Can Stephon Gilmore Be Colts ‘Consigliere’ vs. Patriots?

Gilmore is set to return to New England for the first time since 2020 as his Colts visit the Patriots for a Week 9 matchup at Gillette Stadium.

FOXBORO — From 2017-20, the New England Patriots depth chart at cornerback was led by veteran Stephon Gilmore.

The 32-year-old consistently ranked among the top players at the position. Gilmore was a two-time First-Team All-Pro, was named to four Pro Bowls and earned the honor of Defensive Player of the Year in 2019. He also played an integral role in New England’s victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII.

As such, it is not a stretch to say that Gilmore may have as much familiarity with New England’s offensive and defensive schemes as any of their past, or even present  cornerbacks.

Though his time in a Patriots uniform came to an end in October 2021, Gilmore will take the Gillette Stadium field for the first time since his departure as a member of the Indianapolis Colts. With the Colts set to visit Foxboro for their Week 9 matchup with the Pats on Sunday, Gilmore is eager to impart some of his wisdom and counsel to Colts’ starting quarterback Sam Ehlinger.

The ex-Texas Longhorn, who was recently named the Colts’ starter in place of struggling veteran Matt Ryan, is set to make his second career start. The second-year quarterback endured a tough-luck 17-16 loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 8. Ehlinger completed 17 of 23 passes for 201 yards, with neither a touchdown nor an interception. He also rushed the ball six times for 15 yards.

Unsurprisingly, coach Frank Reich and the Colts ran a fairly conservative offense against Washington, allowing the 24-year-old to settle into his new position. Though Ehlinger effectively spread the bell to his receivers, he did not show a great deal of effectiveness when running the football. This was a somewhat surprising development, as he compiled at least 375 rushing yards in each of his four years in college as a starter at Texas.

As Ehlinger and the Colts look to turn things around, Gilmore may be of particular assistance to his young teammate in this area.

According to an ESPN report from Wednesday, Gilmore sat down with Ehlinger to discuss the nature of New England’s defense, including the strategy and tactics employed by Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

After all, Belichick has historically fared quite well against young quarterbacks during his five-plus decade coaching career.

Still, Gilmore urged Ehlinger to deflect intimidation by ignoring Belichick’s past and focusing on his own execution in the moment. Considering New England’s ongoing difficulties with defending mobile quarterbacks, Indianapolis may feel the time is right to deploy their quarterback as a dual-threat. Given Gilmore’s knowledge of Belichick’s tendencies, his insight could play a role in the Colts’ play-calling.

“They’re [Patriots] going to be prepared very well. They’re going to play hard,” Gilmore told team reporters. “I think with coach Bill [Belichick], he’s a great coach. He’s going to have those guys playing fast. But I think I’ll leave that to the offensive coordinators. If he [Ehlinger] asks me a question, I’ll answer it, but I think at the end of the day it comes down to execution and I think that’s going to have to be the main focus this week.”

While Gilmore may be a valuable resource in helping Ehrlinger to decipher some of the looks he may see from Belichick’s defense, rest assured the Pats will be well-prepared to contain Indianapolis, as well.

For as many issues New England’s front seven has recently experienced with both run and pass defense, Indaiaipolis’ offensive line’s woes have arguably been worse. Both guard Quenton Nelson and center Ryan Kelly have not played to their standards, facilitating the descent of the Colts’ running game to 29th in the league; averaging just 87.8 yards per game on the ground. Though the Patriots have been inconsistent with stopping the run, they may find the task a bit easier against the Colts. Indy’s star rusher Jonathan Taylor has not practiced this week due to an ankle injury. At present, Taylor appears unlikely to play on Sunday.

With the Colts implementing a greater amount of quarterback-designed running plays, Ehlinger has the chance to be the team’s top rusher against the Pats — a wrinkle for which New England will have to account. They will also rely on running back Deon Jackson, as well as the recently-acquired Zack Moss, who arrived in Indianapolis on Thursday after his inclusion in the deal which sent Nyheim Hines to the Buffalo Bills. While Gilmore is primarily known for his prowess in defending the pass, he has the necessary experience to both recognize and help the Colts’ runners counteract New England’s run defense alignments.

Having been removed from Thursday’s injury report (previously listed with a rib injury), Gilmore appears to be ready to suit up for Week 9. While the Pats remain cognizant of his abilities on the field, his acumen in reading a Belichick-defense may make him just the type of ‘wartime consigliere’ the Colts need to pull off the upset on Sunday against the Patriots. 

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Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL and Listen/Subscribe to his daily podcast: Locked On Patriots

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