Live Patriots Notebook: Gilmore, Patterson land All-Pro honors

These days, given how frequently guys drop out and how odd the voting process can be, it's fairly easy to land a roster spot in the Pro Bowl. All-Pro nods? That's a different matter. With that in mind, Stephon Gilmore and Cordarrelle Patterson deserve to be acknowledged for making the first- and second-team All-Pro rosters, respectively.



Gilmore has had the best season of an already impressive career -- the 28-year-old finished the regular-season with 20 passes defensed (second-best in the NFL) and a pair of interceptions. Ultimately, the 6-foot-1, 202-pounder was the first Patriots' defensive player to land first-team All-Pro honors since Darrelle Revis did it n 2014.

Gilmore spent much of the season following some of the best receivers in the league in man coverage, including Houston's DeAndre Hopkins, Chicago's Allen Robinson, Green Bay's Davante Adams, Minnesota's Stefon Diggs and Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown.

"He’s had a great year, and he’s been just so solid," Tom Brady said Thursday when asked about Gilmore's year. "It’s tough to complete the ball on him. We feel that way in practice. I’ve played with a lot of good corners and he’s right up there with the best of them. He knocks the ball away, intercepts the ball, makes the quarterback pay. He’s physical, good in the run game, good in zone, good in short, intermediate, deep. I mean, he’s all-around just been a great player for us."