Devin and Jason McCourty are identical twins but after nearly a decade apart on the football field, they actually see the game a little different now. <\/p>\n
Speaking to New England reporters for the first time Tuesday since his trade from Cleveland last week, Jason McCourty, who came out of Rutgers a year before his twin Devin, acknowledged the obvious. They have had remarkably different NFL journeys. They also look at the game differently now. <\/p>\n
“That\u2019s probably one of the most intriguing parts of us teaming back up at this point,” McCourty told me. “We went through all those years of playing football together and now you\u2019re almost a decade later through different experiences. You\u2019ve seen the game over the last nine years through two different lenses, so it\u2019s going to be really interesting, I think, for both of us to see sitting in meeting rooms, being on the practice field, of how we see things and how differently or how much alike. <\/p>\n
“I think that\u2019s probably going to be intriguing for the coaches, as well. I think the one really cool thing is we\u2019re probably each other\u2019s biggest fans and biggest critics. I\u2019m very interested to see how much we can push each other to become better leaders, better players and the whole nine [yards].”<\/p>\n
Devin has been to four Super Bowls, winning twice. Jason has yet to make a playoff appearance. That alone speaks to the Grand Canyon difference in NFL experience. While Devin has only known the Patriots since being drafted in the first round in 2010, the Titans selected Jason in the sixth round (203rd overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft. He was the second player from Rutgers that the Tennessee Titans drafted after first-rounder Kenny Britt. Eventually, he signed a six-year, $43 million contract extension with $20 million guaranteed in August 2012.<\/p>\n
McCourty, like his brother Devin, was eventually named a co-defensive captain (during the 2015 season). But on April 13, 2017, McCourty was released by the Titans after eight seasons with the team as the team looked to save cap space. On May 16, 2017, McCourty signed a two-year, $6 million contract with the Cleveland Browns. He was about to be released but the Patriots stepped in and executed a trade that Devin had long pushed for. Last Thursday, the Patriots acquired Jason McCourty and a 2018 seventh-round pick while sending a 2018 sixth-round pick back to Cleveland.<\/p>\n
Now the McCourtys can talk football – and leadership – without worrying about exchanging trade secrets. <\/p>\n
“Man, it\u2019s everything. The cool thing for me is I\u2019ve been able to get the perspective, especially when it comes to X\u2019s and O\u2019s,” McCourty added. “We\u2019ve talked a lot, obviously, both of us being defensive backs over the years of the game plan, from a game plan standpoint, of he\u2019s maybe playing somebody in our division and I get on the phone with him and give him all of the notes that we had while we played him. We talk about what their attack would be versus what our attack would be, and that was always really cool just to see the different perspective of how one staff seems to attack a certain team and the way another one does. <\/p>\n
“We always got a lot out of that because it helps you to defend that team come Sunday. I think beyond that, the off-the-field dynamic was always cool to learn about just for the fact that we were kind of \u2013 I remember being drafted in \u201809 and having Coach [Jeff] Fisher as my head coach and Fish was a real player\u2019s coach, really laid back. I remember telling Dev a lot about that his last year at Rutgers, and then he comes in and goes to New England, which is kind of a little bit different. Us sitting there discussing the way one team is ran versus another team, it gives you just a different perspective to be able to really not take for granted the situation you\u2019re in, whether it\u2019s good or bad, but just so you know to approach it in a positive way and realize how you can make the best out of it.”<\/p>\n
\n\u270c?is better than \u261d? pic.twitter.com\/lVVv8XiYzP<\/a><\/p>\n
— Devin&Jason McCourty (@McCourtyTwins) March 16, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
How long will it take to adapt and adjust with Devin?<\/p>\n
“I don\u2019t think it\u2019ll take long. I think just from an experience standpoint of I\u2019ve been able to only play for two teams throughout my nine-year career but I\u2019ve had a good amount of defensive coordinators and I think when you have to do that, you\u2019re forced to have to adjust,” Jason said. “You get used to different terminology, different systems, so you start to combine them all and make sense of things. Honestly, having Dev, we talk about different things throughout the course of the season, how to approach one game plan versus the next. Then this is just a team that I watched extremely closely, so I think the one cool thing for me was when I got to Cleveland last year it was a younger team and I didn\u2019t know a lot of the guys when I first walked into the locker room. <\/p>\n
“But just over the years of following my brother and the team, I walk into this locker room already having a really good idea of a bunch of the guys on the roster so that, I think, will help for an easier transition. Over the years of going down to the Super Bowls when Dev goes or coming to visit him at different points of the season, I\u2019ve really gotten a chance to meet a lot of the guys.”<\/p>\n
Jason, who hasn’t been assigned a locker yet, also made it clear, he’s going to let Devin keep the leadership role in the locker room. <\/p>\n
“I think right now, for myself, I\u2019m not going to go in with any expectations in regards to that,” Jason McCourty said. “I just want to go be myself, get there, get accustomed to the guys in the locker room, not try to go in there and say, \u2018I\u2019m this 10-year veteran and I\u2019ve been a leader here. Let me lead you guys.\u2019 But just going in and being myself and get to know them to figure out what my niche is and where I\u2019m going to fit in on the team, so I\u2019m just kind of going in open-minded, ready to work and just ready to do whatever it takes to help the team succeed.”<\/p>\n
\nIt's reunion time in Foxboro & #Patriots<\/a> players were excited to see the @McCourtyTwins<\/a> back together: https:\/\/t.co\/yzvKUtW8SC<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/fiXfiFiy1s<\/a><\/p>\n