Peter King: McCourty the "new great defensive back"

[TriplecHamp]

Love McCourty and I cant wait to see how he will play next year with Bodden back. Don't get me wrong Arrington has been a suprise this year and Butler is coming along but IMO were one more top corner away along with a healthy D-line and a pass rusher from being a top 5 defense next season.

 

[D-Money]

No way they would let this kid walk if he turns into a shutdown corner.They let Samuel go and they paid a price for it.Its hard to find premier corners.

 

[NEGoldenAge]

One would hope that the Pats extend him, but generally that is not how the Pats do business. They get the most they can out of a player in their rookie contract, and only consider extensions if the player is willing to take the "hometown discount", or otherwise below market. As for being humble and team oriented, that has nothing to do with business, as we've heard player after player say.

Enjoy having McCourty while we can, because he is going to command top dollar as a free agent and we all know the Pats pay anyone not named Tom Brady top dollar and that is what McCourty and his agent will be looking for in 4 years.

Humble and team oriented guys tend to honor contracts that they agreed to. Vince Wilfork is a perfect example of this. The Pats know what they have with McCourty, and if he stays healthy, they'll offer him a fair deal. I'm tired of hearing this "the Pats are cheap" crap, Tom Brady is the highest paid player in the NFL and Vince is the highest paid nose tackle. McCourty has that rare mix of talent, speed, hard work ethic, film junky and playmaker that is rarely seen in today's NFL. BB will not let that go easily.

 

[NEGoldenAge]

No way they would let this kid walk if he turns into a shutdown corner.They let Samuel go and they paid a price for it.Its hard to find premier corners.

Samuel isn't a premier corner. He's a ballhawk, but he can only play one side of the field, and he sucks at tackling. He gambles too much gets a lot of penalties, and clearly isn't worth what the Eagles are paying him... which is why they had him on the trading block this past offseason. McCourty is a much more complete and mature corner than Asante will ever be.

 

[D-Money]

Asante is still one of the very best corners.

 

[AzPatsFan]

Wow @ Ed Reed missing 8 games this season yet still leading the NFL in INTs.

But he got re-injured this week.

 

[patchick]

One would hope that the Pats extend him, but generally that is not how the Pats do business. They get the most they can out of a player in their rookie contract, and only consider extensions if the player is willing to take the "hometown discount", or otherwise below market.

Really? When have the Belichick Patriots EVER let a major impact player walk after his rookie contract? Didn't they extend Seymour and Warren and Wilfork and Brady, and franchise Samuel?

(Branch is a whole different story, he held out while still under contract; Mankins is still here, and his whole situation was about the CBA/RFA status.)

 

[Gwedd]

The thing is, regarding the "hometown discount", is that if a player takes less to play here, all he has to do is be noticed by the press like McCourty has, and he has a real chance of making a good amount of money through endorsements. Adam V was a prime example. He got a good chunk of money after the 1st Superbowl win by signing on as an endorser of New England Ford in print, radio and TV.

McCourty could end up with the same sort of deal. which would more than offset anything he gave up to stay with New England.

 

[NEGoldenAge]

Asante is still one of the very best corners.

That would depend on what you want your corners to do. If one wants a great ballhawk, and doesn't care about anything else, I suppose one could consider Asante one of the very best corners. If one values a corner that "does their job", is versatile, tackles well and puts the team first, then Asante wouldn't crack the top 15.

 

[Gwedd]

That would depend on what you want your corners to do. If want a great ballhawk, and don't care about anything else, I suppose one could consider Asante one of the very best corners. If one values a corner that "does their job", is versatile, tackles well and puts the team first, then Asante wouldn't crack the top 15.

I have to agree with this. It is, I believe, one of the reasons he isn't playing in New England.

 

[BradyFTW!]

I have to agree with this. It is, I believe, one of the reasons he isn't playing in New England.

The Patriots offered him a whole lot of money to stay, and even franchised him for a year. It's not like they didn't want him.

 

[D-cleater]

Humble and team oriented guys tend to honor contracts that they agreed to. Vince Wilfork is a perfect example of this. The Pats know what they have with McCourty, and if he stays healthy, they'll offer him a fair deal. I'm tired of hearing this "the Pats are cheap" crap, Tom Brady is the highest paid player in the NFL and Vince is the highest paid nose tackle. McCourty has that rare mix of talent, speed, hard work ethic, film junky and playmaker that is rarely seen in today's NFL. BB will not let that go easily.

Where did I say that the Pats were cheap? From a business standpoint, I only follow the Pats headlines but surely most would agree that the Pats prefer to distribute their cap money more evenly throughout the team than most clubs, and not pay a small handful of players top dollar at the expense of solid veterans who fit well in their system. Brady and Wilfork, and previously Seymour are the exception, although I count NT the same as DT where you have Suh and Haynesworth, just off the top of my head, whose contracts dwarf that of Wilfork's, and I guarantee you that Ngata will be right there next year, probably making more than vince based on how the market price for all quality FA's seems to increase every year.

Also, I NEVER said that McCourty wouldn't honor his contract, I'm saying that I would be shocked and elated if the Pats signed him to an extension, let's say, midway through his rookie contract, when his ability and value to the team is proven, and he is *not* in the last year of his contract, commanding a premium, and looking at a franchise tag situation or very difficult negotiation. Thats just not what they do. I'm not saying its bad, and I'm not saying its cheap, I'm just saying thats the way it is. I think it's frugal, but I also think it comes back to bite them.

 

[D-cleater]

Really? When have the Belichick Patriots EVER let a major impact player walk after his rookie contract? Didn't they extend Seymour and Warren and Wilfork and Brady, and franchise Samuel?

