New England Patriots rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez got his “welcome-to-the-NFL” moment in last Thursday’s preseason opener, when he got trucked by Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins.
Patriots veterans have lightly teased Gonzalez about the play, which is the quintessential taste of life in the NFL.
The collision made Gonzalez go backwards and allowed the corner to get his feet wet early in terms of action. Patriots safety Adrian Phillips empathized with the rookie, as he told of a play he encountered early in his career as well.
“Yeah, you always got that welcome-to-the-NFL moment,” safety Adrian Phillips told media members, via NESN.com’s Dakota Randall.. “And we teased him about it a little bit. But everybody goes through that.
“I remember mine. I was on kickoff, I got double-teamed, and after the play, they still were going and they picked me up and slammed me to the ground. Everybody has that welcome-to-the-NFL moment.”
Nico Collins trucks Christian Gonzalez pic.twitter.com/UkNuFySBP8
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) August 10, 2023
Gonzalez finished the game with two tackles and a forced fumble that wasn’t recovered. It wasn’t all bad for the rookie, who got a chance to flash his skills.
He will have a chance to get his feet under him again on Saturday, when New England takes on the Green Bay Packers at 8 p.m. ET.
