Devin McCourty had an excellent rookie year in 2010 for the Patriots but got off to a bit of a slow start in his second year. In each of his first three games, he allowed over 100 receiving yards. New England is at the bottom of the league defending the pass. The inauspicious start for their top returning corner is a big reason.
McCourty seemed to have problems against big and physical receivers in the early going. This was one of the question marks about him coming out of school. He is only 5'10 and 193 pounds. Brandon Marshall had 6 receptions for 114 yards when matchup up against McCourty in Week 1, and a week later, Vincent Jackson had 5 catches for 87 yards when Devin covered him.
I think when the Jets see McCourty matched against Plaxico Burress, they should look to target it. This offense needs to get back to putting Mark Sanchez in a position to make big plays with a decent chance of working. I do not think they have looked to exploit Burress enough down the field yet. If he is one on one, the Jets should make it more of a point to have Sanchez put it up and let him try to make a play when he has a size advantage. Plax going for a ball leaves the risk of an interception low, while the odds of him making a play or drawing a penalty are much higher.