Things have changed in a major way over the past two seasons for the New England Patriots.
Tom Brady, Julian Edelman and Patrick Chung are just some of the longtime members that moved on to the next part of their careers/lives. Some of the tenured players left on the roster include Devin McCourty, Dont’a Hightower, David Andrews and James White. Whether it’s from additions in free agency or the NFL draft — the Patriots’ roster looks much different.
For McCourty, it was difficult to lose key players in Edelman and Chung along with his brother Jason McCourty this offseason. The 33-year-old safety has a younger group in the secondary and he’s still acclimating to the new faces.
“Obviously it’s different. I will say the different thing about this year, too, is guys like Chung and Jules; I’ve played with those guys for so long — obviously, J’s my twin brother and the last three years have been awesome — but it’s getting used to just that aspect of some of the guys that you don’t think twice about that you’re talking the field with. Jules had a few injuries through the years, and Chung not really,” McCourty said, via Pats Pulpit.
“So, it’s like almost every time you’re at practice or a game, you just get used to seeing those guys. I think it shows age, when you’re still playing football. Things obviously change in this league, but I would say all those guys, kind of grouping them together has created a different atmosphere.”
McCourty’s spent his 11 NFL seasons with the Patriots and he’ll likely retire with the team. Father Time isn’t far behind him, but it’s now time to become a mentor and prepare this young team for a deep playoff run without Brady in the mix.
