:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/57504469/usa_today_10349306.0.jpg)
Marshon Lattimore has been a key piece in fixing the Saints defense this season. The team took him No. 12 overall in the 2017 draft with hopes of getting a shutdown corner, and he’s showing that type of promise.
According to Pro Football Focus, Lattimore has the lowest passer rating when targeted this season of any cornerback in the NFL. That’s ahead of corners like Jimmy Smith, Davon House, and Jalen Ramsey.
But to go with his good play, he’s got an undeniable confidence about him too.
Lattimore got in the middle of a scuffle with the Buccaneers on Sunday after Jameis Winston poked him in the head (who wasn’t even in the game because of a shoulder injury), and he shoved Winston. Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans then ran over, and drilled him in retaliation.
Lattimore said after the game he was glad that Evans wasn’t ejected, because he wanted to further frustrate him.
“I wanted to go at him after that, so I was glad he wasn't ejected,” Lattimore said after the game via Nola.com. And it’s safe to say he probably did frustrated Evans further, who finished the game with one catch for 13 yards.
“After he did what he did, it was just a fight all game,” Lattimore said — and it was a fight that he won.
After the Saints got the win, Lattimore talked his smack on Twitter, as one does.
Not only was he retweeting tweets that gloated about how great he’s been this season, but he also retweeted tweets of him showing up Evans, and memes of his interaction with Winston.
He didn’t pull punches, quote-tweeting the following video making fun of Winston’s unusual pregame “eat a W” speech with, “This is the funniest one lol”:
Watching Jameis' pregame speech like pic.twitter.com/8TNpLph9Lq
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 6, 2017
He also reiterated Golden Tate’s sentiment, that it couldn’t be his quarterback sticking his whole fingers in his mouth like that:
— Marshon Lattimore (@shonrp2) November 6, 2017
The biggest debate in the NFL the past five-10 years has centered around who the best cornerbacks in the league are. Lattimore is putting himself into that conversation early, and he’s not afraid to speak his mind.
As a Falcons fan, I’m not looking forward to him going up against my team twice a year, but I can still appreciate and respect a special talent that’s going to talk his shit. It makes the game fun.