On Saturday, two of the NFL’s best cornerbacks watched while their assignment made a crucial catch against a brutal blown coverage. In both cases, it wasn’t clear who made the mistake.
The first came in the afternoon during the New England Patriots’ win over the Buffalo Bills. Cornerback Stephon Gilmore watched while John Brown ran into the end zone for a 53-yard touchdown. It was Gilmore’s lone gaffe on the day — or was it? It appeared as if Gilmore was looking for safety to help with coverage over the top. Devin McCoury got sucked in as the Patriots’ pass-rush closed in on quarterback Josh Allen. Even with defenders hanging off Allen, the throw was perfect. After the game, Gilmore was pressed to share what happened. He gave nothing. After the scrum cleared, he was pressed again: What happened?
“That’s not for you to know,” Gilmore told For the Win with a smile.
While Gilmore’s non-answer is fun, snarky and in compliance with The Patriot Way, he didn’t actually provide the media or the fans with a substantial answer. That’s what made Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey’s answer so refreshing when he was asked about an even more costly blown coverage on Saturday.
In the final minute of the Los Angeles Rams’ 34-31 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Ramsey seemed to lose his mark, receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who shook free for a 46-yard reception. That play set up a game-winning field goal, which ended the Rams’ playoff hopes.
“It wasn’t me and Eric (Weddle). E-Dub was on the other side. It was me and (Taylor) Rapp,” Ramsey said after the game, via ESPN’s Linsey Thirty. “We was in a form of two-man. We had an adjustment check to it because they was condensed splits. I played my technique, trusting that he was going to be over the top. And he wasn’t. That’s just what happened.”
Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey after losing 34-31 to the Niners. pic.twitter.com/euSiIYoqab
— Lindsey Thiry (@LindseyThiry) December 22, 2019
Is it finger pointing? Well, kind of.
Is it a matter of facts? Definitely.
Ramsey was clarifying that Rapp — and not safety Eric Weddle — was in the wrong on the play. And it sounds like they made some sort of adjust at the line of scrimmage, which Rapp didn’t hear. So, yes, Ramsey was deferring responsibility to his teammate. But perhaps that’s what Rapp needs as he develops — he’s just a rookie. Ramsey made a teaching moment for fans, media members and Rapp.
Ramsey appears to be trusting fans with candor. They shouldn’t slam a 22-year-old who was a second-round pick. Slamming Rapp for the error and Ramsey for the explanation would be a needless punishment for what NFL players so rarely share: the truth. That’s what made Deshaun Watson’s press conferences so refreshing this season. That’s what makes Ramsey such a fun player: he’s brutally honest. Let’s keep it that way.
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