Darrelle Revis knows a thing or two about shutting down receivers. The man used to bring quarterbacks to his own personal island and leave them stranded, starving for catches, wasting away for full games.
The former proprietor of Revis Island declared a new owner of the Best Corner in the NFL title: Stephon Gilmore.
Surely others will have their say on whether Revis is correct. Jalen Ramsey -- when healthy -- Casey Hayward, Marshon Lattimore, and others could make a case as the top CB. Heck, Richard Sherman is having a throwback season.
Gilmore, however, showed Thursday night why many like Revis believe he's the top CB currently running.
A lockdown player in the top statistical defense in the league, Gilmore generated an interception and five passes defensed in the 35-14 win over the New York Giants. And one of those pass breakups led to a John Simon INT. According to Next Gen Stats, Gilmore forced three incompletions in coverage (tied for most in a game this season).
Despite having little success throwing toward Gilmore, Giants rookie quarterback Daniel Jones kept testing the corner.
"It's fun," Gilmore said after the win, via NESN. "That's what I like. So, any time he comes at me, I can make plays. ... He threw it (to) me the first play, I'm like, 'OK, it's going to be this type of game.' So, I was happy he kept throwing. Just keep making plays."
Gilmore is coming off his first All-Pro season and was Pro Football Focus' No. 1 corner in 2018. Despite smothering WRs weekly, quarterbacks have yet to start avoiding Gilmore like the plague, as they once did with Revis.
The 29-year-old DB doesn't mind if some signal-callers like Jones want to keep throwing his way.
"Yeah, I guess he didn't know -- or I don't know," Gilmore said. "It's fun. You make them one-dimensional. Stop the run and make them throw it. It's fun to be a cornerback, so that's what I love."
Gilmore is part of the best secondary in the league, and the top-rated defense through six weeks. The Patriots as a team have 14 interceptions; no other team has more than seven entering Week 6. New England has also scored more TDs on defense and special teams (five) than offensive TDs they have allowed on defense (three) this season.
It's true that the Pats haven't yet played a great offense, but you can only face the teams on your schedule. New England's defense has suffocated each offense placed in front of it.
