Patriots' new corner speaks on why defending the slot is easier than the outside

The New England Patriots' newest cornerback, Stephon Gilmore, is going to see some serious overhaul in scheme going from the Buffalo Bills to the Patriots, including spending some time defending the slot rather than the right side of the field like he's used to. The Patriots don't assign corners to a side but rather move them around the formation, electing to play match-ups instead of keeping players in one place (like, for example, the Seahawks and Richard Sherman). Gilmore, however, isn't worried about the transition.

"I didn't play the slot much," he said to MMBQ's Andy Benoit. "I'm pretty sure playing outside is harder. I'll do whatever the coaches want me to do."

This perception flies in the face of what many fans believe. The slot corner position has seen a change in perception of its value due to slot receivers being shiftier and more integrated into offenses. Gilmore, however, believes that good old fashion one-on-one cornerback play is a more difficult task of a player.

"Nobody is out there, you're on an island most of the time," he said. "You are responsible for that third of the field, especially in man-to-man. In the slot, you have to be a little quicker, but now they're putting bigger receivers in there. You're closer to the line and closer to the 10 players on the field and you can use that to your advantage."

New England's scheme will always remain a mystery until Week 1, but with Malcolm Butler on their roster and Logan Ryan having departed for Tennessee, it's likely that they'll move players around just as they always have. Ryan played 309 snaps in the slot, according to Pro Football Focus, more than double than any other player on the team. They'll need to find someone to pick up the slack. Butler played only 82 snaps in the slot in 2016, 10.3 percent of his total defensive snaps.

There is no question that the Patriots have a plan in place, but it certainly isn't clear yet. Gilmore played his role with the Patriots so far pretty close to the chest.

"I don't want to tell too many of my tricks," he cryptically said to Benoit.

If he can make the transition smoothly, he might be seeing a lot of time in the slot, so he'd better hope he's right about what's easier.