FOXBORO, Mass. — Patriots rookie cornerback Devin McCourty was addressing his debut on Monday Night Football when he called it something of "a dream come true."
That's understandable for McCourty, who played his college ball at Rutgers, which had a big game here and there but never commanded the national spotlight of a Monday night game.
More than anything, though, McCourty should be most excited about his strong start to the season. He got after it right away, when he swatted aside a Carson Palmer deep ball to Terrell Owens, and McCourty hasn’t let up much since. Through three games — a miniscule sample size, for sure — McCourty has been one of the better surprises of the Patriots' young season.
McCourty is fifth on the team with 12 solo tackles, and he is tied for sixth with 14 total stops. He also has one pass defense and, true to his four-down reputation, McCourty has two solo special teams tackles, too.
While McCourty is young, he said he quickly learned he would be expected to perform.
"I realized as soon as I got here, it doesn’t matter [if you're] a rookie or a veteran," McCourty said. "There are certain expectations, and you have to live up to them."
McCourty said he hasn’t really been surprised by much, either. One thing that caught him off guard was the heightened intensity between the preseason and regular season. Clearly, there is still a laundry list of things McCourty has to learn, but he is off to a good start.
"It's a challenge, and I'm having fun doing it, trying to really learn," McCourty said. "Having a coach like coach [Bill] Belichick, and then some of these older veterans helping me out, it hasn’t been overwhelming so far."
