McCourty stays optimistic
Ready to meet new challenges in 2020
The path ahead of the Patriots is a minefield of concern.
How can Jarrett Stidham possibly succeed Tom Brady?
How will the defense perform after getting picked apart in free agency?
How will the Pats navigate the toughest projected schedule in the NFL?
And for the love of Pat Patriot, is anyone going to play tight end?
Yet when Patriots defensive captain Devin McCourty surveys that terrain of worry, he sees calm. In fact, he’s excited by it. Perhaps even rejuvenated. There are several reasons why.
Start with Stidham.
“I love how he’s come in. He’s eager to learn. Great personality. Great attitude,” McCourty said Wednesday via a conference call with reporters. “I would say he’s one of the more mature guys.”
The veteran safety stopped short of providing a full scouting report on Stidham, explaining he is not a trained talent evaluator and doesn’t know how a quarterback is coached to read defenses. As far as McCourty can tell, Stidham is much like the rest of his younger teammates. Talented, promising and ready for a new role.
“We have a couple guys like that that’ll now be able to go out there next year and have an opportunity to help the team in different ways. I think Stiddy falls in that category, along with some other players,” McCourty said. “On the offensive line, different guys I think will get an opportunity now that we didn’t get to see last year. It’s just that time of year.
“You start a new season, there’s changes. People are like, ‘This guy’s gone, that guy’s gone.’ And then guys step up and do that. So I’m excited for all those guys.”
One of those guys should be a top target for Stidham: former first-round wide receiver N’Keal Harry. Having flopped as a rookie, Harry will be heavily scrutinized in Year 2. Same goes for running back Damien Harris and offensive linemen Yodny Cajuste and Hjalte Froholdt, all players drafted ahead of Stidham who effectively went into witness protection once the 2019 season started.
Because while only Stidham — or some other quarterback — can play Brady’s position, what the future Hall of Famer brought annually to the Patriots cannot be replaced by one player. His exemplary leadership, football IQ and performance under pressure must come from several roster sources for the Pats to thrive without him.
That’s where McCourty envisions himself and other longtime veterans stepping in.
“I see it as just a continuance of what we’ve been doing, and guys assuming the same leadership roles,” McCourty said. “When you look at myself, (Matthew) Slater, (Julian Edelman), (Patrick) Chung — all those guys have been there 10-plus years. So, we just have to continue to do what we’ve been doing.”
The 32-year-old is also comforted by the culture established in his locker room. It’s what drew him back to New England, when he signed a two-year, $23 million deal the day before free agency opened. For McCourty, it engenders a sense of family; even as the face of the franchise and several defensive teammates — Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins and Elandon Roberts among others — leave town.
The faces have always changed in Foxboro. But home is always home.
“I think we have a great group of guys, just in the locker room. I think it’s been like that for years,” McCourty said. “Obviously, we had probably the greatest football player ever on our team, so I think people didn’t really look at the leadership of different guys we had in the locker room. So I know everyone’s kind of like, ‘What’s going to happen? Everything’s brand new.’ But I don’t really see it like that.”
Of course, this new era of Patriots football was sparked by Brady’s departure and will largely be defined by his successor. The Pats’ potential to contend will be determined by their next quarterback, as much as any franchise’s fate is tied to its signal caller. Which brings McCourty back to Stidham, whom earlier this week he credited with preparing the Patriots for some of their best defensive performances last year.
Hopefully for McCourty, the young gunslinger will do that again for seasons to come.
“(Stidham) comes in, he works hard. He did a great job this year of coming in and trying to compete,” McCourty said, “as well as Cody Kessler, who gave us some good looks on different things. Both of those guys, great attitudes. (I) look forward to those guys getting the opportunities.”