FOXBORO -- It’s been a weird year for Devin McCourty.

After the Rutgers product finished one of the best rookie seasons in Patriots history, many thought he was on his way to an even better second season, and two of the best cornerbacks of the last 15 years heralded him as a star on the rise.

“I’ll tell you what, a guy that I really like, and I watched in the later part of the year was Devin McCourty,” Champ Bailey told the NFL Network in June. “He’s tough, challenging, and to get to meet him at the Pro Bowl this past year, I like the feel of him. I think he’s going to be a great corner. He’s playing in a great defense, a great system, so I expect to see big things from him.”

“I think he’s going to be one of the better cornerbacks to ever suit up for the Patriots,” Ty Law said later that same month. “I mean, he’s young, and for what he’s done, this year, if he can just build upon that and do the little things and get better and better, I mean, he’s probably going to be one of the top two or three corners in the game. There are only so many Darrelle Revises out there. If he works hard, he’ll get close. That’s how much respect I have for that guy. He probably can do as much as anything I’ve ever done.”

But while he has shown flashes of the brilliance he displayed several times as a rookie, it’s clear the 24-year-old McCourty might not be ready to take that next step and join the league’s elite corners. On Thursday, McCourty talked about how he’s dealt with the increased expectations that come with being an emerging star.

“You’ve just got to keep playing, [because] expectations are always going to be there,” he said. “As a player, your expectations are always higher than anybody else has for you. I just keep telling myself to keep playing, keep doing what I’ve been doing, preparing as a player and being ready to go. As long as you keep playing hard, you’ll continue to get better and play well.

Last season, his seven picks were the second most for a Patriots rookie behind eventual Hall of Famer Mike Haynes, and second most in the league overall. He was a second-team All-Pro. He finished the season with 83 tackles (71 solo) and was just the fourth Patriots rookie in franchise history to reach the Pro Bowl.

This season, he’s leading the team in tackles with 35 (28 solo), but through five games, defensive lineman Vince Wilfork has more picks that McCourty. He’s actually been a fairly regular target of opposing passers -- in Week 1 he was targeted more than any corner in the league (15 times) according to Pro Football Focus.

While the numbers have improved dramatically over the last few weeks -- PFF has McCourty grading out positively over the last three games after subpar outings in the first two weeks of the season -- McCourty said Thursday that it’s all about consistency.

“I don’t know what’s changed,” McCourty said when asked about the difference between this season and last season. “I’m just trying to practice hard [and] keep studying film of what I’ve been doing and taking the confidence I’m getting in practice and trying to take it over to the field and helping this team anyway I can. So I think just like last year as a player, I’m just trying to improve each week. That’s my biggest focus right now. Keep improving and helping this team out.

“I’m just trying to be more consistent. Last year, just going out there and playing as a rookie, and this year, having more knowledge and trying to use everything I learned and put it into my game and put it on the field. Now, it’s just being consistent. Everything I have in my book that I’ve learned from other guys, and doing it each play each game and each game. That’s the real toughest challenge I think. As I progress and keep playing, I think that’ll continue to be a challenge each week ... putting it together and being consistent.”

McCourty’s recent improvements have mirrored the improvement of the Patriots defense. Last week against the Jets, the New England pass defense held Mark Sanchez to 166 passing yards, the first time all season the Patriots have held an opposing signal-caller under 200 yards. It marked the fourth time in the last four games New England has seen a decrease in an opponent's passing yards.

“Guys are making more plays,’ McCourty said when asked about the recent improvements. “We’re getting off the field. We have to continue doing that. It’s not easy, but it’s simple: You play better and those yards and stuff will go down.”

McCourty and the rest of the Patriots pass defense will get a chance to build on the solid performances of the last two weeks this Sunday when the Pats meet the Cowboys, a team with a pair of excellent receivers in Dez Bryant and Miles Austin. Bryant has been slowed by injury but has still managed 10 catches for 171 yards and three touchdowns in three games. Meanwhile, Austin has 14 catches for 233 yards and four touchdowns in two games.

Both Bryant (6-foot-2, 218 pounds) and Austin (6-2, 215) are bigger receivers, something McCourty and the rest of New England’s defensive backs already have some experience with. McCourty said the DBs will take the lessons they learned from going up against Miami’s Brandon Marshall (6-4, 230), Vincent Jackson (6-5, 230) and Plaxico Burress (6-5, 232).

“With Dez and Miles Austin, they’re both bigger, stronger guys,” said the 5-10, 193-pound McCourty. “Going against different guys this season, you can just use some of what they did against us and how they played.”