Patriots notebook: Jason McCourty knows better than to write off lowly Bengals
FOXBOROUGH — Jason McCourty knows better than to write off the 1-12 Cincinnati Bengals.
McCourty, familiar with the feeling of having to suit up for games when postseason hopes are entirely out of the picture, fully expects the Bengals to be fired up Sunday. Why? It’s not so much about getting another win, he says. It’s about handing opponents a loss.
“You’re just trying to spoil other people’s season,’’ McCourty said in the latest episode of his “Double Coverage’’ podcast with his twin brother and teammate Devin.
The 32-year-old cornerback is speaking from experience. Prior to getting traded to the Patriots in 2018, McCourty had never advanced to the playoffs.
Over the course of his eight seasons with the Tennessee Titans, the team’s best finish was 9-7, twice. Their worst was 2-14.
After getting released by the Titans at the end of the 2016 season, McCourty signed with the Cleveland Browns, who proceeded to go 0-16.
McCourty expects the Bengals to be motivated on an individual level as well. Even though it might seem like little is at stake for the team, a future contract could be on the line for some players. Other coaches, general managers, and scouts will be watching the game’s film, McCourty says, so it’s important that those playing still give their best effort.
“Not only are you trying to ruin other people’s season, but personally, as you watch guys out there, nobody’s going to give up,’’ he said. “You may hate the team, you may hate the coach, ownership, and management, but, at the end of the day, you are what you put on tape.’’
Edelman, Sanu travel
Wide receivers Julian Edelman and Mohamed Sanu and center Ted Karras made the trip to Cincinnati, a promising sign regarding their availability for Sunday’s game.
Edelman (knee/shoulder), Sanu (ankle), and Karras (knee) were among the seven Patriots listed as questionable for Week 15. Edelman has yet to miss a game this season despite regularly remaining limited in practice, and Karras is looking to return to the field after sustaining a knee injury that sidelined him last week.
On Saturday afternoon, the Patriots downgraded Byron Cowart to out, marking the third straight game Cowart has been inactive because of a concussion.
Legend of Gronk
The legend of Rob Gronkowski continues to grow.
According to coach Bill Belichick, Gronkowski actually fell asleep during his pre-draft visit with the Patriots. New England traded up to draft the 6-foot-6-inch tight end out of Arizona with the 42nd overall pick in 2010, but Belichick acknowledged the selection was “a shot in the dark.’’
“He came up on his pre-draft visit, had a bad visit,’’ Belichick recalled in a segment that revealed Gronkowski was named to the “NFL 100’’ All-Time Team. “We put him in a room, came back, and he was asleep on the floor. Didn’t make a very good impression.’’
Belichick said the team was getting ready to have coaches and staff meet with Gronkowski when they discovered he was napping.
“Like, ‘Oh boy,’ ’’ Belichick said. “Kind of had a slow start there.’’
Gronkowski’s college years didn’t have Belichick particularly enthused, either.
“He didn’t do much as a freshman, had a decent year as a sophomore and caught 30 passes, and then missed his junior year with back surgery,’’ he said. “There wasn’t much to go on.’’
Things ultimately panned out, however, with Gronkowski playing his nine-season career in New England, helping the Patriots get to five Super Bowls.
“We kind of just bet that he would come through,’’ Belichick said. “He certainly did, big time.’’
Navy honor
The Navy football team, playing Army in its annual game, honored former Patriots halfback Joe Bellino, who died in March at age 81. The team’s gold helmets had Nos. 27 and 12 on them, representing its Heisman winners, Bellino and former Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach, respectively.
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