Devin McCourty should return to form in 2012

You may remember McCourty played some safety last year towards the end of the season after struggling at corner for most of the year. He's recently revealed that he is preparing to play multiple positions this year.

"To tell you the truth, I wouldn’t have told you 'no way' at all," McCourty is quoted on NFL.com. "We’ve got guys that played offense and defense. To think a guy can’t move and play some corner and some safety, I don’t think it’s crazy."

I still think McCourty is best fit to play at cornerback.

Whenever I hear Patriots fans mention McCourty's name it's always accompanied by grumbles. How quickly we forget that this is a guy who made the Pro Bowl as a rookie and was in the running for Defense Rookie of the Year back in 2010. McCourty was drafted over Rob Gronkowski, Brandon Spikes and Aaron Hernandez. There's no denying that this is a guy who had more bad moments than good in 2011, but are we ready to give up on him at corner back now? It makes no sense to me. Here's a piece I wrote back in 2010 that should give you a reminder just how good McCourty was in that season.

Still, versatility is something that the Patriots deeply value, obviously. The more positions that McCourty can play, the more useful he is in the eyes of Belichick.

After a full recovery from the shoulder injury he had been dealing with last year, I think McCourty will look more like the 2010 version than the 2011 version in 2012, what do you think?