(Branch is a whole different story, he held out while still under contract; Mankins is still here, and his whole situation was about the CBA/RFA status.)

Sorry, I don't think I said that the Patriots let their players walk, but if I did I retract that statement! My belief is simply that the Pats don't seem to sign even their most valuable players to contract extensions when the players have two or more years left of their existing contracts... they tend to let the players play out the contract, at the risk of having to eventually pay a premium and face difficult contract negotiations, like they did with all the players you listed except for Warren. Yes, they did resign all of these guys, and I want to say that they extended Warren before he approached his last year, which I though was brilliant. Same with Koppen and Light, Wright, previously Faulk, possibly Sanders, and I'm sure there are other exceptions. But the negotiations with players like Mankins, Seymour, Branch, Samuel, were just ugly, and even Brady and Wilfork weren't happy during recent negotiations in the last year of their contracts.

This approach is validated in players like Law, Moss, TBC, etc, but I think there are plenty of instances where you can say... gee, if they'd just extended his contract before the final year (Brady, Mankins, Wilfork are the most recent examples), they would have payed less over the long term of the contract, at the expense of higher up front costs. Obviously they can't do this with all of their players, but sometimes it does seem contrary to their long term team building approach.

With guys like McCourty and Mayo, you just see someone like the Raiders/Asomugha and Steelers/Timmons setting the market first, and then the Pats having to face paying a premium that they don't want to pay. I applaud them for get a new deal done with Brady *before* Manning, but I shake my head that they let the market get set by Evans and Mangold and getting in the situation that they are in with Mankins.

 

[Joker]

Sorry, I don't think I said that the Patriots let their players walk, but if I did I retract that statement! My belief is simply that the Pats don't seem to sign even their most valuable players to contract extensions when the players have two or more years left of their existing contracts... they tend to let the players play out the contract, at the risk of having to eventually pay a premium and face difficult contract negotiations, like they did with all the players you listed except for Warren. Yes, they did resign all of these guys, and I want to say that they extended Warren before he approached his last year, which I though was brilliant. Same with Koppen and Light, Wright, previously Faulk, possibly Sanders, and I'm sure there are other exceptions. But the negotiations with players like Mankins, Seymour, Branch, Samuel, were just ugly, and even Brady and Wilfork weren't happy during recent negotiations in the last year of their contracts.

This approach is validated in players like Law, Moss, TBC, etc, but I think there are plenty of instances where you can say... gee, if they'd just extended his contract before the final year (Brady, Mankins, Wilfork are the most recent examples), they would have payed less over the long term of the contract, at the expense of higher up front costs. Obviously they can't do this with all of their players, but sometimes it does seem contrary to their long term team building approach.

With guys like McCourty and Mayo, you just see someone like the Raiders/Asomugha and Steelers/Timmons setting the market first, and then the Pats having to face paying a premium that they don't want to pay. I applaud them for get a new deal done with Brady *before* Manning, but I shake my head that they let the market get set by Evans and Mangold and getting in the situation that they are in with Mankins.

You talk a real big game like YOU run a football franchise in the NFL or you're some corporate CEO...I think you're posting from the brokedown Laz-E-Boy in mommy's basement...no ones\ cares who you applaud or don't applaud.you are all about everything/anything you can belch out that's negative in any way...why don't you get a harmonica and a banjo and see if you can't get thrown off the American Idol tryouts when they're in the Hackensack Correctional Youth Center next month.

 

[SteveBsFan]

McCourty seems like a humble, team-oriented guy. I don't think he is the type to hold out. If McCourty stays healthy for a couple of years, I would expect New England to extend him and make him happy.

I thought the same thing about Mankins when he was drafted.

McCourty will be gone when his contract is up, but that's ok, I'm sure we'll get his best years anyway.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

You can say that now...but when the time comes..these guys always holdout. McCourty is an absolute STUD :rocker:

 

[ausbacker]

I'm yet to see the Patriots allow a player to leave who they didn't really want on the team.

 

[SteveBsFan]

I'm yet to see the Patriots allow a player to leave who they didn't really want on the team.

Well that's a hard statement. Brady is pretty much one of the few people they absolutely NEED on the team, so he'll never go, that's guaranteed. There have been a lot of good players that I'm sure BB would have loved to stick around for the right price, but priced themselves off the team.

Does anyone think BB doesn't want Mankins long term? He's probably asking for more than BB can really stomach paying a guard, so he'll likely be gone next year.

 

[D-cleater]

I'm yet to see the Patriots allow a player to leave who they didn't really want on the team.

I think they'd have been pretty stoked to have mankins locked up for the next 6 years. Brady and Wilfork would come at a much lower price had their contracts been extended earlier. Branch 2006, Samuel...

McCourty will be franchised after his rookie contract runs out, if the rule still exists in its current form, and then he'll make bank elsewhere.

 

[ausbacker]

Well that's a hard statement. Brady is pretty much one of the few people they absolutely NEED on the team, so he'll never go, that's guaranteed. There have been a lot of good players that I'm sure BB would have loved to stick around for the right price, but priced themselves off the team.

Does anyone think BB doesn't want Mankins long term? He's probably asking for more than BB can really stomach paying a guard, so he'll likely be gone next year.

That's the point I was hoping someone would make. The Patriots keep players here that they really want. Brady and Wilfork are two recent examples of this.

Football is a business. Like all good business plans you have to rationalize the costs and seek out/apply value to your assets. The Patriots are the shrewdest in the business and this is why the franchise under the Kraft-Belichick regime has become the model for success.

With the Pats, they are always thinking several steps ahead. It may not work out but I'll wager when they truly want something to happen, the trigger gets pulled and it happens.