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Stephon Gilmore has struggled with communication about coverage duties since he joined the New England Patriots.Images of wide-open receivers have been plastered all over the internet.

Images of wide-open receivers have been plastered all over the internet, especially from Week 4 against the Carolina Panthers. Gilmore has been, at times, to blame.

So Bill Belichick seemed to come up with a fool-proof solution for Week 5 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He gave Gilmore a job which eliminated communication altogether. Gilmore’s assignment was to shadow Mike Evans for the entire game. He didn’t have to coordinate with other players as to who he was covering in bunch formations. He didn’t have to worry about players moving around before the snap. He simply had to beat Evans for nearly all of the game.

Gilmore seemed to appreciate the assignment and the adjustment.

Gilmore told me getting to play Evans/press man "Felt good…When I'm on a guy and locked into him, I'm pretty good." (1/2) — Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) October 6, 2017

(2/2) Gilmore added "the coaches had a great plan," and it "wasn't just me. My teammates helped me out. They played well. Aggressively." — Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) October 6, 2017

The assignment is simple in theory, but accomplishing that assignment isn’t simple. Evans is one of the league’s best receivers, and stands at 6-foot-5 and runs a 4.5 40-yard dash. Entering the game, Evans 19 receptions for 227 yards and two touchdown receptions in three games. (The Buccaneers had a Week 1 bye due to Hurricane Irma.)

But Evans is the exact type of receiver the Patriots seemed to have in mind when they signed Gilmore for $65 million this offseason. They brought in the 6-foot Gilmore to match up with longer, elite receivers like Evans.

Gilmore finished the game with five tackles while Evans had five receptions for 49 yards. Evans has the ability to take over the game, particularly in the end zone. So Gilmore contributed in a big way as the Patriots held the Buccaneers to a 2 of 4 red zone efficiency conversion rate.

Belichick and Gilmore provided an impressive response to an unimpressive Week 4 performance.