FOXBORO -- Devin McCourty's second NFL season didn't go as planned.
The plan was for him to duplicate his rookie season, in which he had seven interceptions. But that wasn't the case in 2011-12. McCourty finished his sophomore campaign with only two picks. He was even moved from cornerback to the safety position.
Now, he's back at corner, for training camp at least.
"I'm just playing," said McCourty following Monday's practice. "When you play in New England, you've got to be ready for anything. We've had wide receivers on defense, we've had everything. Just going out there and getting better at wherever you're at that day and working on those things, is kind of my key and my goal this season. No matter where coach Bill Belichick decides to play me, I want to be ready to go."
McCourty wouldn't go too in-depth about what he needs to improve on in his third NFL season, but he knows it'll have to be better than his second year, for both him and the rest of the secondary.
"Just get better," he said. "I don't think it's something that I can come out and become a whole new person. I've just got to get better and go out and play well.
"I still feel like it's a progress. I have to keep working and keep getting better. I think myself, and as a whole, we've made some plays that we should make out there. And then, we've corrected some things, and there's still some things that we need to do better. I think for right now, we just have to focus in on those things."
New England Patriots
When talking about improvement in the Patriots' secondary, McCourty is focused on giving his defense a certain attitude adjustment.
"We're just trying to be aggressive and be competitive on everything out there," said McCourty. "From the front, all the way throughout the secondary, guys are trying to just develop an attitude. Defense has a lot to do with attitude and how you approach the game. So, we're trying to keep an attitude, and trying to do it day in and day out.
"It's an attitude that we've got to always have as defensive players. We've got to be attackers. There's great offenses in this league. We've got to want to hit people in the mouth, and go out there and play hard."