Patriots Coach Vrabel Addresses Will Campbell’s Play, Sidesteps '100%' Health Question

Through the majority of this season, the former LSU standout had proven the doubters wrong, but there’s somewhat of a caveat to that.  One thing that seemed to allow Campbell the ability to overcome any physical limitation was the fact that he has such terrific footwork, allowing himself to get to where he needs to be in order to stop a rusher.  All season, his name never came up, and he was definitely solid during New England’s winning streak.

Following the knee injury, whether or not he’d still have the same ability to move was definitely a concern as he made his way back.

That was something former Patriots center David Andrews talked about this week during an appearance on Zolak & Bertrand on 98.5 The Sports Hub.  Andrews watched the tape on Campbell, and after a closer look, he felt like something wasn’t quite right based on how Campbell looked at various points on Sunday.

“I wonder if he is hurt. Because when you’re playing left tackle, as an offensive lineman, when you’re kick sliding on pass pro, your inside leg is your power leg,” explained Andrews.  “That’s where you want your weight. That’s what’s giving you your force to go back and out. So if that is – it was his right knee that he hurt – so if it is still bothering [him], because I watched some of him, and I’m like, there was one, he got beat on speed, and you never really got out there. And I’m like, ‘Did he just not think it was speed coming or what?’ He just never got to his spot.”

“But some of it, to me, is I wonder if he’s in his head a little bit, too. You get going against these guys, and you struggle, you start reeling, and you start going away from your technique because you’re just trying to stop the bleeding. And that, unfortunately, a lot of times creates more problems.”

Andrews believes that Campbell can work through his issues and come out the other side, with his health being the first question.  But regardless, he also feels that the rookie will need to dig deep when they head to Denver. Andrews added that while the Patriots can scheme up ways to help him, Campbell still needs to find a way to get the job done.

“Look, I think you can fix this, and you can make it right, and we’ll see,” said Andrews.  “Who knows?  If it comes out whenever the season ends, it’s like, ‘Hey, Will Campbell is getting a knee scope,’ and you’re like, ‘All right, well, that makes sense. Hopefully, he is better and healthy next year.’ But he’s got to do a better job.”

“And look, there’s only so much Josh [McDaniels] can do. You can’t call quick game 40 times a game. You can’t chip and slam 40 times a game. He always used to tell us that, ‘Guys, I’m going to take care of you. We’re going to run the screens. We’re going to run draws. We’re going to run quick game. We’re going to chip and slam when we can. But there’s going to be places where you have to come up. You got to do your job.’ And they haven’t done a good enough job of that these last two weeks, in my mind.'”

Meanwhile, Vrabel talked about his young tackle on Monday during his weekly appearance on WEEI’s The Greg Hill show.  When directly questioned about Campbell’s health, Vrabel initially pushed back, asking, “100%, how do you mean 100%?” He then clarified, stating, “Yeah, I don’t think there’s anything that’s limiting him.  He has to just… Will has high expectations for himself, and we have high expectations for him, too.”

For Campbell, Vrabel explained that playing his position is essentially just like playing cornerback.  In the event he gives up a big play, which in his case would be a sack or being beaten on a rush, the more important thing is to simply bounce back and put it behind him.

“Each opportunity out there is a learning experience,” explained Vrabel.  “He signed up to play a tough position. Just like Gonzo [Christian Gonzalez] and CD [Carlton Davis]. There’s just places where you have to be great. That’s the investment that we make in those players. Those are the guys that we want out there. You just have to come back, bounce back. It’s like giving up a pass or a touchdown for a corner. You got to line back up and you got to keep playing.”

Campbell will definitely need to have a short memory this week.  He’s got another big test in front of him, with the rookie now set to potentially have to deal with two formidable pass rushers in Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper this week out in Denver.