Most Cogent Analysis Anywhere on McCourty's "Sophomore Slump"

[JetFan1]

Just like PFF for being a day late and a dollar short. Anyone notice their analysis speaks of one negative play in the last three games? From their article:




So proof that McCourty hasn't benefitted the last three games from a scheme change is one blown play that if I remember correctly was blown by several players. That's because McCourty has rebounded in recent weeks. Not to his 2010 form just yet, but he has shutdown his side of the field for long stretches for those games.

Even PFF's numbers for the last three games has shown a marked improvement. I remember Bedard posting their season stats on McCourty after week four and then again after the Cowboys' game and the numbers clearly showed a significant improvement from McCourty.

Karma

You threw Kyle Wilson under a bus last year and earlier this season, and the irony that Wilson has emerged and is playing great football while McCourty struggles is an interesting development.

 

[NinjaZX6R]

Karma

You threw Kyle Wilson under a bus last year and earlier this season, and the irony that Wilson has emerged and is playing great football while McCourty struggles is an interesting development.

Kyle Wilson is going up against the team's 3rd wr. McCourty goes up against the other teams's No. 1 WR.

 

[Destroyer]

Kyle Wilson is going up against the team's 3rd wr. McCourty goes up against the other teams's No. 1 WR.

Don't bother, it'll go right over his head.

 

[patsfan06]

If I am not mistaken, McCourty has only given up 3 TDs this year. 2 to VJax, 1 to Stevie Johnson.....why does PFF have him at 4?

 

[drew4008]

Don't bother, it'll go right over his head.

hahah, so true...

 

[Ring 6]

Get an upset stomach this morning from slamming too much kool-aid?

Your post was ridiculous regardless of my feelings about anything.
Your ignorance is a you problem, I just am the one pointing it out.

 

[Ring 6]

If I am not mistaken, McCourty has only given up 3 TDs this year. 2 to VJax, 1 to Stevie Johnson.....why does PFF have him at 4?

Its Pro Football Focus. Nothing is reliable. They have nonfootball people chart plays from the TV feed. How you can possibly put out stats on who is responsible for coverage that way is beyond me.

 

[Ring 6]

He's not back to his old self...

I don't know what the culprit is (change of schemes or coverages or nagging injury or just playing better receivers or what), but he's taken a step back for sure and definitely can't be placed in the top-tier of corners in the league right now.

I hate the Jets, but damn do I wish we had a talent like Revis.

Hows does struggling in his first 3 games then playing as well as last year in last 3 NOT add up to back to his old self?

 

[Ring 6]

I think the first couple games, the pats were playing alot of Man, and belicheck was banking on getting penetration with the front 4...obviously none of that happened, and that puts alot of pressure on your CB's to make a play....McCourty is good, but hes not THAT good yet...and the pats got abused by alot of big plays

the last couple games, seems the pats are playing more zone...they still gave up yards against Romo, but they're making him work for it in short yardage situations, he didnt just waltz down the field like henne/fitzpatrick did....theyre also getting more at the QB with the D-line....so both those changes seem to be benefitting McCourty....he still had trouble tackling, but thats something that can be fixed/worked on

Really he missed one tackled, so that isnt really 'having trouble tackling'.
He also has been tremendous in run support, which no one seems to want to notice or acknowledge.

 

[Rob0729]

Karma

You threw Kyle Wilson under a bus last year and earlier this season, and the irony that Wilson has emerged and is playing great football while McCourty struggles is an interesting development.

Yes, Wilson is turning into a very good third round pick selected in the first round. One hell of a back up. But then again, if your boy Cromartie continues to get burnt like he has this season, he might have a shot at a starting role when Cromartie gets benched. Yes, Wilson has turned into a pretty good slot CB, but you want your first rounder to start. Granted with the Jets overpaying for a struggling Cromartie $8 million a year, they really can't admit it was a mistake and bench him.

McCourty is not a man CB which was proven early in the season, but he has played pretty well as a zone CB this season. Since the Pats have moved back, he has played pretty well and QBs are not throwing in his direction very much.

 

[RJB87]

Bad safety play is no excuse for a first rounder and #1 CB on a team to play worse. Has Darrelle Revis had down years with the Merry-Go-Round of safeties that have come through the New Jersey Jets? PFF is good at making crap like this up and for some reason people flock to it. Do you think McCourty is sitting in the locker room saying "Man, I'd be playing SO MUCH better if only we had better safeties!"? He has a job to do come Sundays: Cover the person across from him. If having better Safety play makes McCourty better then the Safety should be getting credit for the INTs, PDs, and tackles and McCourty isn't as good as we thought he is. But c'mon, was our Safety play that much better last year?

 

[Destroyer]

Bad safety play is no excuse for a first rounder and #1 CB on a team to play worse. Has Darrelle Revis had down years with the Merry-Go-Round of safeties that have come through the New Jersey Jets? PFF is good at making crap like this up and for some reason people flock to it. Do you think McCourty is sitting in the locker room saying "Man, I'd be playing SO MUCH better if only we had better safeties!"? He has a job to do come Sundays: Cover the person across from him. If having better Safety play makes McCourty better then the Safety should be getting credit for the INTs, PDs, and tackles and McCourty isn't as good as we thought he is. But c'mon, was our Safety play that much better last year?

