Devin McCourty: Man, Myth, or Legend?

Devin McCourty has certainly impressed Pats' fans across New England this season, perhaps not because of his out-of-this-world stats, but his consistent play and proven ability to shut down some of the best receivers in the league. The rookie corner has already been asked to cover the likes of Terrell Owens and Brandon Marshall. And he's done a pretty good job.

So what was McCourty like pre-NFL? In 39 games with Rutgers, McCourty recorded 238 tackles, 6 interceptions (two for touchdowns), and averaged 25.4 yards on kick returns (returning one for a 98-yard touchdown, third longest in school history). He was also the first corner in Rutgers history to lead the team in tackles during his senior year. Man, myth, or legend?

So what does he look like now? Well, in four games, McCourty's made 19 tackles. Aside from that, he held Terrell Owens to 7 receptions for 53 yards and held Brandon Marshall to only 5 receptions for 50 yards. In the eight preseason and regular season games he's suited up for, McCourty's averaged over 4 combined tackles per game, almost 5 in the regular season.

So how will McCourty look for the rest of the season? Hands down, he's already proved himself to be the best cornerback we have. I'm going to go with legend on this one. McCourty's the real deal. As he matures, he'll prove himself to be a leader in the Pats' secondary by example. McCourty was exactly what we needed this year to start to rebuild our "secondary," if that's what you could have called it.