By Jay Skurski
Ready or not for the Buffalo Bills’ cornerbacks, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are coming to town Sunday.
“We don’t have a choice at this point,” Bills defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt said with a smile today when asked whether his young corners are ready for their biggest challenge. “The truth of the matter is they have gotten better from Week One to Week Two to Week Three and this’ll be their biggest test.”
Wannstedt went on to explain what makes preparing against the Patriots so difficult.
"They’ve got outstanding receivers, yes, but Tom does such a great job. Every time the ball’s snapped, [the corners] have to assume their guy is going to be the receiver who gets the ball thrown to him,” Wannstedt said. “As compared to most quarterbacks where you’re content to teach some concepts and say ‘hey, when they line up in this formation or do this, this is what they’re focusing on, and this is where the ball’s probably coming.’ With Brady, it makes no difference. You’ve got to cover the whole field."
Wannstedt the biggest development for cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore, Aaron Williams and Justin Rogers has been increased confidence.
“I think they’re all serious about it. I think they’ve all gained confidence, and that’s the biggest thing at that position,” Wannstedt said. “They know what to do, but early on you don’t want to give up the big play, so you play a little softer than you would normally, and that’s not really what we do. They’ve gained confidence and this’ll be a big challenge. I’m excited to see what they do."
