McCourty brothers look to experience glory together
Devin and Jason McCourty are twin brothers, as close as actually sharing an Instagram account. Growing up, they have been playing on the same team from Saint Joseph Regional High School to Rutgers. Their lives took a turn in 2009, as Jason opted for the NFL Draft and Devin finished up his college degree before graduating. Jason was a sixth-round pick, going to the Tennessee Titans while Devin was a hotshot first-round pick to the New England Patriots.
As a Patriot, Devin was the staple of a solid defense with Belichick’s patented emphasis on positional flexibility. The first-team All-Big East cornerback entered the league and became a regular fixture on a successful team, starting at least 14 games every season. He also was part of a number of swiss army knives in New England’s secondary, with the likes of Patrick Chung and later fellow Scarlet Knight in Duron Harmon. He was an anchor for the two Super Bowl-winning teams while making two Pro Bowls and a three-time second-team All-Pro selection.
Jason was less lucky as a low-round draft pick. The Titans had their fair share of struggles in his tenure with the team from 2009 to 2016. The Tennessee teams only broke .500 twice during that span and had four coaches with Jeff Fisher, Mike Munchak, Ken Whisenhunt and Mike Mularky – not the most attractive of names. Things did not go up from there, though, as he signed with the Cleveland Browns after the Titans acquired Logan Ryan. He was part of the infamous 0-16 Browns team before a fateful trade reunited him with his twin brother.
Devin surely played a huge part of bringing the brothers back together in New England. After Jason broke the news about the Browns intending to release him, Devin texted Patriots’ de-facto defensive coordinator Brian Flores about possibly acquiring Jason, and that message got relayed to Belichick. Sooner rather than later, the deal is in place to swap lower round picks and bring Jason to New England.
New England’s defense was not as stellar, as some of the patented Super Bowl teams like the 2001 edition that stopped the 'Greatest Show on Turf' with them only ranking 16th in both defensive and weighted defensive DVOA. However, Jason was heavily featured as the other starting cornerback alongside first-team All-Pro Stephon Gilmore. He brought upon a sense of veteran’s presence to the team for sure, but he does not have to be the go-to shutdown corner with the likes of Devin, Harmon, Chung and J.C. Jackson capable of covering in the secondary. It is not until this year, his 10th year in the NFL, when he made his playoff debut. After stellar wins against the Los Angeles Chargers and the Kansas City Chiefs, the McCourty brothers are one step away from the ultimate glory – winning the Super Bowl – this time alongside each other.
Ryan Lam is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email txl273@psu.edu.
