Gilmore was quoted in a Mike Florio piece as giving unusually detailed information about practices - including which offenses the defense was preparing against! (no huddles).
Stephon Gilmore says Patriots defense has been focusing on no-huddle offense .
Florio then used this information (to the extent one trusts Florio of course - I haven't checked the primary source) to insinuate the Patriots are evading rules on off-season practices.
I've mentioned before on this forum that several of the Patriots off-season acquisitions do not seem to me to fit the pattern of their most successful acquisitions in off-season years. I was particularly concerned about the effect on team chemistry of bringing in some of these high-priced people.
If the Florio article is accurate, this is a red flag that underscores my previous comments.
There is no reason for Gilmore to give any kind of detailed information to the press that I can see except for self-promotion. And it already hurts the team - not a lot necessarily, but it does.
The problem with having even one or two players who put self-promotion ahead of team interests is that it puts the quieter players in a shadow. And when the self-promoting player hasn't even played a down for the Patriots and yet is one of the highest paid players on the team, I think it sows the seeds for the kind of dysfunction we love to mock in teams like the Steelers and Jets. Players start to play for the press and the fans, not for the team.
Even if nothing comes of this, I don't see how to spin this in a way that looks promising. Surely players are instructed about talking to the press. If so, is Gilmore saying team rules just don't apply to him, since his contract is so big? Is Gilmore trying to give a message to Belichick that practices are too difficult and if they aren't made easier that he will complain to the media?
It is true that Patriots players can talk to the press about non-substantive matters - amusing anecdotes and the like. But to say that the practices are geared to a specific offense obviously crosses the line. The fact that Gilmore cannot see this, or sees it and chooses to ignore it, is an issue - or is it?
Maybe I'm making something out of nothing. Let's hope so.
Stephon Gilmore says Patriots defense has been focusing on no-huddle offense .
Florio then used this information (to the extent one trusts Florio of course - I haven't checked the primary source) to insinuate the Patriots are evading rules on off-season practices.
I've mentioned before on this forum that several of the Patriots off-season acquisitions do not seem to me to fit the pattern of their most successful acquisitions in off-season years. I was particularly concerned about the effect on team chemistry of bringing in some of these high-priced people.
If the Florio article is accurate, this is a red flag that underscores my previous comments.
There is no reason for Gilmore to give any kind of detailed information to the press that I can see except for self-promotion. And it already hurts the team - not a lot necessarily, but it does.
The problem with having even one or two players who put self-promotion ahead of team interests is that it puts the quieter players in a shadow. And when the self-promoting player hasn't even played a down for the Patriots and yet is one of the highest paid players on the team, I think it sows the seeds for the kind of dysfunction we love to mock in teams like the Steelers and Jets. Players start to play for the press and the fans, not for the team.
Even if nothing comes of this, I don't see how to spin this in a way that looks promising. Surely players are instructed about talking to the press. If so, is Gilmore saying team rules just don't apply to him, since his contract is so big? Is Gilmore trying to give a message to Belichick that practices are too difficult and if they aren't made easier that he will complain to the media?
It is true that Patriots players can talk to the press about non-substantive matters - amusing anecdotes and the like. But to say that the practices are geared to a specific offense obviously crosses the line. The fact that Gilmore cannot see this, or sees it and chooses to ignore it, is an issue - or is it?
Maybe I'm making something out of nothing. Let's hope so.
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