#christian-gonzalez

#christian-gonzalez

"At that point, the ball is in the air, I was playing off so I was able to see it pretty early, which doesn't happen too much," Gonzalez said. "Most of the time I'm always in press [coverage], but I was off and saw the ball and at that point it's like I'm playing receiver again. So, just find the ball, go up and get it at the highest point, secure it, and bring it down."

Gonzalez has allowed a league-low -9.7 receptions over expected this season, including the playoffs,

His "contact courage" has been noted by coaches and teammates as an often overlooked but critical ingredient to the Patriots' defensive success. A third-quarter play in a Week 11 win over the New York Jets -- when 6-foot-1, 205-pound Gonzalez jacked up receiver Tyler Johnson, leading receiver Isaiah Williams to run into Johnson's back on a sweep -- is one notable example of Gonzalez's recent success in that area.

Some of the best players on the Patriots' current roster have ties to Belichick in Christian Gonzalez (2023), Marcus Jones (2022), and Christian Barmore (2021). But the whiffs, especially in the early rounds, were painful and impossible to ignore over the last several years. Cole Strange. Mac Jones. Kyle Dugger. N'Keal Harry. Belichick's Patriots spent some premium draft capital on a bunch of players who are either no longer on the roster or barely still in the league.

"That's what I want to do and what any corner wants to do," Gonzalez said. "You want to take away who they want to go to. Today it was Jeudy, my assignment, so just go out there and execute it and play team defense. "Shoutout to the front seven," he added. "They were getting back there and making it hard for the QB to throw the ball, so it all works together. It's not just one person covering or anything. It's all of us coming together and making plays together."

As the Patriots were preparing for their Week 1 matchup with the Dolphins on Sunday, a game that is widely being considered a must-win showdown to keep their season on track, they faced the unfortunate circumstances of dealing with more injured players whose absence could make a significant negative impact on their chances to walk out with a win. One of those players is cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who hasn't practiced with the team since July 28, when he injured his hamstring.

The Raiders are coming to town with a new head coach (Pete Carroll) and a new quarterback (Geno Smith) as they give this New England secondary its first test of the season. Smith led the Seahawks to a Week 2 overtime win over the Patriots at Gillette Stadium last season, posting 327 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers on 33 of 44 passing.

"It's a hard system that they run, so he's definitely like following a lot of No. 1 receivers," Buffalo Bills cornerback Taron Johnson said of Gonzalez. "... that's always going to be a challenge when you have to go against No. 1 receivers every single game."