New England Patriots Devin McCourty talks playing safety
New England Patriots third-year cornerback Devin McCourty is enjoying a successful bounce back year thus far and has been the only stable member of a questionable Pats secondary. It will be interesting to see how the Pats will employ their top CB against a New York Jets offense that is without their top receiver and has an up-and-down rookie wideout as their No. 1 option.
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When asked about the possibility of playing at the safety position on Sunday,McCourty told The Republican, “That’s not my call, I’ll do whatever coach [Bill Belichick] decide. We’ve got some young guys that I think are doing a great job of picking up the defense since they’ve been here. I think they’ve done a great job just responding and give them opportunities to show what they know and how they can play.”
The young guys he is referencing are probably rookies Alfonzo Dennard and Tavon Wilson, who have both been promising early on in their careers. Dennard burst onto the scene in Week 5 against the Denver Broncos and has looked very good as a rookie, while Wilson has been talented but inconsistent and has had a role in a couple of big breakdowns by the Pats pass defense.
McCourty likely won’t play safety against the Jets- save more maybe a few snaps if needed- even with Steve Gregory likely out for the third straight week. D-Mac has played at the safety position, but it’s best to keep him at corner against a team that does not have much depth or talent at the receiver position.
He told WEEI, “With the race so close and everything so even this year, it’ll be big for us to come out here and play well. I think we’re anxious to get back on the field and just play. All the guys in this locker room want to just play this weekend. We’re excited and anxious to get back out there.”
“Excited” and “anxious” are two words regularly kicked around during Jets week, but the fact that both teams are 3-3 (even if the records don’t nearly match the talent) puts an extra emphasis on the game.
Do you guys think we’ll be seeing McCourty playing safety on Sunday? If so, how much?
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