Does Jason McCourty Think Patriots Will Repeat in AFC East? | Schein Time

Joining us right now on Shine Time to give us his view of the AFC East, my guy, former Patriots, former Dolphins, ESPN superstar, Rockland County native, makes him perfect for this topic, the greats, Jason McCourty. Jay Mack, how are you? I'm doing good. I love the Rockland County shout out as always. It's good to talk to you, man. Listen, Jason, you and your brother do such a brilliant job, you and Devin giving back to the community. This weekend, it's the annual McCourty Twins football camp, July the 18th. Camp is for boys and girls ages 6 to 14. It's in Rockland County, takes place at Nyack High School. Tell us why this is so important for you and your family. Man, I think for my brother and myself and our older brother, he's the one who got us into football in the first place. Growing up in Rockland County, we were always playing sports from wall ball, wiffle ball, kickball, every single thing you could in the backyard and always dreamed of becoming a professional athlete. And I used to look up to Keith Bullock, pointing to him and saying, I know if Keith made it, we have a chance to be able to do so. I obviously got a chance to be teammates with him in Tennessee. So it's been an awesome opportunity for Devin and myself each and every year to have this camp and allow all the kids to come out and be able to ask us questions, run around with us on the field, just so they can see whatever you're dreaming of is possible. We were just two kids growing up at Nyack High School and was able to figure it out. We want them to do the same. So there'll be a ton of people in the community giving back. Everything is free, pizza, ice cream. We encourage everybody to come out and just have a good time. We'll be out there, rain or shine. I love that. We just had Keith on with us right in studio to preview the AFC South. So listen, it's awesome. And Keith is a childhood friend, so I love that you referenced him. And Rockland County all the time. I can't get enough. Let's get into the division, right? And the Patriots won the division, won the conference last year. Drake May was sensational. First on the scene, runner-up for MVP. He's so special. He's brilliantly coached under Joshua Daniels and Mike Drable. Jason, in your opinion, what makes him so great? And how does he get to even another level with a perfect fit at receiver A.J. Brown on board? Yeah, last year he was just elite at getting the ball down the field. And there's something that's so hard to do to be as accurate as he was and so successful being able to do so. And that was without a true number one wide receiver. I know Stephon Diggs over a thousand yards last year and moved all around the offense for them. I think the step that we saw Drake May last year, even talking to him in production meetings, was his ability to understand why behind each and every play. And it's just amazing in the how things change so fast. Week one, they lose to the Las Vegas Raiders at home. I remember reading that week, everybody was asking Drake May with the addition of Josh McDaniels, was there too much on his plate? Too much to figure out and slowing him down and processing of how he was playing. And from that point on, the second week was down in Miami. You just saw him just continue to ascend as the season went on along with that offense. So I think you add the addition of A.J. Brown, what Josh McDaniels was able to do. I think back to Randy Moss's first year with the New England Patriots. I think it was over 1,400 yards. Him and Brady were setting records. And then you fast forward to McDaniels' first year with the Raiders. They didn't have a ton of team success, but you look at the numbers Devontae Adams had that year with targets, touchdown catches, yards, and receptions. It was unbelievable. So I think in year one, we're going to see A.J. Brown moved all around that offense and Josh McDaniels is going to do a great job of getting him the football in positions to succeed. I think that's only going to elevate Dred Mays' game even more. Without question. And Mike Vrabel had A.J. Brown in Tennessee. So there's that relationship, which I love. Now, the Patriots, Jason, won a lot of close games last year. And there are people like me, wondered aloud about that fine line between both fortunate and great. Now, Mays' unbelievable. A Mike Vrabel coach team is buttoned up and disciplined and go back to Tennessee, gets teams to overachieve. So for those who are perhaps non-believers or skeptics, and I know the coaching's elite, the quarterback's elite, A.J. Brown's elite, what are the keys for the Patriots? Let's start with the division to win the division again. I think a lot of it, their schedule is going to be a lot tougher this year. They go from being the hunters to being hunted because now you're not sneaking up on anyone. So it's definitely going to be more challenging. I think obviously defensively, they got to get Christian