Marcus Gilchrist Says He Prepares for Tom Brady 'The Same Way' as Kirk Cousins

Tom Brady may be two years removed from 40, but the New England Patriots quarterback has led the defending champions to a 5-0 start while playing at an MVP level.

But ask New York Jets safety Marcus Gilchrist how the league’s second-ranked pass defense plans to exploit the future Hall of Famer in its Week 7 game, and you get a bold response.

“You prepare the same way you prepare for Kirk Cousins,” Gilchrist told Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today.

Yes, Gilchrist said his approach to arguably the greatest of all time runs akin to his approach to the turnover machine under center for the Washington Redskins.

The Jets advanced to a surprising 4-1 after a 34-20 win over Cousins’ Redskins in Week 6 in which they held the undistinguished quarterback to 196 yards and forced two interceptions. Cousins, starting over Robert Griffin III, has thrown 27 interceptions in 20 career games over four seasons.

Brady, meanwhile, has won four Super Bowls and is a two-time NFL MVP and 10-time Pro Bowler. But ignore career accomplishments for a second and consider his stats for this year alone versus Cousins':

	Yds/Gm	Yds/Att	TDs	TD%	INTs	INT%	Completion%
Brady	339.8	8.6	14	4.7	1	0.5	70.6
Cousins	236.7	6.2	6	2.6	8	3.5	66.2

Some have argued Brady’s performance—not necessarily elevated, given his past, but continually remarkable—was sparked after winning his appeal against the NFL to overturn a four-game suspension from Deflategate.

Brady’s ascension from former sixth-round draft pick to potentially the greatest player of all time has been manifested with a penchant of pride.

In Gilchrist’s defense, the context of his response wasn't limited to a Brady vs. Cousins argument. He later elaborated a more typical response of a player asked to magnify a big game.

“We can’t allow one game to be bigger than the other. Do we realize the type of player we’re playing against? Yes, we do. But you don’t change. We’ve got to be 1-0 this week, regardless of who it is—Brady—regardless of who we’re playing.”

Of course, Brady and the Pats won’t see it that way. They’ll pin anything to the bulletin board for added motivation—particularly in a division rivalry with a history of outside commentary. 

Brady, 20-5 in his career against the Jets, has carved up every defense he’s faced so far, but the Jets will pose the biggest threat yet. Per Reyes, New York ranks first in scoring defense (15 points per game), red-zone defense (33.3 percent touchdown rate) and overall defense (269.2 yards per game).

The Patriots are 9.5-point favorites, per Odds Shark.