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SAN FRANCISCO – Even though he won the Super Bowl three times with the New England Patriots, Devin McCourty is amazed that his old team got back to the ultimate game so quickly.
“I’m as surprised as everyone else! That said, I knew the Pats would be better than people thought because I had been around the group as an analyst for a preseason game. And what they did better than other teams was hiring free agents who shined. They fit very well into the culture of Mike Vrabel who deserves a lot of credit,” explained McCourty, who played for the Patriots from 2010 to 2022.
On the other hand, when we continue the friendly discussion with him, we read between the lines that McCourty envies an aspect of the current edition of the Patriots.
You read that right. Even though he played with Tom Brady and was at the heart of one of the greatest dynasties in professional sports history, McCourty found the weight of the pressure not relaxing.
“I think the excitement is different for the Patriots this year. I played with them for 13 years. I’m going to exclude the three years without Brady. But, with him in charge, the outside expectation was always that we would win the Super Bowl. If we won it, it was straight away ‘Are you going to win the next one?’ “, noted McCourty.
“The context is completely opposite this year. For us, when we didn’t win the championship, it was a failure even if that’s not reality. »
— Devin McCourty
Over the past few days, McCourty had the privilege of interviewing a few players for the network NBC which will broadcast the Super Bowl. He made sure to give them an empathetic message.
“I told them to really appreciate this week, including the portion with the media. I see videos and photos of my experiences again and it’s wonderful to remember that it happened, it’s precious,” the 38-year-old emphasized.
McCourty makes no secret of it, being a Super Bowl champion – three times in addition – has completely changed his professional life. Instead of fading into obscurity, his name holds attractive value.
“I will not hesitate to tell the truth. When you win the Super Bowl, you get a lot more opportunities. I find myself here with NBC. Is my presence more interesting since I won with the Patriots? Of course. I was talking about it with Malcolm Butler, his famous game would not have the same impact if it had not been successful in the Super Bowl. It’s cool to have the chance to shine (on the biggest stage),” McCourty said as Butler intercepted a pass from Russell Wilson at the goal line to prevent the Seattle Seahawks from winning against the Patriots in February 2015.
Saying McCourty didn’t like the Patriots
McCourty will never forget his first coronation, at Super Bowl XLIX.
“We lost on my first opportunity (against the Giants). I was so focused before the match, I wanted to win so much so as not to experience this disappointment again. We also lost twice in the association final before returning to the final match,” recalled the man who had the privilege of winning his last Super Bowl with his twin, Jason, against the Rams.
A smile appears on McCourty’s face when he thinks back to his childhood when he wasn’t a fan of the Patriots, the organization that changed his life.
“To tell the truth, I was rooting for the other teams. Now, the old ones remain great loyalists of the team. I bought jerseys for my kids who are Pats fans. I appreciate everything and I’m not one of those who want them to lose to protect our dynasty,” said the former number 32 who made 971 tackles, 35 interceptions and 4 touchdowns during his career.
“Ridiculous that Belichick has to wait”
Not surprisingly, McCourty was asked about the aberration that former head coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft will not be inducted into the Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.
“They obviously deserve their place. We see Mr. Kraft being back at the Super Bowl with a new coach which says a lot. It’s ridiculous to think Bill will have to wait with all he’s accomplished. At the next ceremony, the biggest story will be that Bill and Robert were voted out and that’s a shame for them and for those who are elected,” concluded McCourty.
