FOXBOROUGH – Christian Gonzalez isn’t a person who’s known for being loud. The All-Pro cornerback is softspoken and the type of player known to let his on-field play do the talking.
On Sunday, however, he made an exception.
At 12:18 of the fourth quarter, the Cleveland Browns were faced with a fourth-and-11 from the 12-yard line. Down by multiple scores, they needed another touchdown. That’s when quarterback Dillon Gabriel opted to throw to his No. 1 receiver, Jerry Jeudy.
The only problem was that he was covered by Gonzalez. The Patriots No. 1 cornerback blanketed last year’s 1,000 receiving, giving him not room to make a catch en route to an incomplete pass and turnover on downs.
When the play was over, cameras caught Gonzalez trash talking to Jeudy. The two players continued with a heated exchange before the cornerback was pulled away by safety Jaylinn Hawkins.
For a player who doesn’t always talk trash, Gonzalez made an exception in Sunday’s win.
“It’s football. At the end of the day, it’s never personal,” Gonzalez said. “It’s football. It’s two high level athletes competing. In any way, there’s going to be a little talk, but nothing crazy. It’s the same way if he’s going to make a play, he’s going to get up and talk to me.”
In the end, Gonzalez’s performance and Jeudy’s stat line said it all.
The Browns’ No. 1 receiver didn’t finish with any catches on two targets. Jeudy is coming off the best season of his career. Last year, he finished with 90 receptions, 1,229 yards and four touchdowns.
On Sunday, the Patriots coaches tasked Gonzalez with covering Jeudy. He was more than up for the challenge.
“That’s what I want to do and any corner wants to do. You want to take away who they want to go to,” Gonzalez said. “Today, it was Jeudy, that was my assignment. So, going out and executing and playing team defense. Shout out to the front seven, they’re getting back there, making it hard for the QB to throw the ball. It all works together, it’s not just one person covering. It’s all of us coming together and making plays together.”
When it came to defending Jeudy in that fourth-down moment, Gonzalez said he wasn’t insulted. Instead, he welcomes it.
“I love it,” Gonzalez said. “Being a corner, that’s what you want. You want teams to throw the ball you’re way, so I invite it.”
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