Of all the players and personalities in the 2023 Dallas Cowboys locker room, cornerback Stephon Gilmore — 33 years old — is probably the most even-keeled and chill of them all. That’s just who the five-time Pro Bowler is as a person, and as a football player he has seen it all: winning Super Bowl LIII in 2018 with the New England Patriots as well as being the last defensive back to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2019.
Since he’s accomplished as much as he has, he only really gets fired up for the tests that show what you’re made of as a cornerback: covering top flight, No. 1 wide receivers. Last week in a 41-35 victory against the Seattle Seahawks, second-year cornerback DaRon Bland, the NFL’s interceptions leader (eight) and all-time, single-season record holder for pick-sixes (five), looked like a player going through his first season as an outside corner for the first time in 2023. Pro Bowl wideout DK Metcalf racked up 108 yards and two touchdowns on three catches in the first half with Bland as his primary defender.
Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn flipped Gilmore on Metcalf in the second half, and Metcalf totaled a meager 16 yards and a touchdown on two grabs. On Sunday, Gilmore went wire-to-wire on Eagles No. 1 receiver A.J. Brown, frustrating him all night long in a 33-13 Cowboys defensive masterclass.
“I love it because the ball is going to come to them,” Gilmore said after Sunday night’s win. “They have to throw it to the best guy. That allows me to make plays when I can. Sometimes when I stay on one side I get bored a little bit. I was happy coaches trusted me to travel, and I was just happy we came up with a man [game plan].”
Philadelphia failed to find the end zone as they committed three turnovers, all lost fumbles. Gilmore forced the second one on a punch-out in coverage of Brown, something the Cowboys anticipated occurring.
“Coach Quinn, he told us…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/cowboys-stephon-gilmore-frustrates-a-j-brown-after-eagles-star-calls-him-old-i-was-going-to-show-him/
Author : Garrett Podell
Publish date : 2023-12-11 14:57:53
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