McCourty Resigned: 5yrs/$47.5m with $28.5m guaranteed
- Thread starter Super Nomario
- Start date
Stats be damned to some degree, the 2014 pass D and D overall was much much better. Revis allows the coaches to do more, risk more, scheme differently. The 2013 defense and the 2014 defense are not comparable, except to say that 2014 was more steady and effective by a lot.
Unfortunately, I've thought McCourty would be gone for a while. Now that we're here at this late stage, I think it's pretty clear he's gone whether they sign Revis or not. Given that the Pats will have to sign young core players Jones, Collins and Hightower at some point in the near future, the last thing they want to do is tie their own hands on a big safety contract. I love McCourty, but his transformation from an okay corner to an elite safety argues that you shouldn't sign him to a big contract as there may be more such corners that would do well with a position change. It might be the football market equivalent of converting a starting pitcher into a reliever. Size-wise, Logan Ryan might a good candidate for a conversion.
The Niners lost pro bowl safeties two years in a row and their D is still elite (when healthy of course) and Buffalo barely skipped a beat losing Byrd and the Saints didn't get any kind of bump from bringing him in, so that would argue a D can survive the loss of a good safety if the other defensive components are sound. Revis, and the trio of young defenders are far bigger priorities and we know the Pats like to keep a clear eye on the road far ahead.
The Niners lost pro bowl safeties two years in a row and their D is still elite (when healthy of course) and Buffalo barely skipped a beat losing Byrd and the Saints didn't get any kind of bump from bringing him in, so that would argue a D can survive the loss of a good safety if the other defensive components are sound. Revis, and the trio of young defenders are far bigger priorities and we know the Pats like to keep a clear eye on the road far ahead.
DourDoerr said:
Byrd only played 4 games for NO before landing on IR. Not sure that is definitive proof that S is not important.
I'd argue that McCourty made Chung a serviceable SS since McCourty had the range to cover deep allowing Chung to play to his strengths. When did NE go from a Cover 2 S scheme where each safety covered their respective deep half to a pure SS/FS scheme? For years I know they split the field in half and my guess is they only made the switch to true SS/FS scheme when they had a FS with elite range like McCourty.
I doubt he's that replaceable. McCourty was a first-round pick who made the pro bowl as a rookie. You need to be a great athlete as well as very smart. At corner your tasks are much simpler.DourDoerr said:
Having an elite FS may or may not be more important than an elite CB but I think the dropoff from McCourty to Harmon or whoever is pretty big, nor is there likely to be another CB who can just switch to safety.
j44thor said:
By all account Byrd sucked during the 4 games. Hell, he made #1 on NFL.com's top 10 FA flops of 2014:
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000423361/article/saints-jairus-byrd-leads-list-of-top-10-freeagent-flops
Am I reading this right? Reiss thinks the Patriots are closer to signing DMC then Revis?
Mike Reiss @MikeReiss 3h3 hours ago
@catchmoss Believe we are further along in process with 32 than 24.
Mike Reiss @MikeReiss 3h3 hours ago @catchmoss Believe we are further along in process with 32 than 24.
That would be fair to say norm. I don't believe the Pats have even started negotiations yet with Revis. They have a number in mind for both players but DMC is a true UFA so I think they have approached him earlier.norm from cheers said:
Am I reading this right? Reiss thinks the Patriots are closer to signing DMC then Revis?
@catchmoss Believe we are further along in process with 32 than 24.
Thanks.. for some reason I thought most of what I read was Revis was priority one and once that was settled, DMC would be addressed after he found out what he could get out on the market.RedOctober3829 said:
I don't think it means the team is "closer to signing" DMC at all.
I think Reiss means that the Pats are closer to knowing whether they can re-sign DMC before Tuesday and, if not, how competitive their offer will likely be.
I think Reiss means that the Pats are closer to knowing whether they can re-sign DMC before Tuesday and, if not, how competitive their offer will likely be.
Mystic Merlin said:
Reiss also said in a later tweet "These things can always shift, but think there is chance for at least one to re-sign before Tuesday." Take it FWIW, but it sounds like he believes McCourty is very much still in play to come back.
Yes this is the process. DMC is actually able to talk to other teams to gauge his market and, if he wants to, is able to come back to the Patriots with "Team X offered me this much what can you do for me?". That is why I think his process is further down the road than Revis' is.norm from cheers said:
Now, could you see a Revis announcement today of a long-term deal? Sure you could. But, at the present time, DMC's value is being determined in the next 48-60 hours and we'll definitely know on him by Tuesday night whereas Revis isn't even a UFA yet so he "technically" can't talk to other teams.
