does he get released, everyone has a different story,” Law said with respect to current NFL trends with players in contract years. “You’re probably going to end up somewhere else unless you take a massive pay cut. And (Gilmore) ain’t going to do that … The Patriots have a system that works for them as a team, and sometimes, you get things done in a contract, and sometimes you don’t. It’s proven over the last two decades, it works for them.”
Guerrero on Gronk
Had a few leftovers from my chat with trainer and TB12 head man Alex Guerrero. One dealt with Rob Gronkowski, who along with Tom Brady, will be returning to Foxboro next week to take on the Patriots.
Guerrero confirmed he’s still working with the former Patriots tight end, who has looked like the old Gronk the first few weeks. He’s caught 12 passes for 129 yards and four touchdowns. Gronkowski, who returned last season to play for the Bucs after retiring from the game for a year, struggled early in the year, but gradually got his body and fitness back to where he was a significant contributor during the Bucs’ championship run.
“He is 100% a TB12er. He does it all. He gets his prepractice and post-practice treatments just like Tom does, and he amplifies it with eating well, hydrating well, and resting well,” Guerrero told the Herald Wednesday. “He does great with his pliability treatments. He never misses. He’s so committed and so dedicated. He is 100 percent TB12 and you see it, it shows. He’s feeling so good. It’s easy to have fun when your body’s feeling good.”
Guerrero indicated Brady’s treatments haven’t changed much over the years. They’ve just been modified depending on family commitments and such.
“Certainly we change things up a little bit based on his family circumstances, as his children grow older and he has some activities and other responsibilities and so we do change some things up based on his life and the way it’s going,” said Guerrero. “But really, what that means is we just dedicate and commit more time in the time frame that we have to do it. We’re very fortunate here. They give us plenty of time to do the pliability work we need to get done to get him ready for practice, and then, we have plenty of time to do our post-practice work, for recovery from practice so we can get him ready for the next day. So that’s extremely helpful.”
Edelman lauds Meyers
Julian Edelman, who is being honored at halftime of the Patriots game with the Saints, touched on a number of topics during his 33-minute session with reporters on Thursday.
At one point, he was asked about Patriots receiver Jakobi Meyers, who has taken over Edelman’s former role in the slot, and has studied the receiver for how to play the position.
Edelman said it’s important for Meyers to be himself, first and foremost.
“I hope he continues to keep on finding his groove,” said Edelman. “That’s what I would always tell him, ‘Don’t do it like me. Don’t do it like Wes (Welker). Don’t do it like Troy. You’re going to learn things, but put it in your way.’ He’s certainly doing that.”
The 24-year-old Meyers, who is in his third year, was the team’s leading receiver last season (59 catches, 729 yards). Thus far, after two games, Meyers has 10 catches for 82 yards.
Jets shamed by Harris run
Damien Harris’ 26-yard touchdown run has already become the stuff of legend in New England, with the Patriots running back weaving and powering by as many as seven or eight defenders en route to the end zone for his third quarter score during the 25-6 win.
Harris also got a final push from a posse of Patriots, including quarterback Mac Jones, to get in the end zone. That’s also gotten a bit of mileage in the aftermath. The Jets view?
Total embarrassment. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich was disgusted watching the sheer folly of his defense, attempting to tackle Harris on the play. To him, his unit looked like the Keystone cops.
“We’re just honest about it, for what it was. And obviously, starting with myself, that is not the standard that we look to uphold,” Ulbrich said last week via the New York Post. “It’s not the brand of defense that we’d like to demonstrate every Sunday.
“It’s something that, to be completely honest, we were all embarrassed about. Coaches, players alike. It can’t be a trend for us to play the level of defense we want to play.”
Brady game tickets
It’s been fairly well-documented that Brady’s return to Foxboro easily stands as the NFL’s most expensive game for the 2021 season.
TicketIQ provided an update on the cost of tickets for that game on the secondary market, with prices for the game starting at $515.
Lower-level seats start at just under $840 per ticket, with prices going as high as $22,000-plus for sideline seats at midfield. Over the last decade, the only game TicketIQ tracked that was more expensive was Brady’s last Super Bowl Banner raising opening game at Gillette against the Steelers on Sept. 8, 2019, where the cheapest ticket was going for $535.