Jets S Marcus Gilchrist: Preparations for facing Brady, Cousins the same
New York Jets safety Marcus Gilchrist sees no difference between quarterbacks Tom Brady and Kirk Cousins in terms of how his team prepares before facing them, reports Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today.
“You prepare [for Brady] the same way you prepare for Kirk Cousins,” Gilchrist said.
The Jets beat the Washington Redskins, 34–20, last week, and they will take on the undefeated New England Patriots on Sunday. Gilchrist made two tackles with one assist last Sunday and intercepted Cousins once. He isn’t planning on changing his mentality in practice before facing the seemingly unstoppable Brady.
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“You don’t change,” Gilchrist said. “It’s like turning the light switch on and off because it’s a different person. Kirk Cousins could have easily come out there [last week] and we could’ve not played sound football and not been where we were supposed to be and he could’ve looked [like Brady].
“We can’t allow one game to be bigger than the other. Do we realize the type of player we’re playing against? Yes, we do. But you don’t change. We’ve got to be 1–0 this week, regardless of who it is – Brady – regardless of who we’re playing.”
Brady, a three-time Super Bowl MVP and a 16-year NFL veteran, has thrown for 1,699 yards this season with 14 touchdowns, a 70.6% completion rate and just one interception. His quarterback rating stands at an NFL-best 118.4, compared with Cousins’s 77.5. Cousins, in his first season as the Redskins’ fulltime starter, has thrown for 1,420 yards with eight interceptions.
The Jets have a 4–1 record this season, but have lost seven of their last eight games against their AFC East rival. New York and New England will kick off on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium.
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- Erin Flynn
