New England Patriots safety Devin McCourty spotted the announcement: Los Angeles Chargers tight end Antonio Gates is retiring.
McCourty has had the unfortunate task of defending Gates over the last decade, and even in his later seasons, the tight end was a major issue for the Patriots defense, especially on third downs. Gates had 28 receptions for 329 yards and three touchdowns against the Patriots in seven regular season games. While those numbers don’t wow, that’s probably because New England dedicated so much man power to defending him,
“I remember my second year we basically put 3 guys on him…#BEAST…congrats,” McCourty wrote.
Gates managed zero catches on just one target, and the Chargers lost 35-21. If anything, that showed his impact on the offense. He was the most important player — and deserved triple coverage.
New England will have one fewer headache when the matchup against Los Angeles in the coming years.
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