McCourty CB or S?
After two straight weeks at Safety, Devin McCourty has been the recipient of some high praise by the coaching staff. Belichick said that he thought "the deep part of the field was more secure" with Devin back there. In addition, Safeties coach Brian Flores called McCourty a "selfless player who...has all the traits -- he communicates, he’s a focused player, he’s smart, he does a lot of things well." Coaches love to have McCourty on the team, and his teammates also think very highly of him, having voted him a team captain each of the last two seasons.
On the other hand, The Patriots fan base has mixed feelings towards McCourty that are fueled mostly by his poor performance in The Ravens game. Many have been calling for him to move to Safety permanently. The general feeling is that his greatest weakness at CB is his inability to play the ball in the air, and the move to Safety would allow him to see the ball better. Still, each time McCourty has been moved to Safety it has been due to team needs rather than personal strengths. In my opinion, it still remains to be seen where McCourty can be a greater asset.
My feeling is that McCourty should be used as a hybrid CB/S, much like a Rob Ninkovich is used as a LB/DE. McCourty's ability to be effective in a variety of techniques should make disguising coverages easier. The possibilities are especially intriguing in sub packages because the 5th and 6th DBs can be Corners or Safeties. This is how I see it provided that all players are healthy:
BASE D - Dennard might get the nod as the season progresses, but I think Belichick will use Chung more often than not. If these are the top 5 guys, I think the bottom 2 are Dennard and Chung. I lean toward Chung, but I hope Dennard makes a believer of me.
S - Chung/McCourty
S - Gregory
DIME D - Depends on the match-ups, but I think Tavon Wilson deserves to get back to his original role as a S/LB hybrid in the Dime. As of now, he's a role player, not a starting Safety. Leaving McCourty at Safety takes that role away from Wilson, and I think Wilson is better than Chung in the S/LB money position.
S - Gregory
S - Chung/McCourty
money S - Wilson/Chung
CB - McCourty/Dennard
CB - Talib/Moore
slot CB - Dennard/Arrington
Overall, these packages assume that Aqib Talib will work out well with the team. Assuming that, I think Devin McCourty makes the most sense at CB. Switching him back to CB will avoid a conflict of continuity between Chung and Gregory. No one can tell me that they don't want to have Patrick Chung in on at least Nickel and Dime situations. However, it makes no sense to me to bring him in at S and move McCourty to CB every other play. I say stick with Chung and Gregory, and let Dennard come on in sub packages.
Best case scenario, Talib creates extra depth at CB that allows The Pats to push struggling DBs Kyle Arrington and Sterling Moore down the depth chart. The depth also allows Belichick to use his personnel more situationally. Bill didn't draft Tavon Wilson to be a 4 down player in his rookie year, and although his recent playing time is good for his development, having him as a full time Safety is a liability. Likewise, Alfonzo Dennard is showing promise, but he's still on the learning curve, and should be used more sparingly. In my opinion, the top 4 DBs are McCourty, Talib, Gregory, and Chung.
McCourty should be primarily a CB because Chung and Gregory are legitimate starters. Still, I do think that McCourty should be the 3rd Safety behind Gregory and Chung. The depth at CB seems to be better than at S, and I think I'd feel more comfortable with Arrington/Moore at CB than Wilson/Ebner at Safety. Also, I think Dennard is better suited to play against slot WRs than against bigger outside WRs, so I don't think he's ready to be an every down player just yet. The way I see it, the team needs McCourty at CB if Chung/Gregory are healthy and effective. If they are not healthy or effective, then he should be a Safety.
Either way, this all depends on Aqib Talib. His presence as a top CB should allow The Patriots role players to go back to being role players. Dennard, Arrington, and Wilson should have much more success in reduced playing time. Each of these players have talents, but over the course of the game, they can be exploited. However, when used in right capacity, each of these guys can be a difference maker. Keep your fingers crossed that Talib can get over his issues and help us win some big football games.
On the other hand, The Patriots fan base has mixed feelings towards McCourty that are fueled mostly by his poor performance in The Ravens game. Many have been calling for him to move to Safety permanently. The general feeling is that his greatest weakness at CB is his inability to play the ball in the air, and the move to Safety would allow him to see the ball better. Still, each time McCourty has been moved to Safety it has been due to team needs rather than personal strengths. In my opinion, it still remains to be seen where McCourty can be a greater asset.
My feeling is that McCourty should be used as a hybrid CB/S, much like a Rob Ninkovich is used as a LB/DE. McCourty's ability to be effective in a variety of techniques should make disguising coverages easier. The possibilities are especially intriguing in sub packages because the 5th and 6th DBs can be Corners or Safeties. This is how I see it provided that all players are healthy:
BASE D - Dennard might get the nod as the season progresses, but I think Belichick will use Chung more often than not. If these are the top 5 guys, I think the bottom 2 are Dennard and Chung. I lean toward Chung, but I hope Dennard makes a believer of me.S - Chung/McCourty
S - Gregory
CB - McCourty/Dennard
CB - Talib
NICKEL D - No Arrington, Wilson, or Moore. This is where Dennard will log his snaps, and he will have plenty of chances to prove his consistency. As of now, he's a role player.
S - Gregory
S - Chung
CB - McCourty
CB - Talib
slot CB - Dennard
DIME D - Depends on the match-ups, but I think Tavon Wilson deserves to get back to his original role as a S/LB hybrid in the Dime. As of now, he's a role player, not a starting Safety. Leaving McCourty at Safety takes that role away from Wilson, and I think Wilson is better than Chung in the S/LB money position.
S - Gregory
S - Chung/McCourty
money S - Wilson/Chung
CB - McCourty/Dennard
CB - Talib/Moore
slot CB - Dennard/Arrington
Overall, these packages assume that Aqib Talib will work out well with the team. Assuming that, I think Devin McCourty makes the most sense at CB. Switching him back to CB will avoid a conflict of continuity between Chung and Gregory. No one can tell me that they don't want to have Patrick Chung in on at least Nickel and Dime situations. However, it makes no sense to me to bring him in at S and move McCourty to CB every other play. I say stick with Chung and Gregory, and let Dennard come on in sub packages.
Best case scenario, Talib creates extra depth at CB that allows The Pats to push struggling DBs Kyle Arrington and Sterling Moore down the depth chart. The depth also allows Belichick to use his personnel more situationally. Bill didn't draft Tavon Wilson to be a 4 down player in his rookie year, and although his recent playing time is good for his development, having him as a full time Safety is a liability. Likewise, Alfonzo Dennard is showing promise, but he's still on the learning curve, and should be used more sparingly. In my opinion, the top 4 DBs are McCourty, Talib, Gregory, and Chung.
McCourty should be primarily a CB because Chung and Gregory are legitimate starters. Still, I do think that McCourty should be the 3rd Safety behind Gregory and Chung. The depth at CB seems to be better than at S, and I think I'd feel more comfortable with Arrington/Moore at CB than Wilson/Ebner at Safety. Also, I think Dennard is better suited to play against slot WRs than against bigger outside WRs, so I don't think he's ready to be an every down player just yet. The way I see it, the team needs McCourty at CB if Chung/Gregory are healthy and effective. If they are not healthy or effective, then he should be a Safety.
Either way, this all depends on Aqib Talib. His presence as a top CB should allow The Patriots role players to go back to being role players. Dennard, Arrington, and Wilson should have much more success in reduced playing time. Each of these players have talents, but over the course of the game, they can be exploited. However, when used in right capacity, each of these guys can be a difference maker. Keep your fingers crossed that Talib can get over his issues and help us win some big football games.
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