Bill Belichick praises Devin McCourty for his secondary play

During the coach’s Tuesday conference call, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick heaped some high praise on the veteran safety.

Everyone in the NFL knows the struggles that the New England Patriots defense is dealing with this season. They are statistically the worst defense in the league giving up an average of over 400 yards a game. That hasn’t stopped Bill Belichick from talking about one of the backbone’s of the defense, Devin McCourty.

A reporter highlighted that McCourty is on pace to have close to 140 tackles this season a number that you don’t usually see out of a safety for good reason. McCourty is supposed to be the last resort but with a weak defensive line and line-backing core, the secondary has been forced to step up their play.

High praise from the coach

Bill Belichick took his Tuesday conference call with media members as an opportunity to talk about McCourty’s tackling ability this season.

Related Story: Secondary success begins with Devin McCourty

"“Well, Devin’s a very good tackler, always has been. He’s got good quickness, good playing strength and a good feel for the ball. He’s fast. He’s made some of those tackles in space pursuit from behind that a lot of other guys might not make because of his excellent speed at the position. Tackling’s a lot about technique and good fundamentals, putting yourself in a good position and having the strength to wrap up and get the runners on the ground. I think he and Patrick [Chung] tackle very well at that position. I think [they’re] two of the better guys that we’ve had.I mean, I wouldn’t put them in [Rodney] Harrison’s category. But you’re talking about a Hall of Fame level player in my opinion, but those guys – Devin and Pat – in terms of their tackling are very good. They’re very dependable. They’re very good in space, which those are hard tackles sometimes when good runners have space to operate. They do a real good job there. Not just running backs with size, but receivers with speed and quickness. They get opportunities with a lot of different types of players. Devin’s done a great job for us.”More from Chowder and Champions3 Midseason Chaim Bloom Decisions That Have Killed the 2023 Red Sox10 Patriots Who Will Be Cut by Tuesday’s Roster DeadlineMLB Screws Red Sox Fans With Broadcast for Mookie Betts Return3 Most Underpaid Celtics Heading Into the 2023 SeasonRed Sox Continue Rollercoaster Season With Massive WinA model of consistencyMcCourty entered the NFL in 2010 as a cornerback but in 2012 he became a safety and has become one of the top talents in the league at his position.  McCourty has 19 interceptions and over 400 tackles in his 8-year career. This season McCourty has been a tackling machine with 42 total tackles which is astonishing when in the entire regular season in 2016 he had 83 total tackles.Ever since McCourty switched to Safety he has excelled at being able to help corners over the top as well as tackling in the open field. His experience as a cornerback has helped him to be one of the best coverage safeties in the league.The leader in total tackles by a defensive back last season was Safety Johnathan Cyprien who had 127 total tackles. If McCourty is forced to continue to make big tackles in the open field he may be able to pass that total.The Patriots defense has struggled the entire season but recently McCourty has been a bright spot. Hopefully, he will not be forced to continue to rack up the tackles but if so he has shown great ability to do so.Next: New England Patriots: The 10 greatest defensive players of all-timeDevin McCourty and the New England Patriots defense look to gain some momentum as they face the awful New York Jets on Sunday.Published on 10/11/2017 at 7:00 AM EDTLast updated on 10/11/2017 at 7:15 AM EDT “Well, Devin’s a very good tackler, always has been. He’s got good quickness, good playing strength and a good feel for the ball. He’s fast. He’s made some of those tackles in space pursuit from behind that a lot of other guys might not make because of his excellent speed at the position. Tackling’s a lot about technique and good fundamentals, putting yourself in a good position and having the strength to wrap up and get the runners on the ground. I think he and Patrick [Chung] tackle very well at that position. I think [they’re] two of the better guys that we’ve had.I mean, I wouldn’t put them in [Rodney] Harrison’s category. But you’re talking about a Hall of Fame level player in my opinion, but those guys – Devin and Pat – in terms of their tackling are very good. They’re very dependable. They’re very good in space, which those are hard tackles sometimes when good runners have space to operate. They do a real good job there. Not just running backs with size, but receivers with speed and quickness. They get opportunities with a lot of different types of players. Devin’s done a great job for us.”More from Chowder and Champions3 Midseason Chaim Bloom Decisions That Have Killed the 2023 Red Sox10 Patriots Who Will Be Cut by Tuesday’s Roster DeadlineMLB Screws Red Sox Fans With Broadcast for Mookie Betts Return3 Most Underpaid Celtics Heading Into the 2023 SeasonRed Sox Continue Rollercoaster Season With Massive Win"