SeoulSoxFan said:
The Saints, Jets, and Raiders both have two entries on that top 10 list. And if you include the honorable mentions, Tampa Bay has 4. Brutal.
I think DMC, unfortuantely, is going to have to swallow a lot of pride-dollars if he wants to be back with the Patriots. FS is an easier-to-replace position with cheaper options on this specific Patriots roster. Harmon is one option. Ryan is another.
I'm not suggesting either of those people are as good as DMC, but they are more likely to be servicable at that position than the on-roster options at CB who would all move up one step on the depth chart if Revis is gone.
I'm not suggesting either of those people are as good as DMC, but they are more likely to be servicable at that position than the on-roster options at CB who would all move up one step on the depth chart if Revis is gone.
I keep on reflecting upon BB's admiration for Ed Reed, his intelligence and physical play and his importance to defense and wonder if BB sees something of Reed in McCourty and all things considered might stretch for Reed-lite.There is no Rev said:
Again, disagree. The Pats have the following CBs besides Revis:alydar said:
Browner
Arrington
Dennard
Ryan
Butler
Browner and Arrington, we largely know what we have: Browner can be disruptive but may need help against smaller, quicker guys, and Arrington seems to be strong in the slot but limited elsewhere.
Dennard's 2014 season was lost but he played very well at times in his rookie year. You're not going to match up Ryan or Butler one-on-one with top guys but they have promise as well. It's not inconceivable that any of those three step up and claim a starting role. There are also a number of non-Revis FA options and BB has shown pretty good prowess at drafting CBs.
Harmon and Ryan may be OK at safety but they are a huge unknown right now, while the CBs we have on the roster are less unknown.
No doubt Belichick loves McCourty, but if he was willing to go to $8-9 MM I'd think he would have used the franchise tag for $9.5. I'll be surprised if the Pats go much over $7 / year, and it seems like the market is going to skew higher.bankshot1 said:
Yeah, it seems BB loves McCourty for this and I'd agree that the admiration is Reed-esque. At this stage we can't be surprised at BB's discipline, but it really is remarkable that he's willing to gamble on a player he's known to admire. Because of that, I just think that unless DM was willing to take a stunning discount, BB has moved on given higher priorities at impact positions in the years to come.There is no Rev said:
I mentioned Ryan and let me add Arrington (whom BB also admires for his intangibles - although I'm not sure of his speed) as possible conversion candidates as the Pats already have some insight on what's required and how to do it, as well as in-house players familiarity with the system. And let me make clear that it would be better to simply acquire a player who's already a safety, but it's also sensible to enlarge the pool of candidates with possible CB's. If I remember correctly, Tebucky Jones was originally projected as a CB and was successfully converted to safety - a move that worked out well for a short while. The strength of the rest of the D then was a large part of Jones' success and I think the defense the Pats have now is similarly strong.
I don't think it'd be at all easy to replace DM - and the defense is most likely looking at a dropoff at the position, but free safety is simply not a good place to commit a huge number of dollars too. Unless, of course, we're talking about a generational talent which McCourty - while very good - is not.
Yeah, I go through the same thought-process and think gee, they're screwed -- every single one of these guys has a major liability that could be exploited by a good game plan. Better QBs find the one bad match-up you have on the field and beat you to death with it.Toe Nash said:
I'm still vaguely optimistic on Dennard, because he looked pretty good in man D in 2013, but wasn't he a healthy scratch for a good chunk of this season?
I think he might be too good a CB to do this and that's a better value. By all reports, Butler was excellent in the pre-season and his Super Bowl was great especially given the incredible pressure of the game and spotlight. His trip of Lockette was especially heady as he was smartly going to take a penalty rather than give up an uncontested catch with a good chance of a lot of YAC. The play on Kearse's great catch at the end also demonstrated that he's potentially well-rounded. Physically, he made an athletic play to tip the ball. Then he had the presence of mind to tackle Kearse before he ran into the end zone. Of course, his game-winning INT also demonstrated an impressive combination of the skills needed to succeed at CB. I'm excited to see if he develops from such an outstanding start.brandonchristensen said:
McCourty was an excellent CB his rookie year but pretty mediocre and vulnerable to large pass plays in subsequent seasons. Nevertheless, BB kept sending him out there at CB hoping that he'd develop into a shutdown CB and, frustratingly, also had no one better. I'd guess he'd give Butler every opportunity to succeed before downgrading him to safety.
I will forever love Malcolm Butler and am excited to see what happens next in his career. But we should remember that he was an UDFA who hardly saw the field for much of the year. There is a wide range of potential outcomes for him, including a decent chance of mediocrity.
