D Mac #3 ranked Safety.

PATS68 said:

He was listed on NFL Networks top 100 players that is voted on by the players? Heard a media guy complaining only three pats players were listed, Brady, Mankins, and Gronk. No McCourty! Well feeling is clearly mutual, no love lost bud! You don't like me I clearly don't like you, lets just leave it to the topic, agreed!

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How do you know that, they have not announced players 1-30 yet?

KontradictioN said:

It isn't only homers who think he's top FS. That's the point.

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Absolutely correct, McCourty was a second team all-pro, and graded as the #1 safety in the NFL by PFF. Both the experts and the data geeks held him in high regard.

FreeTedWilliams said:

Apparently whoever made this rating didn't watch the last two Patriot playoff games, where he was in a word, AWFUL!

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Not his fault.

Macourty is still Elite.

FreeTedWilliams said:

How about his stats for that game:

No tackles, No passes defended, no sacks, no ints....

http://www.patriots.com/team/roster/Devin-McCourty/61627d42-8ac8-44b1-a924-1e45db59e9ca

I know that Gregory was horrible, but still make some impact on the game (aside from letting up touchdowns). Check out Rodney's stats from the last two Superbowl win years, well over 100 tackles, sacks, interceptions, forced fumbles, one big play after another. McCourty just isn't as good as everyone seems to think he is!

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Im glad you aren't blinded by all the BS.

If it boils down to keeping Revis or Mcourty, only a fool would keep Mcourty. He is replaceable. People here think that he is Rodney Harrison.

Triumph said:

Not his fault.

Macourty is still Elite.


Im glad you aren't blinded by all the BS.

If it boils down to keeping Revis or Mcourty, only a fool would keep Mcourty. He is replaceable. People here think that he is Rodney Harrison.

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Please link us to a few posts on this site where people said McCourty was as good as Rodney Harrison.

I think it is funny that people are trashing McCourty and pointing to a game where the Pats held the Colts' offense to 20 points and intercepted Luck four times vs. two TDs and he only completed 48.8% of his passes and the Colts were forced to punt five times as an example where anyone on defense sucked. The same Andrew Luck who passed for 443 yards, 4 TDs, and 3 INTs while completing 64.4% of his passes the week before against a good Chief's defense (plus the Colts only punted once in that game).

McCourty has taken over as Matt Light as the player that people will trash no matter what. Like Light, McCourty could play lights out an entire game and then give up one 30 yard pass in garbage time and people will be on this board talking about how McCourty was toasted all game.

I've said this before and ill say it again. I'd be willing to bet 85-90% of the posters here and most fans for that matter. Only watch their own teams. So they really haven't a clue about actual football in terms of comparing teams and players, watching game tape that lets you see the entire field and id be willing to be just as much that most don't do any research beside's looking at a box score. Like some have posted here.

DMC has as good of range as any S in the league.

I have followed Thomas since Texas and love him as a player. I think he's the best S in football but not by much. There are things he does better than Devin and things DMC does better than Thomas. Devin is a better tackler and takes better angles when making a play. DMC is a very smart and versatile player as well as Thomas. I really consider them 1a and 1b. And trust me I'm FAR from a homer. I could see if it was just my opinion, but many others feel this way as well. PFF isn't the end all, be all, but it's a great tool/resource. Also many other fans I speak with feel the same way as I do about him. This isn't just a homer thing where fans are overvaluing their fav player. And opposing QB's feel the same way it seems. The only targeted him 16 times last season. Basically once a game. So the people claiming that he's getting torched for this TD or that TD just don't know what their talking about. No surprise. Although if one is indeed a mod that's pretty embarrassing.

As far as the depth of the position I agree that it isn't deep. That said the top tier is as good as I've seen in long time watching football. You also have to consider this kid isn't playing behind Sherman and alongside Killer Kam. I can't wait to see him in this years secondary.

SmellsLikeGrundle said:

I've said this before and ill say it again. I'd be willing to bet 85-90% of the posters here and most fans for that matter. Only watch their own teams. So they really haven't a clue about actual football in terms of comparing teams and players, watching game tape that lets you see the entire field and id be willing to be just as much that most don't do any research beside's looking at a box score. Like some have posted here.

DMC has as good of range as any S in the league.

