Phins sign veteran DB Jason McCourty

Mike Garafolo
@MikeGarafolo
The #Dolphins are signing veteran CB Jason McCourty, source says. The 12-year veteran heads for a reunion with Brian Flores.

mercury22nathan wrote:i gotta be honest - this signing puzzles me...and makes me nervous.  he's clearly not starting material at this point in his career (started 11 of 16 last year in NE), at least i hope that's not the plan.  then what's the point?  if he's coming to Miami just to compete for a roster spot, then what is wrong with the younger guys on the roster that Miami needs to sign a 33 year old to a one year deal?  if he's coming to backup the outside, then there is definitely a problem with wasting a 1st last year on Iggy.  is he a safety?  if he's coming to be the slot guy, then i guess the Coleman signing wasn't all its cracked up to be - never mind that Miami just cut a very good (overpaid) slot guy in McCain.  and speaking of which, how much is Miami paying McCourty?  it better be a lot, lot less than the deal Miami just terminated in McCain - otherwise, what's the point?  so, if he's seen as a starter, there's problem with the guys already on the roster.  but if he's a backup, is he gonna play ST at this stage in his career?  if not, again, what's the point?

so here's the part that makes me nervous.  Miami seems to make these kind of pointless moves and then the other shoe drops and makes me say, "Oh, that's why they did that."  i hope this isn't one of those situations.  i hope there is no "other shoe."  [INSERT hypothetical rumor about X Howard about to get traded.]

i don't know, guys usually don't just join a former coach just to be a non-special teams backup or to just compete for a chance at a spot at this stage in their careers.  if that's all he is, then there are lot of other much younger, much cheaper guys that i am sure Miami could've brought in.

As McCourty heads into his 12th year — his third with the Patriots — the role he plays off the field is almost as important as the one he plays on it. With over a decade of NFL experience, the defensive back finds himself becoming the player he looked to be in his first few years in the league.

“For me, being able to play for multiple organizations, coaches — there’s tidbits that you can take from everywhere, and those guys know that’s one thing with me,” McCourty said. “Whatever the question or anything that I have to share, I’m going to do so, so I love that aspect.”

...

In putting together their roster, the Patriots have balanced these vets with plenty of young talent. Jonathan Jones and J.C. Jackson have played a combined six seasons and have turned into players the team trusts. Joejuan Williams didn’t see much time on the field as a rookie, but that had more to do with the depth on the roster.

Add in second-round draft pick Kyle Dugger and you’ve got a good young nucleus of players that could take over when the big four end their careers.

Jason McCourty doesn’t mind helping to prepare them. He was in their shoes once and when he needed advice — on or off the field — he got it.

“It’s just part of the game. When I first came into the league, I was in Tennessee and I had guys like Cortland Finnegan, Chris Hope, Michael Griffin — a ton of guys that were willing to pour into me and help me figure out how to be a pro, whether it was the defense, whether it was life off the field,” McCourty said. “So, for me, getting a chance to be around J.C. — J. Jones is a young vet himself — but Joejuan (Williams), all of those guys, being able to help them, whether it’s questions about finance, questions about agents or any of those different things, to be able to be just a sounding board. And then when we’re out there competing, there’s little things that experience teaches you.”

McCourty enjoys his young teammates. He calls Jackson “gerbil” and gives him a hard time, like he would any player who was playing Pop Warner when McCourty started. He spoke highly of Williams and said he was willing to learn, listen and put in the work. It was a theme with the young DBs on the Patriots roster last season, even the ones who didn’t see time on Sundays.

“Whether it’s Joejuan, whether it was D’Angelo (Ross) before he got here, Malik (Gant), all of those young guys came in and they were willing to listen to the older guys, listen to the coaches and really do everything that was asked of them on a daily basis,” McCourty said, “to make sure they were making the necessary movements forward to get better as a football player.”

McCourty won’t stop trying to make himself better either.

Bill Belichick and the Patriots are known for wanting their players to be versatile. Versatility helps when there are injuries, but it also helps with understanding your own defense.

“When we’re going over installs and doing things, I try to challenge myself,” McCourty said. “All right, can I learn the entire defense? Can I understand what the nose technique is or what the defensive tackle is doing in this blitz and why he’s doing it and understand the call that (defensive captain Dont’a) Hightower may make when he sees this or that?

“I think when you’re able to do that, it makes — whether you’re playing corner, safety, nickel, all of those positions — it makes it relatively easy because you understand in what ways the offense is trying to attack you and you understand from a defensive perspective what are you giving up and the things that you have to defend against.”

That understanding didn’t come right away. It was a learning process and remains as such for McCourty. But he’s having fun with it, just like he is helping younger players become better pros.

Having fun and playing football aren’t something McCourty is taking for granted.

“It’s such a privilege to be able to play in this league that I’m just trying to take advantage of each day I have the opportunity to go out there and compete,” he said.

finfanatic wrote:You just never know what the plan is until it takes shape on the field.

Some of these guys may not even be here for the 1st game.

I do think that if Miami does not get some decent contributions from Iggy this season the BUST appellation is really going to pick up steam.

Umix10 wrote:I dont like the signing! If you are trying to bring in a veteran presence, I agree! But, couldn't that be said for the running back room?  We have 5 guys in the that room with less than 3 years of experience in the NFL.  Defense is this teams strongest unit.  With Tua entering his second year, based on the premise, signing a vet RB like Bell or someone still out there makes more sense in improving the overall roster.