McCourty Brothers' Letter to New England Should Pump Patriots Fans up After Tom Brady's Departure

Tom Brady and a significant chunk of the New England Patriots' defense are gone. Things are going to look a lot different for the National Football League's most successful franchise of the last 20 years. Luckily for Pats fans, there's still some veteran talent that's in it for the long haul. Safety Devin McCourty wrote an open letter to New England in The Players' Tribune on Tuesday that should have fans excited for a new era.

The piece, titled "A New New England," explains how McCourty was ready to leave the team he'd come to love. With so many teammates departing, he thought he might be "ready for a new challenge." The reason he stayed? Family.

By staying in New England, he gets to stay on the same team as his twin brother, Jason. But more excitingly for Patriots fans, McCourty says he may have found a new point of pride in staying put.

With so many veterans leaving the Patriots, he thinks it'll be a new challenge to rebuild a team and return to the Super Bowl. That's exactly the kind of optimism and determination New England needs on their side.

At the end of the day, McCourty showed in his letter how loyal he is.

"... When it comes to staying in New England, it’s not just me and my brother and our family," the 32-year-old said. "It’s about our extended family, too. Our Patriots family."

The Patriots family has a long road ahead, and it's laden with uncertainty, but at least there's a foundation with a veteran pair of brothers who are going to do what it takes to win.