Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan has trickled his enthusiasm down to his players. This is going to get old so quickly.
"I hope I get ‘Gronk,' to be honest with you," Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore said of the All Pro tight end to Buffalo News. "We'll see what the coaching staff says."
When asked why he would volunteer to cover Rob Gronkowski, Gilmore responded, "Because I know the ball's going to him."
Gronkowski has 37 receptions for 543 yards and 9 career touchdowns in seven games against the Bills. He has scored a touchdown (or two) in all but one game. His splits are better in Buffalo than in New England. The Bills defense is his playground.
This isn't to say that Gilmore isn't a capable cornerback. He absolutely shut down every pass his way from Andrew Luck and the Colts. He's a great cornerback. The swagger is what all #1 cornerbacks should have on a daily basis. It's definitely what Rex Ryan supports.
Gilmore offered the same defense of Gronk that the Steelers proposed, which involves hitting Gronk and disrupting him on the line of the scrimmage. Gronkowski collected five receptions for 94 yards and three touchdowns against Pittsburgh.
The Bills have their goal correct: they need to stop Gronk. It's a lot easier to say than to do. In Gronk's past five games against Rex Ryan, he's collected 33 receptions for 404 yards and 5 touchdowns. For those keeping track, that's pretty much the same production against Rex as against the Bills. Good luck.
Gilmore was last seen getting faced by receiver Brian Tyms.