The now two-time All-Pro responded to Asante Samuel Sr. after he took an indirect shot at him on Twitter
As Robert Saleh once said, “If you ain’t got no haters, you ain’t popping.”
On Friday afternoon, former New England Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel commented on the AP All-Pro teams, stating that there need to be “standards” and that “DBs should have at least one interception to be considered for All-Pro and Pro Bowl.”
We need to create standards!
DB’s should have at least one interception to be considered for all pro and pro bowl
— Asante Samuel Sr. (@pick_six22) January 12, 2024
Considering Samuel’s past history of beefing with the Jets’ young star, this was clearly a dig at the one cornerback who made the Pro Bowl and All-Pro team this season who did not have an interception: Sauce Gardner.
Gardner, to no surprise, responded to the comments. On Twitter, Gardner said, “Oh, is that right?” with a string of laughing emojis, and he followed up with a long reply to the former cornerback.
“I’m mad I gotta give you the attention you been wanting for 2 years now. BUT this why you can’t call anybody an “OG”. OG’s make sho they support the younger generation, but you actin’ like a oldhead filled with hatred bro. I get you 43 and all, but you gotta grow up fam..”
https://twitter.com/iamSauceGardner/status/1745933116647108830
https://twitter.com/iamSauceGardner/status/1745936555187830831
After Samuel responded, Gardner said the former Patriot is looking for “attention” and that “EVERYTIME I get an accolade, you sub-tweeting.” The Cincinnati product also declined to talk to Samuel about cornerback play, saying, “I’m good” and that he will hit up Jets’ legend Darrelle Revis if he wants to talk about anything defensive back related.
https://twitter.com/iamSauceGardner/status/1745938287716372950
https://twitter.com/iamSauceGardner/status/1745955436610703869
This is not the first time Samuel has called out Gardner. In the 2023 offseason, the former cornerback said that Gardner was not a top cornerback in the league due to interceptions.
While it is true that Gardner does not have high interception totals, that single statistic is not an effective way to measure a cornerback’s overall greatness. Teams rarely tested Gardner this year, opting in most cases to attack the other side of the field or the middle of the field. He only let up 251 yards, a mark that was better than his rookie season.
Additionally, Gardner’s PFF coverage grade, pass-breakups, and completion percentage allowed, among other stats, show that he truly does make an elite impact even without the interceptions.
It is surprising to see Samuel continue to go after Gardner, as the two players have both been great during their respective playing days. But despite Samuel’s assertions, Gardner is an elite cornerback, and if he continues his current level of play, he will have many more All-Pro selections to his name.
