Could Devin McCourty lose his starting job?

We were all hoping he'd go back to his rookie form but it looks like he's having a rough camp. Still a month to turn it around before the season starts. I hope he plays well in the pre-season games and gains confidence.

From G. Bedard

THUMBS DOWN

Devin McCourty is not off to a good start in camp. After enduring a rough sophomore campaign, McCourty has been average so far and then had a really rough time on Friday. He was consistently beaten during red-zone coverage drills, and it looked even worse because he wasn’t turning his head around to spot the ball. McCourty needs to start picking it up or else Sterling Moore – who has shown the best ball skills by far – could earn a shot at lining up with Kyle Arrington and Ras-I Dowling.

It's still very early, and it would be a shocker if McCourty, a team captain last year and pro bowler in 2010, lost his starting job. But competition is good, and if Sterling Moore is pushing McCourty, Dowling and Arrington it can only be a good thing for the seocndary. It would be nice to see Dennard come back too - he showed some nice flashes before getting hurt early in camp.

I hope so. I just dont get why he is still here. Arrington hasnt been great either. I was really hopeing for an upgrade this season at CB. But I thought Moore looked decent last season

Could McCourty lose his starting job? Sure, there's plenty of recent precedence for players that were penciled in to be starters (e.g., Darius Butler, Leigh Bodden, Brandon Meriweather) from recent years losing their job as a starter in training camp - and that's just among defensive backs.

However the job is still his to lose. I know he played well late but I'm not sure how much faith I have in counting on the four-time released Sterling Moore as a starter. Let's see how he does in the preseason games; the Pats best chances are with McCourty and Dowling playing to their potential.

What has there been 9 practices, no preseason games and they come up with this???

McCourty showed a lot of talent and promise two years ago, give him some time and lets see how he does in the preseason..

Not right away but it's definitely possible. If Dowling continues to play well and stay healthy he may start. Most people had Arrington losing his job to Dowling (on the Projected Starters Thread), but it could be McCourty certainly Arrington played much better than him last year and by all accounts is have a better camp.

On a BB team any player could lose their starting position. This is the first negative report I've seen on McCourty. Could the coaching staff be using Bedard to plant false information?

DarrylS said:

What has there been 9 practices, no preseason games and they come up with this???.

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I don't think anybody is saying that it's ovah for Devin. I hope not. But this is a troubling trend. He is supposed to have snapped out of it by now.

And remember it was an OTA trend that got Ocho booted. Some trends do predict the future.

Would not be surprised to see Moore go out there as a starter if Devin ****s the bed again and Dowling and Arrington get burned often.

Slappy said:

Could the coaching staff be using Bedard to plant false information?

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No .........

mayoclinic said:

It's still very early, and it would be a shocker if McCourty, a team captain last year and pro bowler in 2010, lost his starting job.

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Shocker? No sir. BB rewards on field performance, not prior laurels or draft positions.

If McCourty continues to not locate the ball they might as well try him at safety (an injury to a top 4 S in particular would open the door) or nickel or dime.

If the Pats want a guy who will get burnt occasionally but make plays through passes defended, INTs, hard hits, etc for the team put Sterling Moore out there.

2010 Mccourty obviously plays over Moore but Moore should play over 2011 Mccourty. We dont know yet who 2012 Mccourty will be like.

patsinthesnow said:

If the Pats want a guy who will get burnt occasionally but make plays through passes defended, INTs, hard hits, etc for the team put Sterling Moore out there.

2010 Mccourty obviously players over Moore but Moore should play over 2011 Mccourty. We dont know yet who 2012 Mccourty will be like.

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bagwell368 said:

Shocker? No sir. BB rewards on field performance, not prior laurels or draft positions.

If McCourty continues to not locate the ball they might as well try him at safety (an injury to a top 4 S in particular would open the door) or nickel or dime.

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I think these are great thoughts, although I would also agree with mayoclinic that it'd be somewhat of a surprise to not see McCourty starting at CB.

I think he'd have to really struggle and/or Moore would really have to step up to overtake his job...or maybe some kind of combination of the two.

His job is certainly no guarantee, but I do think that Belichick would continue to give him the benefit of the doubt through the first 4-5 games of the season. If the situation became too much, then we may see a move to safety.

The good thing is that we have the added versatility to make some changes if/when need be this year, as long as health is good. That should help a lot in itself.

If DMc is giving up big play after big play he will find some pine.

Same goes for TB. If TB loses 4 games in a row and is making horrible decisions and throws 4 picks a game, is sacked because he is pretending to be Tony Eason and fumbles the ball all over place, BB will sit him too.

On-field/game day performance superceeds draft status, cap space used and salary.

McCourty is really better at safety, IMHO. I wish Moore would step up and play well enough that BB feels he can make that move eventually. We still don't know what Gregory will be, so the safety position may not be fixed.

robertweathers said:

If DMc is giving up big play after big play he will find some pine.

Same goes for TB. If TB loses 4 games in a row and is making horrible decisions and throws 4 picks a game, is sacked because he is pretending to be Tony Eason and fumbles the ball all over place, BB will sit him too.

On-field/game day performance superceeds draft status, cap space used and salary.

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It sounds so simple doesn't it?

Political columnist Joan Vennochi noted Belichick wasn't "glib or glitzy. At press conferences he sometimes seems a little goofy and is often way too grim. But he is a leader without the swagger, selfishness, and pomposity that so many in business, politics, and sports embrace as an entitlement of their gender and position."

Way too early to be saying this. What might happen is that Dowling might end up moving to the left side or switch sides to follow each team's #1 WR if he continues to surge and McCourty continues to struggle.

I don't know know if McCourty is getting a 100% fair shake because he is going up against the Brady/Lloyd combo in much of practice and I think they are going to make even the top CBs look bad this year.

1960Pats said:

It sounds so simple doesn't it?

Political columnist Joan Vennochi noted Belichick wasn't "glib or glitzy. At press conferences he sometimes seems a little goofy and is often way too grim. But he is a leader without the swagger, selfishness, and pomposity that so many in business, politics, and sports embrace as an entitlement of their gender and position."

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I Love it!

10char

PatsBoy12 said:

McCourty is really better at safety, IMHO. I wish Moore would step up and play well enough that BB feels he can make that move eventually. We still don't know what Gregory will be, so the safety position may not be fixed.

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The possibility does exist, and that is why I am excited about the ability to switch up different spots back there this year.

Rob0729 said:

Way too early to be saying this. What might happen is that Dowling might end up moving to the left side or switch sides to follow each team's #1 WR if he continues to surge and McCourty continues to struggle.

I don't know know if McCourty is getting a 100% fair shake because he is going up against the Brady/Lloyd combo in much of practice and I think they are going to make even the top CBs look bad this year.

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I think this is a great point.

1960Pats said:

It sounds so simple doesn't it?

Political columnist Joan Vennochi noted Belichick wasn't "glib or glitzy. At press conferences he sometimes seems a little goofy and is often way too grim. But he is a leader without the swagger, selfishness, and pomposity that so many in business, politics, and sports embrace as an entitlement of their gender and position."

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Thats the thing about BB. If something isn't working it's changed. It may not be the right decision but by not trying change guarantees the status-quo.