The Bills are a Rex Ryan team now, which means they have the license to talk smack and generally be open about their fearlessness of opponents. It is a gift to all of us everywhere.
On Tuesday, corner Stephon Gilmore continued those good fortunes by saying he hopes his assignment Sunday brings him to a matchup with Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.
"I hope I get Gronk, to be honest with you," Gilmore said, via The Buffalo News. "We'll see what the coaching staff says."
Gilmore went on to say he wants to cover Gronkowski because the Patriots star will get the ball. If Thursday night's opener was any indication, Gronkowski will get the ball a lot.
In his Wednesday morning press conference, coach Rex Ryan addressed the Gronk game plan: "There probably will be some snaps when three guys are on him."
Gilmore begging for this assignment flies in the face of common sense. We all heard the Steelers talk about jamming Gronkowski and making it difficult for him to get off the line -- not an easy task when the player in question has the size of a rhinoceros and the body control of a Juilliard School ballerina.
Then again, the Bills are a Ryan team now. Confidence is a beautiful thing and can help a team club the second-best quarterback in football and shut down a high-powered offense designed to outscore any other team in the league.
Could it also lead to a shutdown of Gronkowski and a Patriots loss? We'll see.