I have followed Thomas since Texas and love him as a player. I think he's the best S in football but not by much. There are things he does better than Devin and things DMC does better than Thomas. Devin is a better tackler and takes better angles when making a play. DMC is a very smart and versatile player as well as Thomas. I really consider them 1a and 1b. And trust me I'm FAR from a homer. I could see if it was just my opinion, but many others feel this way as well. PFF isn't the end all, be all, but it's a great tool/resource. Also many other fans I speak with feel the same way as I do about him. This isn't just a homer thing where fans are overvaluing their fav player. And opposing QB's feel the same way it seems. The only targeted him 16 times last season. Basically once a game. So the people claiming that he's getting torched for this TD or that TD just don't know what their talking about. No surprise. Although if one is indeed a mod that's pretty embarrassing.

As far as the depth of the position I agree that it isn't deep. That said the top tier is as good as I've seen in long time watching football. You also have to consider this kid isn't playing behind Sherman and alongside Killer Kam. I can't wait to see him in this years secondary.

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2 things.

1st. Great username!

2nd. Count me in as one of those that think Sherman and Chancellor are the ones that benefit having Thomas behind them. I think Thomas is the best player in that Seattle defense. He cover's so much ground and makes so many plays.

Deus Irae said:

Please link us to a few posts on this site where people said McCourty was as good as Rodney Harrison.

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I don't need to.

Harrison was an example of an Elite Safety. He stood out even on a poor SD team. Anyone calling Mcourty Elite is placing him in Harrisons class which he clearly is not by miles.

AndyJohnson said:

One was his coverage. The other wasn't even close to his.
Thats all you have, getting beaten once?

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The poster also complained about last two playoff games - McCourty was fine against the Broncos. The defensive issues were in the trenches. But the main culprit was the offense's inability to sustain a drive for the first three quarters.

Oh, and to the post above, my top comparison Patriots safety is Eugene Wilson to McCourty.

Rodney was a completely different type of player. I like the idea that Revis and McCourty on the field at the same time will make everybody better. Similar in many ways to the 2004 Patriots with Rodney and Ty Law together.

Triumph said:

Not his fault.

Macourty is still Elite.


Im glad you aren't blinded by all the BS.

If it boils down to keeping Revis or Mcourty, only a fool would keep Mcourty. He is replaceable. People here think that he is Rodney Harrison.

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Only a fool would choose to keep Revis over anyone before he plays a single meaningful down.

I have high hopes for Revis but you can't possibly think he's worth a long-term contract without watching him play even one game for the Patriots. History shows us that high-priced FAs fail constantly for lots of different reasons. Could be system, could be injury, could be lots of other reasons.

No one is saying McCourty is better than Revis. All we're saying is that in a league with few quality safeties, McCourty is one of the top options at the position. This is true.

Yet every time the topic comes up, you start comparing him to past safeties from a different era. Rodney Harrison isn't walking through that door, and there's no time machine that I know of that lets us bring guys back from the past, so let's deal with the reality of the current era. Or you start comparing him to players at different positions. We talk about the top safeties and you're comparing him to corners. I'm sure if we start talking about a tight end, you'll tell us he isn't as good a wide receiver as Megatron or Josh Gordon. What.The.****?

Speaking of fools, who chooses one player over another without even bothering to look at the price tag? Are you Daniel Snyder? In the salary cap era, price matters. You haven't even bothered to ask.

And taking it one step further, why do you think we have to choose one or the other? There's plenty of time to figure out how to keep both. Early estimates have the salary cap rising another $7M-$12M next season, and potentially up to $150M-$160M in 2016. Yet somehow you've already figured out it's impossible to sign extensions with two players. You're either a salary cap wizard or you have no clue what you're talking about.

You constantly come up with incorrect assumptions, and claim insane things that nobody has claimed. You make up **** all the time. If you could only post things that were true, you would have nothing to say because you're a ****ing troll, plain and simple.

convertedpatsfan said:

And taking it one step further, why do you think we have to choose one or the other? There's plenty of time to figure out how to keep both. Early estimates have the salary cap rising another $7M-$12M next season, and potentially up to $150M-$160M in 2016. Yet somehow you've already figured out it's impossible to sign extensions with two players. You're either a salary cap wizard or you have no clue what you're talking about.

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I agree that it's premature and a bit near-sighted to determine that it's one the other for 2015-2016. McCourty is likely to get extended before the end of the season if he remains healthy. Revis, on the other hand may work out a cap-friendly deal if he discovers this is a good fit for him personally and as a player.

