FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. While he had a few hiccups in Thursday’s preseason opener, cornerback Stephon Gilmore has been one of the Patriots’ most consistent players throughout training camp. He’s locked down the team’s No. 1 spot on the depth chart, and in a quiet moment after a practice last week, I talked to him about finally landing in a situation with some stability.
Consider the head coach/defensive coordinator combinations he’s played under since entering the NFL as a first-round draft choice of the Bills:
2012: Chan Gailey/Dave Wannstedt
2013: Doug Marrone/Mike Pettine
2014: Marrone/Jim Schwartz
2015: Rex Ryan/Dennis Thurman
2016: Rex Ryan/Rob Ryan (assistant head coach for defense)
2017: Bill Belichick/Matt Patricia
2018: Belichick/Brian Flores
While the Patriots have a change on D with Patricia departing, it’s essentially the same defense, which Gilmore said wasn’t the case when similar changes unfolded in Buffalo.