Gonzalez under contract and keep him happy on that side of the ball. He's an elite cornerback in this league, one of the top five to 10 guys when it comes to being able to take away a side of the field. I think offensively is continuing to get that run game going. Ramondre Stevenson holding onto the football and Travion Henderson being able to take another step where he wasn't used as much as a lot of people anticipated. If he can really take his game to another level, that's an added dimension for them and a breakout type of player that can score from anywhere on the field. We saw kind of a rollercoaster last year where you saw big plays out of them and then not as much usage the next week. It's part of being a rookie, understanding pass protections, understanding all of those different things. I think he can be a key step for them this year. And I think on the defensive side of the ball is getting that pass rush. They lost K. LaVon Chaisson who signed with the Washington Commanders. They went out and got Draymond Jones. They drafted second-rounder Gabe Yacas. He hasn't been there. He's unsigned still, so that's something that they have to get figured out because they're going to have to get after the quarterback a lot next year to be able to continue their dominance they had in the AFC. And just overall, I can understand people being down. When you look across the division in the conference though, there's a lot of question marks on other teams. As we get into Buffalo at some point, they have a brand new head coach. Miami's hitting reset. The Jets now have gotten a lot better, I think, in this offseason. But Patrick Mahomes, is he healthy? The Denver Broncos, Bo Nix coming off of an injury. The Ravens also have a new head coach. So there's a lot of change and a lot of question marks throughout the conference. Let's get into the builds. And you referenced a new head coach. And look, Sean McDermott won a lot of games. You have to give credit. I think the minute we don't do that, we've kind of lost the side of everything. But I also, for the sake of conversation and fairness and accuracy, Jason, I get it. For a team that has Super Bowl aspirations, look, I can appreciate why it was time for them to make a change. So when you analyze everything, how will the change with the head coach, the new voice, impact the 2026 Buffalo build? Yeah, it can go two ways. I think, to your point, you take for granted the fact that they were highly successful each and every year. They fell short in the playoffs. A lot of that, you can pass that blame around for a lot of different reasons throughout the course of their tenure, of his tenure there. But I think Brady brings in something a little different, I think, for Buffalo Bills fans and the people in the building. Your hope is that this newness, to a certain extent, maybe a different type of energy, a different focus, can help propel and just get them right over the hump. The challenge for Joe Brady is understanding what you don't know. It's hard for rookie head coaches to make it to the Super Bowl. It's only happened five times. The last time was in 2009 when Jim Caldwell did it with the Indianapolis Colts. So for Brady, who's going to be the offensive play caller, it's going to be big to be able to hit the ground running and understanding now, not only am I running this offense and trying to figure out the best thing for Josh Allen, but I also need to pay attention to know what the best thing is for their team. I think a sneaky big hire for them was Pete Carmichael. Carmichael as the offensive coordinator we brought over from Denver, who was with Sean Payton as an offensive coordinator for so many years while Payton was a play caller. So he understands what that role looks like and what's needed from him as that OC spot to kind of keep things rolling for Joe Brady. Listen, you study the film. You have been in the broadcast booth calling games. You analyze quarterbacks. You've had to stop quarterbacks. I just think the world of Josh Allen. What makes him so special? I think there's an on-the-field aspect and then there's an off-the-field aspect is the reason why Josh Allen is such a difference maker on the field. I think on the field, the obvious part is how strong his arm is, how athletic he is, his ability to get away from the rush, to make throws down the field. But I think off the field, when you watch his connection with the guys in that locker room, the amount of trust that they have in number 17 when the ball is in his hands, there's something special, I think, just about Buffalo and about being in Western New York that those guys really take heat in and really think is special. I think when you look across their offensive side of the ball from the tight ends and Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox and Jackson and all of those guys that are running back, there's a special bond. And I think Josh Allen is at the center of all of that. But when you have a guy that can do as much