It has been an eventful start to the 2011 season for cornerback Devin McCourty.

The Patriots pass defense has shifted throughout the course of the first two games depending on the situation and matchups, but for the most part McCourty has been on the edge, while veteran corner Leigh Bodden worked in the slot and rookie corner Ras-I Dowling started on the other outside spot.

In that time, McCourty has clearly been tested by opposing passers. In Week One against Miami, while New England appeared geared toward slowing down Dolphins slot receiver Davone Bess, McCourty spent much of the game lining up against Brandon Marshall. Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne ended up with 416 yards, many of them to Marshall (seven catches, 139 yards). According to Pro Football Focus, McCourty was thrown at by Henne more than any corner in the league that week -- he was targeted 15 times by the Dolphins and allowed nine receptions for 151 yards.

On Sunday against the Chargers, he had another tall order. The Patriots dedicated most of their efforts to stopping All-World tight end Antonio Gates, and as a result, McCourty was left to contend with Vincent Jackson, many times in single coverage. Quarterback Philip Rivers had 378 passing yards, and Jackson ended up with a career day, coming away with 10 catches for 172 yards and two touchdowns.

McCourty, who was named one of the defensive captains before the start of the season, is coming off a year where he was considered one of the best young corners in the league. His seven interceptions (second highest in franchise history for a rookie behind Hall of Famer Mike Haynes) were second-most in the league in 2010, and when you toss in the 17 passes defensed and two forced fumbles, you could see why he was a slam dunk for the Pro Bowl.

But before you can say the words “sophomore slump,” the situation is far more nuanced than the numbers might seem. He’s been left on an island with very little help most of the time to deal with two of the best receivers in the game on back to back weeks. And while the numbers were ugly for McCourty, the Patriots were ultimately able to accomplish many of the things they wanted to do -- Bess was held to five catches, while Gates was held without a catch for the first time since 2008).

On Tuesday, Patriots coach Bill Belichick made it clear that he has McCourty’s back.

“I think Devin’s done a lot of good things for us,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said of McCourty, who is third on the team with 13 tackles and has two passes defensed. “He’s really probably played as well as anybody we’ve had on defense. As always, there are plays we’d all like to have back and do better on and all that, so Devin’s very competitive. He sets very high goals and standards for himself. I’m sure he feels that way too. He’s certainly one of our best players.”

McCourty talked about undergoing “growing pains” after Sunday’s game.

“I think, in my second year, it’s just a process,” said McCourty. “You just don’t come in here and go from being a rookie and just go and be a consistent player. I’m working through it. There’s growing pains to it, so I’m just trying to try and work and get better.”

Belichick has noted on several occasions that the transition from year one to year two can be an even bigger jump that going from college football to your rookie season. McCourty is no longer an unknown quantity and opponents have more information on your tendencies and abilities.

“I don’t know if they are approaching me differently,” McCourty added. “But I remember last year coming into this league, the first thing my coach said to me was ‘Once you start playing teams, now they’ve got a scouting report on you. When you’re a rookie, no one really knows anything about you. They don’t go back and watch college film.’

“Of course, I think when you go out there, guys are going to look at your strengths and look at your weaknesses, and it’s their job to go out there and try to attack your weakness.”

Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus says there have been some good and bad to McCourty’s game over the first two weeks of the season.

“We just have to hope it’s more a rough couple of games than a true trend for McCourty,” said Monson. “His rookie year was genuinely excellent, and not just by rookie standards, but this season he has been targeted and allowed receptions, and at a concerning average.

“The good news is that he has still been getting his hands to passes and breaking up throws, and it seems unlikely that a player of his caliber would regress too much during their second season.”