PATRIOTS: ‘Other’ McCourty settling in

His future in New England appeared tenuous a month or so ago, but five games into the regular season Jason McCourty seems to have found himself a home. Veteran safety Devin McCourty’s twin brother is now holding down a starting spot at cornerback and brings depth to the safety position as well.

FOXBORO – It wasn’t all that long ago – just over a month ago, in fact – when Jason McCourty was on the bubble.

Now, they can’t get him off the field.

Participating in 82 of the Patriots’ 83 defensive snaps and turning in a high-level performance at the cornerback position, the team’s “other” McCourty – veteran safety Devin’s twin brother – played an integral part in last Thursday night’s 38-24 victory over the Indianapolis Colts at Gillette Stadium.

Not bad for a guy who began the regular season as the fourth cornerback behind Stephon Gilmore, Eric Rowe and Jonathan Jones on Bill Belichick’s depth chart, a player who saw time at safety in the preseason. A cornerback throughout his NFL career (eight years with Tennessee, one with Cleveland), the Patriots seemed to be searching to find some kind of role for McCourty on the team.

“We expected Jason to be able to contribute for us at corner, and he’s certainly done that,” Belichick said recently. “As we got to the end of preseason and into the early part of the regular season, we had a need for some depth at safety, and he was able to transition into there pretty well, too. You know, for somebody who really has never played that position, I thought he did a great job of adapting to it and embracing the opportunity and working hard to be able to do it, and he’s done a good job for us in there and he’s done a good job for us at corner with Eric Rowe being out.”

The oft-injured Rowe’s groin injury in Week 2 of the season has proven to be McCourty’s opportunity, the player the Patriots acquired (along with a seventh-round draft pick) from the Browns for the modest cost of a sixth-round choice taking full advantage of it.

“I don’t care where they put me,” said McCourty. “I just want to go out there and try to help this team win. Whether it’s at cornerback, safety, inside or dime, wherever they put me, I’m going to try my hardest to learn whatever it is and go out there and execute it well.”

McCourty did just that against the Colts, registering six tackles and breaking up two passes on defense while also participating on 15 (48 percent) of the Patriots’ plays on special teams. It was McCourty's hit on Colts wide receiver Zach Pascal that popped the ball out of his hands and led to Jones' interception and 28-yard return that set up the 34-yard touchdown run by Sony Michel that put last Thursday night's game out of reach, 38-17, midway through the fourth quarter.

A little more than a month after McCourty’s future in New England appeared tenuous, Brian Flores is describing him as terrific.

“Jason, he’s been terrific,” said linebackers coach Flores, the team’s de facto defensive coordinator. “As a player, he’s come in, he’s played a few different roles. But this is a team guy, selfless, really just wants to do whatever it takes to help this team win.

“So whether it’s corner, whether it’s safety, I think he’s an experienced guy who is smart, he can make adjustments, he knows the strengths and weaknesses of each opponent. This guy spends a lot of time watching film and understanding the opponent, what they’re trying to do, so he really does a good job of putting himself in a good position to make plays and help this defense play well. So, I’ve been really pleased with him.”