as he can do and is as physical as he is at that quarterback position, it is just special when you put together his ability to scramble and his ability to get the ball deep down the field and quickly out of his hands. I'm right along with you, Josh. If I'm drafting the team, he's probably the quarterback between him and Lamar that I'm going first. And that says a lot, obviously, with Mahomes in this league, too. Absolutely. Now, I thought Buffalo had not only a strong offseason but a smart offseason. Look, D.J. Moore, to me, is exactly who they needed. Tough, clutch, can certainly stretch the field. I think Josh is going to love him. Bradley Chubb. I mean, they couldn't stop him, so they signed him. We could talk about the contract if you want, but the guy gets to the quarterback. Do you think around Josh they have enough on offense and defense? Because here's the question. It's a division preview, but do they have enough, to go to the Super Bowl and finally win the Super Bowl? They do. They've had enough. When you look at Buffalo, it hasn't been, well, we were just missing this one guy. They were right there in these games. This past year, there was some turnovers from Josh. There was a catch with Brandon Cooke. There was a 13-seconds game. There was a Stephon Diggs drop. There was a missed field goal. There was a Dalton Kincaid drop. There's been so many little things for them that have been somebody stepping up in the moment to make the play. It hasn't been because of lack thereof of anything on this roster. Of course, when you go through, could you say we would love a big play down the field threat on the offensive side of the ball at receiver? There's different things you can nitpick and ask for, but absolutely they have enough of a team around Josh to be able to make it to a Super Bowl. To me, the biggest additions have been on the defensive side of the ball. A guy like C.J. Gardner-Johnson coming in there, signing some of the guys that they did to be able to build around on the defensive side of the ball. So, so much is an ask of Josh Allen and that offense. If they can get stops, as Ed Oliver is coming across the screen, if he's healthy, if some of those young defensive linemen they drafted a year ago can take another step, I think they definitely have enough. It's going to come in this division between them and New England, who's going to be able to win and be on top. Without question, I agree with you. I think Buffalo absolutely has enough. Jason, I kind of like the direction for the Jets. Seriously. I thought they had a really smart, calculated, just a brilliant offseason. Jamaro Davis, I just interviewed him in studio at SiriusXM. I mean, you know, he's built like an Adonis. I mean, he's still doing it. It's unbelievable. I mean, talking to him about his physique and what he puts into it and what he eats. I like the Geno Smith move. I thought that made a lot of sense. I loved their draft. Loaded at the skill position, solid line. Can the Jets turn the corner? They're the sneaky team in the division, to your point. And you didn't even mention the fact they have three first round draft picks going into the 27 draft. This has been, if you're a Jets fan, you sit back and you're like, competency. Like you just feel like you're in a great place right now because you're looking at your team, you're saying for this year, we obviously want to win games. We want to stack and build a winning culture. But you're just trying to make sure, all right, the stat that's been built this year with Aaron Glenn, you just want to make sure this is the correct staff going into the future. And I think Aaron Glenn showed last year he was learning on the job as a head coach, but he has the moxie, I think, to be a head coach and be successful in this league. Just seeing the way the veterans responded to him a year ago. Harrison Phillips talking about last year, he felt like they built a foundation of what it means to be a Jet in a positive way and building on top of that. But to your point, the additions that they've made, now you have a veteran quarterback in Geno Smith to be able to help lead the charge. Somebody that's been through so much adversity throughout the course of his career to end up where he is. You mentioned Demario Davis. I was teammates with him for an all season in Cleveland. I mean, it doesn't get any better when you talk about leadership and a guy serving other people and putting them in position to succeed. Minka Fitzpatrick, the veterans that they brought in on the defensive line on Yamada Nagbari, those guys that can help usher in the young talent that they've been able to develop in a guy like a Malakai Moore, Thomas at the cornerback position, Nashawn Wright coming over. So there's been so many additions that now you look at this team and you don't really know what number of games are going to win because there's a lot of variables with the newness of the team going forward. And then obviously Frank Wright as an offensive