After the 2012 season I called McCourty an elite safety and had ET and him 1 and 1a in my eye. In 2013 when he wasn't making the splash plays he did in year 1 at safety I assumed that he was making underappreciated plays that we don't really see, so I went to the coaches tape to find some examples. To be honest after watching enough of it, I was pretty underwhelmed with the actual impact McCourty had on the game. He played solid consistent football, tackled well, and looked more dynamic when walked down in coverage, but as a single high (where he plays most of the time), he's virtually indistinguishable from Harmon.
So now as I look at the young talent the Pats have relative to their cap flexibilty, I realize that the Pats don't have the room to pay multiple guys like elite players on that side of the ball. Which is why for me, I want to make sure the guys who are really adding a tangible amount of WAR like Revis, Hightower, and Collins are the ones who get paid. If McCourty is ok being paid like an above average starter by all means lets do it, but he's not an elite player.
I'm not against paying our guys, but I think we need to be careful. That Mayo contract to me is a good example of who not to overpay. Heady and consistent guys are great, but they can never substitute for true playmakers.
Your post is an excellent example of lousy reasoning and over-reliance on statistics.
Quite on the contrary, I can guarantee that my opinion is formed with about as much hard data and tape consideration as virtually anybody's. I didn't really form this opinion through any other means other than watching McCourty looking for examples of him flashing the kind of plays that people seem to believe he makes.
If someone wants to find me the games and plays where he's flashing these skills on the regular please point me to it, but as of now when we're talking about true "elite" players who are worth significant cap allocation, I just have not seen the kind of play that warrants it.
Ok, so the real problem is that you can't evaluate worth a damn. Got it.
No disrespect, but if anyone here is using data incorrectly it is you.
I presented a couple of factual points, the Pats were 12th in DVOA, were a middle of the pack YPG and turnover team, and while they ranked high in PPG they were still 7th and almost 4ppg off of Seattle. Those are baseline numbers, only including games where the Pats were close to 100% is disingenuous because other teams played stretches without key members as well. Being at the bottom of the PPG list while factual isn't a strong point when taken into context because it was driven more by the game at Indy than anything else. I think the Pats would be the first to tell you that the Seattle game and the Baltimore games were not their best efforts.
The Pats are not an elite defense yet, they're very good and got much better, but there are still a handful that I would take over ours. Not everyone is quite as good as some of the fans think.
In terms of the analysis part we'll have to agree to disagree. Relax man, no need to get so fired up over a perceived $2 million difference in FA value.
Yeah.... No. Good comedy, though. As I pointed out already, they were 5th once Browner entered the lineup, yet you're harping on "7th!". That's just one example of why your analysis sucks.
If you can't accept why it's significant to use Browner's return as the starting point, you're either trolling or just clueless about what was happening in the team's secondary.
I think you need to reread the entire thread. I started by stating the reasons why I don't believe McCourty is elite impact defender which had nothing to do with the Pats defense in aggregate. Instead it was an opinion formed purely based on the player's performance on the field. Feel free to debate me on the merits of that.
I've read every single post in the thread. Your argument just sucks.
That's a perfect example of where your argument sucks.
Wow.
You know, most of what passes around here is just idle Banter, and that's fine: That's what these Sites are for. It's awesome that PatsFans is around for us all to gather and chatter about the Pats.
But about 1 of every 100 Posts provide a Genuinely Uncommon Insight Into Things.
And Brother McClusky ~ agree with'm or not ~ has Elevated The Conversation, here.
***
Deus, you're entitled to disagree ~ it's a free Country, and all. But anyone with even a
rudimentary capacity to reason can see that Brother McClusky approached this subject thoughtfully, carefully, and intelligently, and has
politely presented an obviously strong, well-reasoned, and thought-provoking Argument.
It became clear very quickly that you weren't following him, though he spelled it out
quite clearly.
There's no crime in
that.
But what
disgusts me is that you, clearly unable to challenge the Merits of his Arguments with lucid Arguments of your own, resorted instead to insulting him
no less than 7 times,
quoted above.
He was a complete Gentleman to you, and politely and courteously attempted several times to redirect you, and was
incredibly patient in the face of the torrents of
Sewage you've spewed on this Thread.
The guy based his Opinion on
Tape, Deus.
He stated that
explicitly.
***
If this were an isolated incident, that'd be one thing. We all have bad days.
But this sort of disgusting behavior ~ your launching vile, venomous, and unprovoked attacks on guys who are actually providing tremendous Insight ~ is something we've all seen you do
a thousand times before.
For the 5 Years that I've frequented this particular Asylum, your behavior has consistently made it crystal clear that intelligent, thought-provoking Insight such as McClusky's makes you feel
attacked...and you always respond with the most vile and
disgusting brand of Hostility.
You've
disgraced yourself.
Again.
And I, for one, have seen enough of your Sewage. Into the Darkness you go.
