Devin McCourty on ’25 Patriots: ‘A lot different than us’

New England Patriots

“I just think they have a mentality of — we can go and beat anybody.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Mike Vrabel didn’t take the bait Tuesday morning when asked if whether the Patriots’ previous triumphs in the Super Bowl might be something he’ll play up as his team tries to secure a seventh Lombardi Trophy. 

“I don’t know where the dynasty would come from,” Vrabel said. “Maybe the teams that I was a part of in the past, you could consider that, but we’re just trying to build a program. First year of the program, we ended up here. We’re excited about it, and we’re ready to go. We will be ready to go.”

Devin McCourty shared a similar sentiment on Tuesday when asked to map out the similarities and differences between this current New England roster and the dynasties of yesteryear. 

Yes, there are a few familiar faces like Vrabel and Robert Kraft in place, while the logo remains unchanged from the years when Tom Brady and his teammates reigned over the league for two decades. 

But, McCourty believes plenty has changed since his days in Foxborough. 

“Our championship teams had Tom Brady on them,” McCourty said Tuesday. “So every year we came into the season and the expectation was to be in the Super Bowl. This team came off a four-win season.”

While Drake Maye has asserted himself as a legitimate MVP candidate this season, narratives such as New England’s lighter regular-season schedule have seemingly discredited the Patriots’ road to Super Bowl LX. 

The 2025 Patriots may not instill fear in opponents to the same degree as it was during the Brady-Belichick era. But, a revamped New England depth chart — now galvinized under Vrabel — doesn’t need to follow the same script as previous Patriots teams to find success. 

“I just think they have a mentality of — we can go and beat anybody,” McCourty said. “We can do that. We had that. But I think you could probably argue all championship teams have that. So I think this is a credit to them of having the right guys that create and believe. Having the right head coach that creates belief. He coaches in a style that, again, I’m not in the locker room — it feels totally different than the coach I played for. 

“It feels different, it looks different, but it has a lot of like the foundational pieces to it, to how they want to perform and what they want to be about. But I think they’ve been a lot different than us, [but] they found the same type of success.”

The sight of Vrabel headbutting his players and hugging them after victories may be a stark contrast from Belichick’s brooding presence.

But, McCourty believes that the Patriots’ focused — albeit lighter — approach should be welcomed on a team with numerous players getting their first taste of a Super Bowl. It was a luxury that McCourty and many of his teammates might have taken for granted during the dynasty’s heyday. 

“When we won a Super Bowl, the next question was, ‘Hey, are we going to win again next year? It wasn’t like, ‘Hey, we can’t wait for the parade or the ring ceremony.’ Everybody was like, Are you guys gonna win next year,” McCourty said. “But I think now there’s an excitement. … Total opposite of what we went through. 

“I played on some great teams, but if we didn’t win the Super Bowl, it was like, ‘Man, this season was a failure. And that’s not true. And I think they’re getting to enjoy it. A lot of the guys I talked to — I told them, you’re going to have media every day. You’re going to do all these things, man. Just take it all in. I look back now and I see pictures or videos of some of the things I did, and it’s awesome to know that you did it, because it’s a reminder that it happened.”

McCourty — who will be part of NBC’s broadcast team for Super Bowl LX between the Patriots and Seahawks — expressed gratitude for getting a chance to be on site as his team tries to once again plant its flag atop the NFL summit. 

“I think this team is earning their right to be in the Super Bowl,” McCourty said. “But I think for all of us former guys, like, there comes opportunity. And I’m a fan. I still watch those guys. I was up there last week interviewing them, buying Patriot jerseys for my kids — who are now Patriots fans. So I enjoy that. 

“I’m not one of the guys that feels like I hope they lose, to protect what we did. … I went and I got to talk to Malcolm Butler about his play at Super Bowl XLIX that would have never happened if this team didn’t make it to the Super Bowl. So I always think it’s a cool opportunity.”

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.