coordinator, I think now Aaron Glenn probably feels like he has the right staff around him to implement and to lead this team the way he wants to and the way he sees fit. Yeah, I want to get into Glenn with you because I raved about the hire. Loved it. I thought Aaron Glenn should have been a head coach in this league way before he got the job with the Jets. In a lot of ways, Jason, when he got the Jets job, I thought it was the equivalent to kin to win. D'Amico Ryan's got the Texans job, former player with the organization, knows the highs, knows the lows, knows how to navigate. And it didn't work last year. It was a bad year by every measuring stick. What needs to happen for Aaron Glenn to prove he's the guy? I think from a head coaching standpoint, I was talking to a veteran last year who was still playing in the league and we started just talking about what you want in a head coach. And the one thing that he harped on is at the end of games and when it comes down to the nitty gritty, you need a coach that is going to one or different ways, either a play caller that you're finding ways to dial up the right play to win games or from a game management standpoint, you're able to navigate and do things to put your team on top. I think for Aaron Glenn, he's going to be the play call on the defensive side of the ball, which is going to change things and how we look at him and evaluate him because you got to be able to come up with turnovers and come up with stops. And then I think from a game management standpoint last year, there were different times where you saw them do things where you're scratching your head, the game in London, a game against where you're like, kind of why are they doing this? This doesn't really make sense. And I think the first time as a head coach, there's so many different things to manage on game day that you're figuring out. I think that's the next step for them. I don't think it's going to be measured and just wins and losses. It's going to see when you look out there from the eyeball test, what does this team look like? How are they competing week in and week out? And are they putting themselves in the right position to win the games? If you're losing just because this guy beat us on this give and play, but we were in the right call, we were doing, then you're okay with that, but you have to make sure that's the reason and not because we're getting outcoached. Such a brilliant way to phrase it. All right. Finally, the dolphins, and I'm fascinated to get your take on this. They have a direction. It's been a minute, but I like it. The new GM, the new coach, the new quarterback, everyone's aligned from the same place. I think it's super smart. I dig it. Give us your opinion on Miami's off season and the expectations for the season and most especially Jason for the future. Yeah, it's a full reset. And I think it was needed. You think about the last few years, it's been kind of the thought process of let's go, let's go all in. They brought in Mike McDaniel, Tua was there, Tua was playing at a high level, traded for Tyreek Hill, and you were trying to go out and win the Super Bowl. They fell tremendously short. And you look at the last few years and how everything kind of crumbled to the wayside, it was time. So now it's a brand new GM and John Eric Sullivan, a new head coach and Jeff Halfley. And now you're trying to move forward and figure out, for one, you signed Malik Willis, a short-term deal. You saw what he was able to do in Green Bay and how he was able to be effective in the time and the moments that he got a chance to go out there on the field. Can he carry that over as a franchise guy? The struggle, the question mark that I have for them is you get Malik Willis there now in the building, but you look at what he's surrounded with. It's a lot to ask of him, of a first-time, full-time starter. And you look at the wide receiver position, they have Tutu Atwell over there, Malik Washington as a guy, Tolbert they brought over from the Dallas Cowboys. There's not a true number one in a sense there, Greg Doltres as a tight end. Obviously, they kept A. Chan as a running back, which has been huge, but you're asking a lot for him as the quarterback to go out there and compete and try to win games with what he's surrounded with on the offensive side of the ball. I do think the reset was needed, and it's going to be interesting to see how they compete within this division, obviously have them last going forward. And I think they know that. The expectation is to build a culture and to build a foundation to be able to stack on top of in the coming years as they figure out exactly who they're going to be identity-wise for a franchise. Jason, you're the best. We appreciate the time as always. Continued success. ESPN, unbelievable. Love watching you on Get Up and First Take and NFL Live. Keep up the great work. Enjoy the camp this weekend, and we'll talk to you again real soon. You do the same. Always good to see you.