PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

devin mccourty

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The main reasons I feel McCourty is primed for a bounceback season are: 1) Better health; 2) Projected better safety play behind him; 3) Another season to perfect his technique. While there were times we could point to the scheme as a contributor to his struggles (when the team played man early in the year, it didn’t always look like a great fit), I think that’s too easy of an answer when looking at the overall body of work. Another factor is that McCourty, in only his third season, already strikes me as a consummate pro, mature beyond his years. At the least, anyone investing in him knows they are going to get everything he has from a dedication and hard work perspective.

Digesting some chat leftovers – New England Patriots Blog – ESPN Boston

https://www.patspropaganda.com/the-main-reasons-i-feel-mccourty-is-primed-for-a/

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McCourty had stuggles in seeing the ball more than anything this season. His timing of getting his head around was off and this is a function of teams having a season of film to break down on him. I would look to see a marked improvement in this next season as this is a reps issue. The other critical issue is his safety continuity. Athletically he was just fine and 99% of his technique was there all season, he just couldn’t quite put it all together. Without good safety play with him, he was frequently stranded in no man’s land and looking out of position because his safeties were either out of position or too slow to help him out. For the importance of safety-corner interaction look at how much better the secondary as a whole played when McCourty was moved to safety where he played quite well. Both corners improved when he moved there.

Interesting stuff from Jay Shields over on a thread at PatsFans. I hope he’s right…

Can someone break down McCourty’s struggles last year? – New England Patriots Forums – PatsFans.com Patriots Fan Messageboard

https://www.patspropaganda.com/patriots-mccourty-2/

PFF/Palazzolo: McCourty’s Sophomore Slump

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PFF/Palazzolo: McCourty’s Sophomore Slump

Here’s an excellent article from Steve Palazzolo at Pro Football Focus breaking down Devin McCourty’s sophomore slump.  It’s an in-depth look at what McCourty did well last year and what he hasn’t done well this year.

The most interesting part is that after being asked to play more press coverage early in 2011 the Patriots tried to return to the coverages McCourty excelled at in 2010, yet his struggles continued. His problems with tackling, likely related somewhat to the lack of padded practices, have only compounded his problems.

McCourty has been universally praised by the media for being upfront and willing to talk throughout his tough start to his 2011 season. With his work ethic we expect him to return to form at some point, we just hope it’s this season. Mike Wallace should provide an excellent challenge for him this weekend.

After McCourty showed himself to be one of the bright young CBs in the league last season, he has clearly taken a step back. At first it seemed the change in scheme was to blame, but his tackling struggles are also alarming. Belichick is always re-shaping his defensive scheme and if he once again calls for press coverage, McCourty must show he is able to play physically and win the battle at the line. If the game plan calls for more conservative coverage, McCourty must get back to his 2010 form with sure tackling, while also taking away deep plays as he’s shown he can. With 10 games remaining, McCourty needs to show improvement quickly or the “sophomore slump” theory will turn to questions of which season actually showed us the real Devin McCourty.

NFP/Bowen: X and O Breakdown of Vincent Jackson’s TD vs. Patriots

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NFP/Bowen: X and O Breakdown of Vincent Jackson’s TD vs. Patriots

Yes we’re going a little crazy with the X and O articles today, but I missed this one and felt it was still appropriate since so much conversation about the Pats revolves around their pass defense.

Here’s Bowen’s breakdown of McCourty’s technique and where he went wrong:

Check out Patriots’ CB Devin McCourty in the slot. He initially misses on the jam in a press-position, however he recovers to get back “in-phase” with Jackson when the WR makes his cut to the boundary. The main problem here? McCourty looks back to the QB. That allows Jackson to create some separation at the top of the route stem. Remember, the QB isn’t throwing the ball to the CB—so there is no need to look back. Because that is when you lose position and can’t make a play on the ball.

Patriots pass defense struggling most vs. #1 Wide Receivers

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Here in Football Outsider’s breakdown of how teams match up with each type of receiver we find the Pats broken down this way:

  • vs. WR #1: 31st overall
  • vs WR #2: 18th overall
  • vs. Other WR: 9th overall
  • vs. TE: 8th overall
  • vs. RB: 20th overall

So what can we deduce from this? That Devin McCourty’s struggles are clearly evident. Perhaps he’s not getting as much help over the top as he had last year, but even my untrained eyes can see that he’s getting beat off the line far too much.

Last year the Pats struggle most against running backs receiving out of the backfield. Clearly they’ve improved in that area but it’s still not good enough.

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Bad ass Devin McCourty pic. Thanks @BryantWilson!

https://www.patspropaganda.com/bad-ass-devin-mccourty-pic-thanks-bryantwilson/