New England Patriots: Five Matchups To Watch In Joint Practices With Philadelphia Eagles
By Cyrus Geller
Aug 9, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles (9) scrambles during the second quarter against the New England Patriots at Lincoln Financial Field. The Patriots defeated the Eagles 31-22. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports
4. Devin McCourty vs. Nick Foles
Speaking of McCourty, I am intrigued to see how he fares in the chess-match with Eagles quarterback Nick Foles. As I just mentioned, McCourty is one of the best in the league in terms of getting in the right position to limit the damage his defense gives up.
In addition to this, he is the leader of this secondary, which means he is in charge of getting everybody in the correct positions, and reacting to what the opposing signal caller does.
And while Foles isn’t nearly as good as Tom Brady is before the snap, he does have the advantage of playing at an ultra high pace, which gives him some unique mismatches at times. Will McCourty pick this up, and react accordingly? I sure hope so, because when this Eagles offense gets going at the tempo they want, they are very tough to stop.