Excellent post. Comparing McCourty to the best corner in the game and bashing him because he doesn't dominate like he does.

Another gem from you. Well done.

 

[shmessy]

Bad safety play is no excuse for a first rounder and #1 CB on a team to play worse. Has Darrelle Revis had down years with the Merry-Go-Round of safeties that have come through the New Jersey Jets? PFF is good at making crap like this up and for some reason people flock to it. Do you think McCourty is sitting in the locker room saying "Man, I'd be playing SO MUCH better if only we had better safeties!"? He has a job to do come Sundays: Cover the person across from him. If having better Safety play makes McCourty better then the Safety should be getting credit for the INTs, PDs, and tackles and McCourty isn't as good as we thought he is. But c'mon, was our Safety play that much better last year?

1) I don't know WHERE you got the impression that the writer was saying the hole at safety is the ONLY factor that had affected McCourty's play in the first part of the season.

2) The comparison to Revis part was addressed perfectly by Destroyer in the previous post.

 

[TheComeback]

Corey Webster had an awful third year before picking it up just in time to win the Superbowl. Now he's probably a top 10 corner in the league.

When a guy has talent, you just need to be patient.

 

[Ring 6]

Bad safety play is no excuse for a first rounder and #1 CB on a team to play worse.

That comments sounds like it comes from someone who is just being introduced to football. Are you kidding me?

Has Darrelle Revis had down years with the Merry-Go-Round of safeties that have come through the New Jersey Jets?

Bad safety play impacts the Jets pass defense.

PFF is good at making crap like this up and for some reason people flock to it.

PFF sucks, its data is weak and its conclusions awful, but your post is worse than anything they put out.

Do you think McCourty is sitting in the locker room saying "Man, I'd be playing SO MUCH better if only we had better safeties!"?

Why would he have to sit in the lockerroom and lament it for it to be true?
And btw, how well he plays is not affected by the play of the safeties, but how successful the pass defense is, how good the help he is supposed to get from the safeties on certain calls and patterns, and how many catches are made in the seam of the zones certainly are.

He has a job to do come Sundays: Cover the person across from him.

Incredibly naive. He must run support too. He often plays a zone. Many times in man he is responsible for one part of the man coverage and the LB or S is responsible for the other (i.e. in certain calls he must play outside leverage and rely on a LB underneath on an incut, on others he must play inside coverage and rely on the S on the go route)
Defensive football is not about one guy matching up with another guy all over the field, it is about TEAM defense and everyone doing their job.

If having better Safety play makes McCourty better

Better safety play improves the results of every corner.

then the Safety should be getting credit for the INTs, PDs, and tackles and McCourty isn't as good as we thought he is.

This is pretty much nonsensical.

But c'mon, was our Safety play that much better last year?

It wasn't. However in the first 3 games of this season when we played mostly man, McCourty's reliance on the safeties was much greater than it was last year, and over the last 3 games when we have played a lot of zone. That is why you have seen THE RESULT OF McCourty's play over the last 3 games resemble 2010.

 

[Ring 6]

Yes, Wilson is turning into a very good third round pick selected in the first round. One hell of a back up. But then again, if your boy Cromartie continues to get burnt like he has this season, he might have a shot at a starting role when Cromartie gets benched. Yes, Wilson has turned into a pretty good slot CB, but you want your first rounder to start. Granted with the Jets overpaying for a struggling Cromartie $8 million a year, they really can't admit it was a mistake and bench him.

McCourty is not a man CB which was proven early in the season, but he has played pretty well as a zone CB this season. Since the Pats have moved back, he has played pretty well and QBs are not throwing in his direction very much.

Assessing McCourty's ability in man coverage has to take into account the pass rush (which was nonexistent) and the help (which was terrible).
Way, way too little data, and too cloudy data to draw a definitive conclusion about his ability to play man to man.

 

[RJB87]

Excuses. Sophomore slump. I hope he hits stride sooner than later, though.

 

[Ring 6]

Excuses. Sophomore slump. I hope he hits stride sooner than later, though.

You should have wathced the last 3 games.

 

[RJB87]

You should have wathced the last 3 games.

I have. He's playing better but we're playing zone. I'd rather not use 1st rounders on CBs that can't play man. The only justification there was for drafting him at that slot was that he's a four down player. That seems to have changed, too.

 

[Joker]

You should have wathced the last 3 games.

fair point.In fact, the defensive numbers /points scored against have dropped every single game since the start of the season.There is also the Arrington factor, in that HIS play at the other corner has teams looking at McCourty more than last season. McCourty has been criticized for mistakes in his man to man technique, rightfully so, but has shown incremental improvement, which, believe it or not is a GOOD THING. You just don't take a zone corner and drop man to man coverage responsibilities on him and *presto!*, hes all pro again. McCourty is still the same player he has shown to be, the skills are the same and gaining experience at the NFL level in a new coverage scheme is going to take time.