Belichick will use him properly in this defense unlike those knuckleheads in Tampa Bay, and he'll be around more mature veterans than he's ever been associated with in his NFL career. This is an entirely different environment for Darrelle Revis. He understands that he needs to get to a Super Bowl to add to his legacy, and money alone is not the measure of a player's accomplishments.

convertedpatsfan said:

Only a fool would choose to keep Revis over anyone before he plays a single meaningful down.

I have high hopes for Revis but you can't possibly think he's worth a long-term contract without watching him play even one game for the Patriots. History shows us that high-priced FAs fail constantly for lots of different reasons. Could be system, could be injury, could be lots of other reasons.

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So you're saying teams should never sign big FAs ever? That's dumb.

Marqui said:

So you're saying teams should never sign big FAs ever? That's dumb.

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I can't speak for convertedpats fan, but personally, while I wouldn't say "never," I much prefer the one-year tryout first.

There's a reason that this team is much more inclined to open the pocketbooks to RE-sign their own players after their rookie contracts -- Mayo, Gronkowski, Wilfork, etc. etc. -- rather than bring in big names from other teams. You need to see the guy day by day, fitting with your coaches, players and schemes.

Here's a good exercise: think of a big-name FA from the Patriots have signed away from another team to a multiyear, big-$$ contract as his FIRST Patriots contract, who turned out to be worth the money.

Probably Rosie Colvin, although you could maybe argue Lloyd since the money was not terrible and the production was decent. But he was a jerk.

Thomas - no, Boden - no, Ocho - no, Hainesworth - no.

Bruins29 said:

Probably Rosie Colvin, although you could maybe argue Lloyd since the money was not terrible and the production was decent. But he was a jerk.

Boden - no, Ocho - no, Hainesworth - no.

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Brady threw to him 1500 times.

It would be a tough argument lol

Triumph said:

I don't need to.

Harrison was an example of an Elite Safety. He stood out even on a poor SD team. Anyone calling Mcourty Elite is placing him in Harrisons class which he clearly is not by miles.

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So you've got nothing, and you don't understand "elite".

Got it.

PATS68 said:

Every one can have their opinion. Did his name get announced for top 100 players yet?

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Great point, In 2013 Jimmy Graham wasn't on the top 100 list.
He must not be one of the top TE's in football.

And if you want more proof he isn't very good just look at his stats against NE last year, shut out. Man does he suck.

Marqui said:

So you're saying teams should never sign big FAs ever? That's dumb.

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I didn't actually write never. I guess constantly could be a bit misconstrued so let me clarify. Big-name FA signings don't guarantee anything, and lots of them fail. I don't think you could say never to anything in this league.

Even when it isn't risky and makes perfect sense, sometimes it doesn't work out. Adalius Thomas should have been the perfect Swiss army knife for our defense. It made sense on so many levels, and yet it didn't work out.

I do know that FA can work. Check out this old thread below. There are obviously cases where it works out, but for the most part, there are lots of busts:

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/threads/free-agency-buyer-beware.1013120/

I have very high hopes for Revis, but I also wouldn't just extend him without watching him play one meaningful snap. I wouldn't sign him to an extension after just signing him to a one-year deal before he played in his first game either. I think that's a terrible idea.

AzorianPats said:

2 things.

1st. Great username!

2nd. Count me in as one of those that think Sherman and Chancellor are the ones that benefit having Thomas behind them. I think Thomas is the best player in that Seattle defense. He cover's so much ground and makes so many plays.

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Thank you sir.

I think both Sherm and Kam would be good players elsewhere, but they would need to fit into the system. Not the other way around. With Earl you could plug him in anywhere and have a top tier elite S on any team. I think it's been proven that Sherm is a really good player on an elite defense. Same with Kam. Neither could fit into all schemes. And both have shown their weakness with certain types of players and negitives with some opposing teams. Which isn't the worst thing but just speaks to Earl's skill set and versatility as a player. I think Devin is the same type of S where you can put him on any team and he would excell.

And the top 100 players list on the NFLN needs to not be mentioned ever again. Look into how they actually choose the players and go about it. It's the most foolish list out there. And players haven't a clue about grading other players and even understanding other players duties or even the rules of the game. This has been proven time and again across all sports. Most players are dumb. Just one reason why their broke 5 years after playing and making tens of millions of dollars. Again PFF isn't the end all, be all and I have issues with some of their stuff. Including player grading etc but I would take their list 100 times over.