Stephon Gilmore clearly had an ax to grind upon being traded away from the Patriots last season, but the star cornerback since has softened his stance.
That trend continued this week when Gilmore, now a member of the Colts, spoke to Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald ahead of Indianapolis' Week 9 visit to New England. Gilmore only had positive things to say about his time in Foxboro, Mass.
"I had a lot of great games, a lot of accolades, and I got coached by a great coach," Gilmore told Guregian. "(Patriots owner) Robert Kraft was great to me, too. It's where I played some of my best ball. We won a lot there. So it was a great experience. It was a great place to play. There's a great atmosphere there. And it's a great opportunity for me to play there again. To me, it's one of the best football cities in America."
Gilmore was a solid cornerback in his five seasons with the Buffalo Bills. But he took his game to another level while playing for Bill Belichick from 2017 through 2020, including being named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 2019.
"I just think the way he prepares, and gets his players to prepare, how he studies throughout the week, that trickled down to me," Gilmore said Belichick. "I learned a little more about formation recognition and things like that, how to be a pro, how to really lock in on your technique, and how to play different guys certain ways.
"There's a lot of things I took from that place. I grew as a player there. I'm a better player, a smarter player after I got there, and when I left."
The Patriots and the Colts will kick off from Gillette Stadium at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
