http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/sports/newengland/football/patriots/2014/08/26/devin-mccourty-on-logan-mankins-dont-know-if-you-get-that-type-of-teammate-ever-again/ FOXBORO — For those Patriots who played with Logan Mankins, Tuesday was harder than any offseason or training camp practice they’ve had this season.After their first practice without the six-time Pro Bowl left guard, they came off the field and had to face the reality that the business side of the NFL and the Patriots had hit home. Mankins’ locker was in tact along with some team equipment but his teammates were left to answer questions about his sudden departure to Tampa Bay.“He’s the type of guy you don’t know if get that type of teammate ever again,” safety Devin McCourty said. “He’s a tough guy. The different injuries he’s played through, being out there every snap, every chance he could get. When I got here, he wasn’t at here at first because he was home and he missed first couple of games. He came back and you could see the difference up front in how everybody played. He went to the Pro Bowl in a half-year. I think that just spoke volumes about a guy who you just see his leadership stand out as soon as he steps on the field.“Since I’ve been here, he’s a guy you look up to, and I’m a defensive back and that’s watching the offensive line. Tampa is going to get one helluva player, and guy.”McCourty the player then spoke like McCourty a team captain.“There are some things you can’t control. You just accept,” he added. “It’s tough, it’s tough. You just tell yourself, and it starts the older guys on the team, you have to go out there and play. You can’t just sit there and sulk or be disappointed in your mind. You just have to go out there and play and make sure the younger and go about it and play and follow your lead. That’s the way I looked at today.“This time of year is difficult. When we have 90 guys, whether it’s a guy like Travis Hawkins, in my room every day asking me a bunch of questions, working his tail off. Coach says it every year, this is a tough time for everybody. Coaches don’t like making these decisions. This one felt a little bit more because of the type of player Logan was and how long he’s been here.”Mankins is gone to Tampa Bay for tight end Tim Wright and a 2015 fourth-round pick. Matthew Slater is another Patriots player who, like Mankins, has served as a captain before. He admitted that once the team was informed by Bill Belichick of the trade before practice Tuesday, it was tough going about business.“It is difficult,” Slater said. “You know a guy for a number of years, you get to know his family, his kids, and that makes it tough. There is always a human element involved. We signed up to do a job here, and we understand what that job entails, and we understand what comes along with that, but at the same time, you can’t separate yourself from the human element, and the emotions and feelings that come along with it.“I think we’ll definitely have to be very mentally tough during this time, because Logan brought a lot in the department of leadership, a lot in the department in toughness. He brought a lot in a lot of departments. So we have to be mentally tough, we have to understand that Coach Belichick is always going to do what he thinks is best for the football team, and we just have to be resilient and move forward and there’s still a job to be done. That’s what we’re here to do.”Several offensive linemen declined comment, understandably sensitive to the dramatic change in the locker room. But Nate Solder, suddenly a leader on the offensive line, was one of those who did speak.“He was just extremely genuine and he still is, he’s an extremely genuine person and authentic,” Solder said. “He does what he says. Everything about the guy is genuine and authentic. It’s not so much about what he said. It’s what he does. Every play, every down, he’s excited, loves playing. Very physical, very tough. I think that’s who he was and just to absorb some of that, it was neat to be around him.“What an awesome guy. What an awesome player. So honored to play with that guy. So honored to get to know him and his family,” he said. “I can’t say enough good things about him. Him and his family, he has great morals, great ethics, a great work ethic. He’s a tremendous guy and is going to be great wherever he goes. So for the Patriots, we move on, as sad as that is. It’s exciting, too, we move on to the thrills of the season.”Then there was this from Julian Edelman.“He’s been a big help in my career,” Edelman said. “To see a guy come in and do his job, not say a word, play with the tenacity he does.“Personally and individually, you just have to go out there and do what you can to contribute to the team and learn from guys like that, how they prepared for day-to-day life in the NFL, coming out and preparing the way he did, not saying a word, playing with a toughness and being the ultimate team guy. It’s tough and we’re all humans and we all build relationship and there’s a business aspect to the game. If that’s what he feels, that’s what he feels.“We all have feelings and it is what it is. It went down and I wish him and his family nothing but the best.”
