Putting the pieces in place before the draft, once again

[ATippett56]

Unless he is caught hanging out at U Lowell and selling pot to co-ed girls, BB is not cutting McCourty prior to the 2012 season no way no how.

If during the season he becomes Duane Starks, 1st 50/50 that he sees CB as his position and might move down the line at backup FS in 2013- maybe.

Darius Butler was the 41st pick overall in the 2009 NFL Draft. After two seasons with the New England Patriots, Darius Butler was waived on September 6, 2011. If Devin McCourty does not return to his rookie form, he may very well end up the same path as Darius Butler especially if the New England Patriots draft another cornerback in the first three rounds.

I'm also not sold on all this hype of Devin McCourty playing free safety.

 

[BTTA]

Go back through the draft day threads. I (and everyone else) predicted that he would not make it out of training camp (I was off by 3 quarters). Everyone else was calling him "Ras-IR Dolwing" on draftday. "Ras-I'm made of Glass" is only the latest moniker. I pretty sure I labled him the next Shawn Crable on draftday.

Hell he even pulled a hammy at the combine!!!! So if a guy that had a hurt shoulder, knee, arm in college, who then pulls a hammy at the combine and has already missed an entire season is not injury prone, who is?????

Let me confuse you with facts. He played all four years in high school without injury. In college, he had an injury in his senior season that kept him out of games. Up until then, including a as a first year player, he played every game that he was the #1 or #2 corner. The hamstring he pulled in the combine was the result of the hip injury that he had surgery for this past year. So basically, he's had two serious injuries in nine years of organized football. They just happen to have been the last two years. But don't let me get in the way of you being seduced by recency.

 

[pork3]

Let me confuse you with facts. He played all four years in high school without injury. In college, he had an injury in his senior season that kept him out of games. Up until then, including a as a first year player, he played every game that he was the #1 or #2 corner. The hamstring he pulled in the combine was the result of the hip injury that he had surgery for this past year. So basically, he's had two serious injuries in nine years of organized football. They just happen to have been the last two years. But don't let me get in the way of you being seduced by recency.

All that matters to me is what happens this year. We've had a pretty serious bout of misses when it comes to cornerbacks, and we can ill afford to miss on yet another one selected in the early rounds.

He and McCourty (based off of last season's inconsistent performance) are guys who I sincerely hope pan out this year.

-Jamman

 

[Sciz]

Darius Butler was the 41st pick overall in the 2009 NFL Draft. After two seasons with the New England Patriots, Darius Butler was waived on September 6, 2011. If Devin McCourty does not return to his rookie form, he may very well end up the same path as Darius Butler especially if the New England Patriots draft another cornerback in the first three rounds.

I'm also not sold on all this hype of Devin McCourty playing free safety.

When was Butler ever half as good as McCourty was during the second half of his rookie season?

 

[billdog3484]

The Patriots just signed Gregory and are still pursuing Landry. That doesn't seem as if McCourty is going to be a safety.

i dont know if i totally agree. BB has always tried to get a Safety who can double as a LB. I remember we signed a guy a few years ago we wanted to do that, i think he was originally from titans, but got hurt. and he never got to play that role. Landry seems to fit that mold. i think the way we play and rotate guys, mccourty could be shifted to the roaming safety in passing situations just like last year. experience will probably help him

 

[ATippett56]

When was Butler ever half as good as McCourty was during the second half of his rookie season?

When has a first round draft pick recently look so bad in his sophomore season after a stellar rookie season?

 

[pork3]

i dont know if i totally agree. BB has always tried to get a Safety who can double as a LB. I remember we signed a guy a few years ago we wanted to do that, i think he was originally from titans, but got hurt. and he never got to play that role. Landry seems to fit that mold. i think the way we play and rotate guys, mccourty could be shifted to the roaming safety in passing situations just like last year. experience will probably help him

The player you are referring to is Tank Williams, and you're right, he supposedly was going to be used in a hybrid safety/LB role. Shame he kept on getting injured...

-Jamman

 

[Don Kipines]

When has a first round draft pick recently look so bad in his sophomore season after a stellar rookie season?

I'm beginning to think McCourty was hurt last year. He played like a guy who'd lost a step. He had great make-up speed as a rookie and he just didn't last year -- doesn't that have to be something physical? Unless he developed a meth habit over the winter or something.

 

[Ring 6]

When was Butler ever half as good as McCourty was during the second half of his rookie season?

Butler was never as good as McCourty was in the first quarter of his 2nd season.

 

[Ring 6]

When has a first round draft pick recently look so bad in his sophomore season after a stellar rookie season?

Tons of them have. The problem is this board severely exaggerated the dropoff in McCourtys play.

 

[rookBoston]

Tons of them have. The problem is this board severely exaggerated the dropoff in McCourtys play.

Hear him, hear him. McCourty's rookie year was astonishing for ANY cornerback. Some backslip from a HOF pace is not unacceptable.

 

[Deus Irae]

Hear him, hear him. McCourty's rookie year was astonishing for ANY cornerback. Some backslip from a HOF pace is not unacceptable.

McCourty didn't just experience "some backslip". He sucked last year. Rented mules and redheaded stepchildren all around the globe were feeling bad for him.

 

[Avenger]

I think the pats should look at these guys as options coming into the draft, I feel like they could fill roles on the team depending what happens through the rest of free agency.
In no particular order:
Harrison Smith
Janzen Jackson
Keith Tandy
Casey Hayward
Brandon Boykin
Trenton Robinson
Brian Quick
Mohamed Sanu
Vinny Curry
Dont'a Hightower
Chris Owusu
Adonis Thomas
David Molk
Cyrus Gray
Emil Igwenagu
Kellen Moore

 

[Ring 6]

McCourty didn't just experience "some backslip". He sucked last year. Rented mules and redheaded stepchildren all around the globe were feeling bad for him.

Simply not true.
The difference between McCourty 2010 and 2011 was a handful of plays.
Those plays came on trail technique on deep sideline patterns. In 2010 he baited a throw and broke it up or picked it off, it 2011 he was a step or 2 behind. It happened about 8 times, or once every other game.
Now, an Int every other game vs a 40 yard completion every other game is a big difference, but we are talking about 8 plays over the course of the season. The other 950 were very similar to 2011.
I am very confident that a guy with his ability can correct that issue.

Unfortunately, while people overrated him because of those 8 plays in 2010, they also think those 8 plays were his entire 2011 season. Typical overreaction of fans to the handful of plays they remember out of 1000 plays of a season for a player.