Stephon Gilmore’s Strong Training Camp Continues; Matt Ryan Explains Approach To Mistakes; Isaiah Rodgers, Nyheim Hines Shine During Practice

WESTFIELD, Ind. – Head coach Frank Reich described Stephon Gilmore as the kind of cornerback feared by quarterbacks. Wide receiver Alec Pierce marveled at Gilmore’s preternatural ability to know what route he’s going to run before the ball is even snapped.

And quarterback Matt Ryan, after Gilmore jumped a route for an interception during a seven-on-seven period Sunday, quipped: “Yeah, unfortunately that’s not the first time he’s picked me off.”

• Gilmore’s ability to not only cover but make plays in man-to-man coverage was one of the reasons why the team signed him back in April, and those plays have consistently shown up throughout training camp. “He’s so quick to recognize routes, concepts,” Reich said, “and then he has the ability to make plays on the ball and turn it over.”
• Since the start of the 2018 season, Gilmore owns the highest Pro Football Focus coverage grade (91.1) among cornerbacks; his 64.8 passer rating allowed is third, his 50.4 completion percentage allowed is fifth and his 11 interceptions are ninth.
• The Colts also see Gilmore sharpening the skills of the wide receivers he’s facing in practice. “When you go up against a guy like Gilmore,” Reich said, “you’re challenged because half the time he knows what you’re doing and you still got to find a way to win.“
• Gilmore also added a pass break-up during some 11-on-11 work on Sunday.
• “He’s got excellent pattern recognition, really savvy, good ball skills,” Ryan said. “He’s talented and he’s one of those guys who times times can put a seed of doubt in your mind of what he’s going to do — is he going to break on something, is he going to give you something. With guys like that, I’ve played against a lot of them in my career, you have to be really accurate and you have to make good decisions. But it’s gonna force us to get better. And that’s really good work for our wide receivers, it’s really good work for me. Going against good players all the time sharpens your skills and we’re certainly fortunate to…