Getty Stephon Gilmore
Most would regard the New England Patriots Stephon Gilmore as one of–if not the–best cornerback in the NFL. Recently, NFL Hall-of-Famer, Kurt Warner gave Gilmore the ultimate compliment. Warner compared parts of Gilmore’s game to the legendary Hall-of-Famer, Deion Sanders.
During an upcoming episode of the NFL Network’s Film Session, Warner was asked, “which cornerback that you faced in your career reminds you most of reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore,” per ESPN.
Warner’s response should be flattering to Gilmore. He said: “He [Gilmore] reminds me of Deion Sanders the way he studies his craft and is a student of the game. That’s what Deion was so good at — the technique, the little things, and the ability to understand the game. Obviously, Deion was ridiculously talented. But he understood the game in such a way, especially playing man coverages, strengths and weaknesses, reading body language and doing all that stuff. That reminds me a lot of Stephon, the way he plays the game.”
You hear from almost anyone who has had an opportunity to be around Gilmore for an extended period, that his mental game is on-par with his physical gifts. That said, Warner did draw a line of sorts between Gilmore and Sanders as it pertains to pure athleticism.
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“Maybe not the top-end athleticism that Deion had,” Warner said referring to Gilmore. “Maybe not the speed that Deion had. But the same kind of craft he plays with, so he would probably be the guy. Deion was a guy who would get up in your face a lot.”
You can hear all of Warner’s comments about Gilmore and the comparison with Sanders when the episode of Film Session airs with Gilmore on NFL.com’s Game Pass on Tuesday, and then on the NFL Network on Saturday night at 8 pm ET.
Warner talked at length about what he learned from Gilmore during their time together, and how the environment the show creates helped to bring out a more vocal side of an otherwise quiet superstar.
“What I’ve learned about Stephon is that he has an understanding of not just what he’s trying to do, but the understanding of the other guys and what their responsibilities are. That frees him up to be able to play the game the way he plays it. So often you get a cornerback and they might be so focused on their job that they can’t piece together how their game can adjust based on what other guys are doing and the responsibilities of other guys.
Despite it being the offseason, Gilmore has garnered his share of positive attention. He signed with Jordan Brand, participated in the powerful video featuring NFL players who are standing up against racial injustice, and now this honor. In an otherwise tumultuous year, Gilmore has shined.
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