Devin McCourty after another Patriots loss: ‘We can’t let the culture change’
"I'm going to continue to have that same passion and fire to play the game."
Devin McCourty said it’s imperative for the leaders of the Patriots to continue to uphold the standard that was set before even McCourty arrived in Foxborough.
“I think we’ve got to continue to demand that of each other,” McCourty said after New England’s 24-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. “Even though the games aren’t going how we want, we’re 2-5, I think we can’t let the culture change.”
The defensive captain McCourty acknowledged it’s been a “very frustrating” stretch as the Patriots have lost both tight and lopsided games during a four-game skid.
McCourty said close matchups often comes down to one, two, or three pivotal plays. He noted that he’s been in Cam Newton’s situation, where it seems like one negative play shapes the entire game, but in reality, there are other key moments before that mistake that have just as much of an effect on the outcome.
Now’s not the time to dwell, he said. It’s the time to build on their progress and get sharper in the coming weeks. McCourty said this year is no different in terms of expecting activity at the trade deadline. It is what it is, he said. If trades happen, they do, and if they don’t, they don’t – but it’s certainly tough to see friends go along the way.
“We’re just one of those teams I feel like, every year that I’ve been here, when the trade deadline comes up, we’re either going to trade someone, trade for someone,” McCourty said. “Sometimes we don’t, but I feel like this is the trade center of the NFL.”
When asked if Sunday’s game served as a statement to encourage Patriots brass to keep the team together, McCourty quickly downplayed that notion.
“Nah, I mean we lost,” McCourty said, pointing out that every game should be viewed as a building block but this was still a loss.
Updated ESPN football-power-index chances to win the AFC East:
🏈 Bills: 84%
🏈 Dolphins: 13%
🏈 Patriots: 3%
🏈 Jets: <0.1%For the optimists: Somewhere, Julian Edelman says, “Gonna be a helluva story.”
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) November 1, 2020
He added that he doesn’t believe anyone in the organization questions whether the Patriots are going to play hard. It’s simply another week, and another loss, and the focus is on executing better and winning next week against the New York Jets.
McCourty, 33, called the opportunity to play football “a golden chance,” noting that he doesn’t know how many seasons he’ll have left.
“I’m going to continue to have that same passion and fire to play the game,” McCourty said, “and I’m going to push guys to do the same.”
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