Patriots GameDay: Jason McCourty Ready To 'Complete The Task' In Super Bowl LIII
BOSTON (CBS) -- Patriots safety Devin McCourty has been in the NFL for nine seasons, and is preparing to go to his fifth Super Bowl.
His twin brother Jason came into the NFL a year prior, but has just two playoffs games to his name. Those happened over the last three weeks, and he's now about to play in his first Super Bowl.
Though the two are identical in just about every way, their careers couldn't have been more different. Devin was in the playoffs his first year in the league, and in the Super Bowl the following season. Jason was part of just two winning seasons in his eight years in Tennessee (both 9-7), and then played for the 0-16 Browns in 2017.
Joining his brother in New England has truly been a blessing for Jason.
"I'm very grateful just to be on this stage, to have this opportunity. This is something I don't take for granted," McCourty told WBZ-TV's Levan Reid for Sunday's Patriots GameDay. "It took me 10 years just to play in a postseason game, let alone get to the Super Bowl, the big game at the end of the year. It means a lot."
Bill Belichick traded for Jason over the off-season, but it hasn't always been sunshine and lollipops for the other McCourty brother. Playing in the fourth quarter of the final preseason game is never a good sign for a veteran player, and he thought there was a real chance that he could be cut before the regular season.
But without that low, the high of hugging his brother at the end of New England's thrilling overtime win over the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game wouldn't have been as special.
"I remember talking to Dev on the sideline, 'Man, I'm not going to be here.' All the way to the moment after the AFC Championship, hugging and him telling me, 'Welcome to the Super Bowl!' All the ups and downs, everything we've endured has brought us closer, our families closer, and it's been special from that standpoint," said McCourty.
Despite those pre-season struggles, McCourty has become a key part of New England's defensive backfield. He's never played for an organization like New England, one that has everyone focused on one single goal: Winning.
"This has been amazing, the trials and tribulations. Starting 1-2, then losing back-to-back games when we had a chance to clinch the division. All of that bottled up into one season has been tremendous," he said. "The moments you share in chapel and Bible study with guys, learning about their families and the trials and tribulations they're facing off the field. All those moments show on the field on Sunday, all the guys playing for one another, playing together. That's what makes it special."
Now all that's left for the McCourty brothers is to win a Super Bowl together with their Patriots teammates. Now that he's made it this far, Jason isn't going to let anything get in their way.
"You get to this point and you want to complete the task. You want to do it not really for yourself, but for the guy in the locker next to you. For your family, for my wife, the different people who have sacrificed for so many years," he said. "For us and the Rams, you get to this point and you do everything humanly possible to try to give yourself a chance to win this game."
