SB Nation Boston - Devin McCourty's Rib Injury Forces Him To Miss Second Half Of Bears Gamehttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48863/boston-fave.png2010-12-13T13:28:02-05:00http://boston.sbnation.com/rss/stream/16370562010-12-13T13:28:02-05:002010-12-13T13:28:02-05:00Devin McCourty's Status Still Unknown Following Sunday's Rib Injury
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<p>There's still no word on the severity of <a href="http://boston.sbnation.com/new-england-patriots/2010/12/13/1873015/devin-mccourtys-rib-injury-patriots-update">Devin McCourty's rib injury</a> suffered during the second quarter of Sunday's dominating win over the Bears -- the team hasn't commented on it since the post-game press conferences, and all McCourty said was that he was "OK" and "alright," likely at the instruction of the Patriots. From the <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/Greg_A_Bedard">Globe's Greg Bedard</a>: </p>
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<p>Loved how McCourty sprinted out of the locker room before media got in, I presume, on orders.</p>
<p>Don't care if team won't let him talk about his injury, but I would like to know about the three spectacular plays he bad before going out.</p>
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<p>But the rookie cornerback is voicing his appreciation the warm wishes from fans. </p>
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<p class="bbpTweet">Thanks for everyone support...it's much appreciated<span class="timestamp"><a title="Mon Dec 13 18:04:23 +0000 2010" href="http://twitter.com/DMcCourty32/statuses/14380125642555392">less than a minute ago</a> via <a href="http://www.echofon.com/" rel="nofollow">Echofon</a></span><span class="metadata"><span class="author"><a href="http://twitter.com/DMcCourty32"><img src="http://a0.twimg.com/profile_images/1172992612/int_point_vs_indy_normal.jpg"></a><strong><a href="http://twitter.com/DMcCourty32">Devin McCourty</a></strong><br>DMcCourty32</span></span></p>
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<p>If McCourty is sidelined for any length of time, it'd certainly be a blow to the quickly improving Patriots' defense. McCourty leads the team with six interceptions and is third with 67 tackles. Darius Butler, a second-year player out of UConn, is McCourty's back-up. The Patriots' Friday <a href="http://boston.sbnation.com/new-england-patriots/2010/12/10/1868569/chevis-jackson-patriots-deal-signing">signing of free agent CB Chevis Jackson</a> may be more valuable than even they originally realized. </p>
<p>Indeed, even in limited playing time Sunday, McCourty made his impact felt, most notably early in the second quarter when he forced a fumble that was picked up by Gary Guyton for a touchdown that gave the Patriots a 21-0 lead and essentially put the game away (jump ahead to the :45 mark).</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/CEbia8aPqK8" height="345" width="560" type="text/html" class="youtube-player" title="YouTube video player"></iframe></p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/new-england-patriots/2010/12/13/1873489/devin-mccourty-rib-injury-patriots-updatesRyan Hudson2010-12-13T09:46:38-05:002010-12-13T09:46:38-05:00Devin McCourty's Rib Injury Forces Him To Miss Second Half Of Bears Game
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<p>Cornerback <span>Devin McCourty</span> left Sunday's win over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/">Chicago Bears</a> in the second quarter with what is being called a rib injury. He did not return. </p>
<p>The good news is that after the game, he told the<a href="http://twitter.com/monwalker/status/14111580652314624"> Globe's Monique Walker</a> that he was "alright," while telling the <a href="http://twitter.com/kguregian/status/14111539585880064">Herald's Karen Guregian</a> he was "OK." The bad news is that the significance of the injury is not yet known. All Bill Belichick would say after the game was that the <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4689506/mccourtys-rib-injury-in-focus">medical staff did not clear McCourty to play the second half</a>.</p>
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<p>"His injury, or anybody else's injury, is all the same. It's up to the medical department -- if they clear a player to play. If they don't, he doesn't," Belichick said.</p>
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<p>McCourty <a href="http://boston.sbnation.com/new-england-patriots/2010/12/12/1871943/Patriots-vs-bears-Devin-McCourty-Gary-Guyton-Fumble-Touchdown">made the tackle and forced fumble on a Johnny Knox reception</a> early in the second quarter that allowed <span>Gary Guyton</span> to scoop up the loose ball and take it back for a score, making it 21-0 at the time.</p>
<p>McCourty, a rookie out of Rutgers, has quickly become the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.patspulpit.com/">Patriots</a>' top corner this season, and one of the defense's standout players. He leads the team with six interceptions (tied for second-most in the NFL) and is third with 67 tackles. </p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/2010/12/13/2326239/devin-mccourtys-rib-injury-forces-him-to-miss-second-half-of-bearsRyan Hudson