Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez welcomes challenge ahead of highly anticipated matchup against Titans WR Calvin Ridley
FOXBOROUGH, Mass – Every single week, New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez is tasked with going up against the opposing team's top receiver. “(I) love it,” Gonzalez explained. “That’s the only way to get better. Go up against the best, and you’re gonna see the best every week. They’re NFL-caliber receivers, so you’re always gonna […]
FOXBOROUGH, Mass – Every single week, New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez is tasked with going up against the opposing team's top receiver.
“(I) love it,” Gonzalez explained. “That’s the only way to get better. Go up against the best, and you’re gonna see the best every week. They’re NFL-caliber receivers, so you’re always gonna see a great receiver. It’s a lot of fun. It only makes me better.”
So on Sunday, it's expected that he will line up opposite of Tennessee Titans star Calvin Ridley.
"He's a great receiver, competitor. Rungs great routes," Gonzalez said about Ridley on Thursday. "That's a ball player. We're excited as a defense to see him."
And head coach Jerod Mayo made it clear that Ridley is the top guy to watch heading into the game.
"There's no question, as you go through the film, #0, [Calvin] Ridley, there's no question why he was one of the top free agents, and everyone wanted an opportunity to have him on their roster," Mayo stated. "This is a guy who is heavily targeted. At the same time, he's open a lot on film, sometimes doesn't get the ball, but he is open a lot on film, and that's going to be a challenge.
Mayo didn't hold back, highlighting one of the Titans' biggest offensive frustration of 2024. And that's getting Ridley the ball.
"He's talked about it. He's talked about getting targets. That just goes back to him being the competitor," Gonzalez said in defense of the receiver. "Just as a defense, you want to go up against the best, and as a receiver you want the ball. So it's not like he's saying anything to try and be disrespectful or anything. He's a competitor."
These are the type of challenges that Gonzalez welcomes. He wants to matchup against the top receiver because he's able to show what he's capable of.
“He’s got that dawg mentality of not going to let this guy win. He wants to be great, and he does all the extra things to be great,” cornerback coach Mike Pellegrino said. “I’m very impressed with his work ethic. He’ll take extra reps, he’ll take scout team reps, anything that has to do with football. He’s locked in. He’s very good in the classroom. Very good. Very good at his film study on his own. That is unique at corner.”
In Week 8, Gonzalez was up against Jets receiver Devante Adams. And despite being one of Aaron Rodgers' favorite weapons, he was only targeted four times. Gonzalez allowed one catch and forced one incompletion.
So the second-year cornerback going up against Ridley will be fun to watch this weekend.
