Matt Bowens: McCourty is the Jewel of Free Agency

Here is an article by Matt Bowens explaining why he thinks that McCourty that if you are a team that runs man coverage, McCourty should be the #1 free agent on their list. Obviously, it was before he re-signed.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2388200-devin-mccourty-is-the-jewel-of-2015-nfl-free-agency

If Bowens is right, then the Pats just got the "Jewel of Free Agency" for less than half the price that Miami had to pay for their also ran.

That Suh contract is preposterous and the hype coming out of ESPN and NFLN is about to send the stock of sperm banks nationwide to new, alpine levels as the gaggling spuzz garglers drench the airwaves with an avalanche of obsequious fawnfests that could rival an AVN convention drunk on Cialis champagne.

That article is dead nuts right. If you're going to lock up on the outside you need an able center fielder. If you're going to disguise an able center fielder becomes more important. If you are going to disguise with the intent of forcing a specific mistake or misread it is critical that you have a player of McCourty's caliber back there. For what he gives up to Thomas in sheer athleticism he more than makes up for with his intellect...and in this system that is everything.

Matt Bowens is the Matt Bowen´s evil brother?

Joker said:

That Suh contract is preposterous and the hype coming out of ESPN and NFLN is about to send the stock of sperm banks nationwide to new, alpine levels as the gaggling spuzz garglers drench the airwaves with an avalanche of obsequious fawnfests that could rival an AVN convention drunk on Cialis champagne.

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Its very Miami to spend everything on a big name free agent and spend nothing on their other issues

meatface said:

Its very Miami to spend everything on a big name free agent and spend nothing on their other issues

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more to the point, it's very Ross. I'd bet he talked to Washington's owner at length before he made this move. Seeing the Lions in action a number of times recently, I'm far more impressed with the play of Nick Fairly than I am with the ******ed pimplebrained Suh

jays52 said:

That article is dead nuts right. If you're going to lock up on the outside you need an able center fielder. If you're going to disguise an able center fielder becomes more important. If you are going to disguise with the intent of forcing a specific mistake or misread it is critical that you have a player of McCourty's caliber back there. For what he gives up to Thomas in sheer athleticism he more than makes up for with his intellect...and in this system that is everything.

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Do you really think that Thomas is that much more athletic?

McCourty's athletic numbers beat Thomas in every category except bench press, Thomas, IMO, is more instinctive and has another pro-bowl caliber safety along side of him, those are the only reasons he is better. DMC is just as, if not more football intelligent, he's a better athlete, just as good as a tackler, but he plays with lesser talent (until recently, run defense is the only category SEA truly wins in because that team plays some of the absolute WORST passing offenses in the NFL, artificially inflating their passing defense numbers) and only has 2 full seasons playing safety, where Thomas is a career safety at the NFL level.

When DMC has as much time playing Safety in the NFL as Thomas, his instincts will be off the charts.

Cornerback speed with ball skills playing at safety is a good thing to have. He is at another level with the play in front of him which he excels at. Funny, that 2010 draft class was off the charts good and the droy as well as the runner up were the 2 most coveted free agents this offseason.

Patriot Missile said:

Cornerback speed with ball skills playing at safety is a good thing to have. He is at another level with the play in front of him which he excels at. Funny, that 2010 draft class was off the charts good and the droy as well as the runner up were the 2 most coveted free agents this offseason.

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Thinking back on the draft, the experts pegged DMC as a reach and a Special Teams ace only, he was an all-pro corner in his first season and an all-pro safety in his 3rd season.

Put him in half of the recent drafts he wins DROY with that season, maybe only losing out to Kuechly and Suh.

Patriot Missile said:

that 2010 draft class was off the charts good

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I briefly thought "Oops, Josh McD took Tebow in that draft". Actually, he took Tebow and D. Thomas both, who together were good enough to combine for a playoff win. That's quite a decent overall drafting result.

Patriot Missile said:

Cornerback speed with ball skills playing at safety is a good thing to have. He is at another level with the play in front of him which he excels at. Funny, that 2010 draft class was off the charts good and the droy as well as the runner up were the 2 most coveted free agents this offseason.

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Weirdly the only two players left from that draft are Gronk and dmac, but of course those guys are all pro players.

meatface said:

Weirdly the only two players left from that draft are Gronk and dmac, but of course those guys are all pro players.

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A very good draft.

I no longer think, if I ever did, that AHern can be regarded as a freak miss. He slipped because teams feared he was a pot-smoking gangsta wannabe. He in fact turned out to be a pot-smoking gangsta wannabe. Good pick in football terms, given how much he contributed during his short career. And he covered up his character well enough not to mess up the locker room much, Matt Light's negative comments about him after the fact notwithstanding. But he wasn't a great pick on whom the Pats got unlucky; he was a good pick for which the known risks eventually came home to roost.

As fans we knew McCourty was good and getting better. BB knew the same. McCourty said he was offered more but he wanted to stay with Pats.

A Win - Win situation for all concerned.

On to the next opportunity.

meatface said:

Weirdly the only two players left from that draft are Gronk and dmac, but of course those guys are all pro players.

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I wasn't talking just Patriots in 2010. Overall if you wiki the talent that came out that year for the entire NFL you'd be pretty impressed.

When I read articles such as this my brain hurts.. when I see terms like "Overlap Nine Route", "Jump Seam" , "Drive Dig" etc. it makes me harken for days gone past..

Cannot imagine how much this "game" will be dissected 10 years from now..

Remember this, with the little plastic "fins" on the bottom of the players?? When they got bent, they players went in circles..



Do not need a doctoral dissertation to tell me how good DMac is, my eyeball tells me the same thing every Sunday as I sit on my couch and watch the Pats..

Fencer said:

But he wasn't a great pick on whom the Pats got unlucky; he was a good pick for which the known risks eventually came home to roost.

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You know if AHern would have been suspended because of drug issues or the typical DUI/DWI stuff then I would totally agree. But who would have expected him to kill someone executioner style ? For every AHern you have 5-6 players with a tough childhood/adolescence that mature and rise above it.

To me it is very telling that they offered him that early extension.

Fencer said:

A very good draft.

I no longer think, if I ever did, that AHern can be regarded as a freak miss. He slipped because teams feared he was a pot-smoking gangsta wannabe. He in fact turned out to be a pot-smoking gangsta wannabe. Good pick in football terms, given how much he contributed during his short career. And he covered up his character well enough not to mess up the locker room much, Matt Light's negative comments about him after the fact notwithstanding. But he wasn't a great pick on whom the Pats got unlucky; he was a good pick for which the known risks eventually came home to roost.

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The Pats hit a grand slam with Hernandez the draft pick...

It was signing him to a big money contract extension that failed them.

AzorianPats said:

The Pats hit a grand slam with Hernandez the draft pick...

It was signing him to a big money contract extension that failed them.

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It's odd how it all seems like such a long time ago. The timing of it was the worst possible too. Yet here we are celebrating another SB win and the re-signing of the QB of our defense.