Speed week for defense
McCourty thinks fast on KC
PATRIOTS NOTEBOOK
FOXBORO — The Patriots aren’t usually into making comparisons, but Devin McCourty came up with an interesting one yesterday.
The collective speed of the Chiefs receivers reminds McCourty of the Steelers teams from a few years ago.
“It’s a little bit like I remember playing against Pittsburgh when it was Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders,” McCourty said. “Like that was just speed everywhere with a quarterback that can launch the ball and get it to them, and it’s the same thing. You have a receiving corps where I think 4.39 (40-yard dash time) is like the slowest speed out there.” McCourty was close. Tyreek Hill was not invited to the NFL combine, but his time, clearly, is faster than 4.39. Chris Conley, the Chiefs’ biggest receiver at 6-foot-3, clocked a blazing 4.35 at the 2015 combine. And Sammy Watkins turned in a 4.43 — still an excellent time — the year before.
Simple as it sounds, the Chiefs have receivers who can run past an entire secondary and a quarterback who can chuck the ball as far as he wants.
McCourty recalled a play from the preseason when Patrick Mahomes let it rip 70 yards in the air and Hill tracked it down for a highlight touchdown.
“It’s never too deep, that’s just not the case, so it’s something we’ve just got to be aware of in the secondary,” McCourty said.
And the Patriots can’t exactly replicate Hill’s speed in practice.
“I don’t think you can find a guy faster than that,” McCourty said. “I mean when you watch him on film, it just jumps off the screen of how fast he’s moving. Whether it’s in the punt returns, on offense catching a slant going the distance or running a nine route, the guy’s fast.”
Hogan downgraded
Chris Hogan is moving in the wrong direction as Sunday night’s game approaches.
Hogan did not participate in yesterday’s walkthrough due to a thigh injury. He was initially added to the practice report on Wednesday as a limited participant.
This has been a disappointing season for Hogan, who has caught only 11 passes in five games. His average yards per game has dipped from 48.8 in 2017 to 28.6 this year.
If he cannot play Sunday night, the Pats will enter with Julian Edelman, Phillip Dorsett, Josh Gordon and Cordarrelle Patterson at receiver. Gordon could see an uptick in snaps.
Gordon (hamstring) was a limited participant yesterday, along with tight end Rob Gronkowski (ankle), running back Sony Michel (knee), cornerback
Eric Rowe (groin), defensive tackles Malcom Brown (knee) and Danny Shelton (elbow), and defensive ends John Simon (shoulder) and Geneo Grissom (ankle).
For the Chiefs, four defensive players have missed both days of practice: linebacker Justin Houston (hamstring), safeties Eric Berry (heel) and Eric Murray (ankle), and linebacker
Tanoh Kpassagnon (ankle).
Ramsey fires back
The Stephon Gilmore vs. Jalen Ramsey battle rages on.
Prior to the Jaguars-Chiefs matchup in Week 5, Ramsey, the outspoken Jacksonville cornerback, declared that Kansas City receiver Tyreek Hill was merely a “return specialist.”
This was mentioned to Gilmore during a Wednesday interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub. The typically reserved corner said, “That’s not my style, but I find a lot of guys that talk are mostly zone guys so they have a lot of energy to do that.”
Ramsey caught wind of Gilmore’s comment, and he wasn’t too pleased.
“I’m going to continue to do what this team asks me to do,” Ramsey said yesterday. “Man or zone. Maybe he should try it. I was All-Pro.”
“I’ve never understood why somebody on the same side of the ball would hate on another guy,” Ramsey added. “Usually we’re going against the opponent. Maybe I’m a threat or something. I really don’t know. It was weird to me. It’s lame, corny, but it’s him, though.”
Ramsey made headlines throughout the summer for his criticism of nearly every NFL quarterback.