I think the biggest reason he's not a candidate for safety is that his understanding of NFL passing offenses is probably very limited at this point. He seems best in man coverage where he just has to chase a specific guy.
I think the biggest reason he's not a candidate for safety is that his understanding of NFL passing offenses is probably very limited at this point. He seems best in man coverage where he just has to chase a specific guy.
Rand Getlin @Rand_Getlin 5m5 minutes ago
Re McCourty, multiple sources indicate the #Eagles have made a strong push to be in position to sign him. Considering fallback options, too.
Re McCourty, multiple sources indicate the #Eagles have made a strong push to be in position to sign him. Considering fallback options, too.
Tom E. Curran @tomecurran 8s9 seconds ago
After 30 hours of tampering, it seems a very good bet Pats will retain either Revis or McCourty and a pretty good bet they keep both.
After 30 hours of tampering, it seems a very good bet Pats will retain either Revis or McCourty and a pretty good bet they keep both.
Tom E. Curran @tomecurran 1m1 minute ago
No. And stuff changes. But at this pt. little reason for pessimism. RT "@TimMorel: @NEPD_Loyko @tomecurran can u put a % on this?
No. And stuff changes. But at this pt. little reason for pessimism. RT "@TimMorel: @NEPD_Loyko @tomecurran can u put a % on this?
Or simply someone that does actually have some knowledge/connections after covering this team 20 years.E5 Yaz said:
I remember when the news first broke that the Pats had traded Moss mid-season, Curran was on the radio categorically denying it. I've never had much confidence in him since, but if he's correct this time I'll try to let it go.
Jones was actually mostly a RB in college who converted to safety for his senior year (in an odd coincidence, their other first-round pick that year was Robert Edwards, who started as a safety at Georgia before converting to RB). Carroll thought he could convert him to CB, but it didn't work / he wasn't a fit at CB after Carroll got fired, and he ended up moving back to safety.DourDoerr said:
Belichick has explicitly compared Arrington to McCourty before:
Aside from the physical attributes (and Arrington is fast, maybe as fast as McCourty and probably faster than Ryan), there's some overlap between the slot and safety in terms of being more involved in the running game and understanding what is going on not just with your man but around you.
As for the new FS (even if it's a returnee like Arrington or Harmon) entering a stacked D, obviously a lot of that depends on Revis re-signing, but even if he's back there are questions about both the run defense minus Wilfork and the pass rush, which was uneven in 2014. And one of the key things for this season was being able to play Chung on TEs, which let Hightower and Collins lurk more where they were very good. If the new S doesn't have McCourty's range and the Pats need to play more two-high safety concepts, now you've got Chung deep, Hightower covering TEs and RBs, fewer run defenders in the box, etc. Getting weaker at one position could ripple to two or three more.
I do mostly agree with you here.DourDoerr said:
Curran is pretty tight with McCourty from their TV show together but until he inks with NE let's wait until this plays out.
@CharlesRobinson: League source on Devin McCourty: #Patriots are working to keep him, which explains why it's been so quiet. #Eagles still in the mix, though.
I think he means a third year of truly guaranteed salary, not a third year on the contract.Ed Hillel said:
Yeah, seriously, if the top-end of the market being SET for Revis is just guaranteeing 15 mill per season over the first three years, the patriots will/SHOULD match that no problem. I'll be pissed if we don't get him back bc the jets guaranteed him 45 million over 3 years and we wouldn't step up. In fact, I pray that this story is true because if that's the salary range we're talking about the patriots won't blink. "Sign here, Darrelle, congrats on ending your career in Foxborough."
If there is a signing bonus , then you're looking at 50-60 guaranteed if there are three guaranteed years though.Ed Hillel said:
Mike Garafolo @MikeGarafolo 1m1 minute ago
S Devin McCourty expected to remain with the Patriots, source says.
Ian Rapoport @RapSheet 40s41 seconds ago
The #Patriots are keeping S Devin McCourty after a hard push from the #Jaguars, the #Eagles and the #Giants.
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S Devin McCourty expected to remain with the Patriots, source says.
Ian Rapoport @RapSheet 40s41 seconds ago
The #Patriots are keeping S Devin McCourty after a hard push from the #Jaguars, the #Eagles and the #Giants.
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Ian Rapoport @RapSheet 25s26 seconds ago
The #Patriots are keeping S Devin McCourty after a hard push from the #Jaguars, the #Eagles and the #Giants.
The #Patriots are keeping S Devin McCourty after a hard push from the #Jaguars, the #Eagles and the #Giants.
@MikeReiss: As others have reported, Patriots & safety Devin McCourty have reached agreement on contract extension. "It is done," source says.