McCourty Jokes About Revis' Departure, Unsure What To Expect With Patriots Secondary
BOSTON (CBS) -- The New England Patriots secondary is down an All Pro corner, but don't ask Devin McCourty about it.
Or should we say, him?
The Patriots are back at Gillette Stadium, as OTAs got underway on Monday. McCourty was one of the players to address the media on Tuesday, and had some fun when asked about Darrelle Revis' departure for the New York Jets.
"Who?" McCourty jokingly asked. "We're past that."
The Patriots safety quickly added there are no hard feelings for Revis leaving town.
"We're still friends," he said when asked if he would no longer utter the player's name.
However, McCourty admits that without Revis in the defensive backfield, there are several question marks surrounding the New England secondary.
"I guess right now we don't know what it's going to be," McCourty said. "I'm confident in the hard work that we're going to put in, but I'd be lying if I came out here and said we're going to be great. Same way last year when we got together; we didn't know what to expect. We've got to put the work in now and we'll grow as the process goes on. Once we get on the practice field for OTAs, and we'll start practicing, doing things like that, that's where you put the work in and you give yourself a chance to be a good secondary and a good defense."
McCourty himself was almost a former Patriot, reportedly set to leave the team via free agency before Bill Belichick upped the ante with a five-year, $47.5 million deal. McCourty knows that with such a big contract, the expectations for him will be even higher. And though he now has a little bit of job security regarding his NFL career, McCourty knows he's still going to have to push himself every time he steps foot on the field.
"I think, for all players, you just take it one year at a time," McCourty said. "So, [I'm] just thinking about what we need to do now as this process goes with some young guys, a newer look to our secondary. I think that's more the focus. I don't ever think you get a sense of relief in the NFL. I don't really care who you are, it's always something where you've got to be on edge and want to get better for yourself and your teammates."
