FOXBOROUGH - Rhamondre Stevenson would love to stand in front of the media and not have to talk about ball security. But the veteran running back is a pro's pro, and he knew the moment he came over to the backdrop Monday and looked out at a dozen reporters or so that it was going to come up—more than once.
Stevenson put the ball on the ground during Friday's in-stadium practice after a nifty little run that showed off his improved speed. But little-known UDFA Brandon Crossley punched the ball free, and anyone who's been paying attention grimaced. Here we go again.
"I can't do that," said Stevenson when I asked what went through his mind in the moment. "I can't do that. You know, a mistake happened. It's training camp, so hopefully I could just get that out the way right now. (and) go into the season clean."
Stevenson hadn't been a fumbler before last season, but then lost the ball seven times in that ill-fated 4-13 campaign. While Mike Vrabel wasn't here to witness it, the head coach knows it was an issue.
"We like to go through those things, and some of that is technique, some of that is the second guy in," said Vrabel. "A lot of times on fumbles, if you want to talk fumbles and ball security, I'm happy to do that, but one person's got to have the ball in their hand every play offensively, and the rest of those 10 players are going to be responsible for protecting the guy with the ball. And so, yep, there were some instances where he put it on the ground, and there were some instances where the second guy came in, and we need to eliminate the second guy from coming in by the way that we play, and our play demeanor, and the way that we finish.
"So, a clean slate, everybody has a clean slate, but also, there's things that have to change and be better at every position as we move toward the season."
"It's my job to keep the ball and secure the ball," said Stevenson. "We know how that went last year, trying to put that behind me, but, you know, just making a conscious effort. Just keep the ball in my hands."
Stevenson's inability to do that, coupled with his less-than-ideal fit in Alex Van Pelt's system, led to him being the team's second-best back a season ago, despite being paid to be one of the top in all of football. Then this April, the Patriots drafted Ohio State's TreVeyon Henderson early in the second round, and the rookie has had his fingerprints all over the offense this summer. In fact, Henderson arguably had his best day of training camp on Monday, reeling in a couple of touchdown passes from Drake Maye in practice.
Meanwhile, Stevenson had at least one potential score (off a Maye scramble), although the coaches debated whether or not he got his feet in bounds (I thought he did). He also may have run for one, though Jabril Peppers was in the backfield (Welcome to the vagaries of training camp). In general, Stevenson looks lighter and quicker, which was part of his offseason plan. He lost somewhere between 10 and 12 pounds to access that extra gear.
"I feel explosive," he said. "I would say that. Hopefully, the GPS could show that I'm moving faster for a longer amount of time. But yeah, I'm feeling better."
That's all fine, well and good, but the saying "ball security is job security" isn't repeated as often as it is in the NFL for bleeps and giggles. If Stevenson wants to show he can be a big part of the offense - something Vrabel told us back in the spring - the fumbles need to become just a one-year blip, and not a trend. Otherwise, Henderson (and Antonio Gibson) are there to displace him.
THE KID IS ALRIGHT
After being a limited participant in the spring practices, Jared Wilson has quickly emerged as an important piece in this revamped offensive line. He started out as the backup center behind Garrett Bradbury, but he was getting reps at all three interior spots. By the beginning of last week, the former Georgia Bulldog slid into the starting left guard spot (over Cole Strange) and has been there since.
"I'm learning new things every day," he said post-practice Monday. "Trying to be real technical in the work. You know, coming from center, you're playing even then going to guard, you gotta stagger. So just making mistakes every day, trying not to make old mistakes, trying to make new mistakes every day, and just focus on getting better and honing in on my technique."
As I wrote about this weekend, the Patriots coaching staff is loving what Wilson brings to the table. It's not just the physical skills - he's quick and strong - but the mental as well.
"I think we talked about the players that don't participate in practice but have the ability to stay engaged with the installation and stay up with the installation, and he did that through the spring," said Vrabel on Friday. "He wasn't able to be out there physically, but was able to learn all the interior line positions and then really got off to a good start here in training camp."
In elevating Wilson, the Patriots now have two rookie starters (Will Campbell, the other) on Maye's blindside. That doesn't happen by choice very often in this league.
"They’ve earned the right to be out there. Whether they're 20 years old or 40, I don't – I mean, that doesn't – we look at whether they can play and whether they've earned a right to be out there, and I think that those two have right now," said Vrabel.
“It’s a great thing, especially coming from Vrabel, coming from a guy who’s played 14 years in this league,” said Wilson after being told of Vrabel's praise. “That’s a good thing to hear, but at the end of the day, you got to come into work every day, still got to earn it, still going to prove it to your teammates that you’re worthy of it.”
The level of competition is about to ramp up. The Commanders come in for a joint practice on Wednesday, and then the Pats head to Minnesota the following week to do the same with the Vikings. Barring injuries, Wilson will see the likes of Daron Payne, Jer'Zhan Newton, and Javon Kinlaw with Washington, then have to rumble with Jonathan Allen, Harrison Phillips, and Javon Hargrave in the land of 10,000 lakes. Never mind how often both Dan Quinn and Vikes DC Brian Flores will test the communication with simulated pressures and blitzes. It's not quite a welcome to the NFL moment - I don't think that truly happens until week one of the regular season - but it's a good litmus test for that duo.
“We just talk about how fun it’s going to be,” said Wilson. “It’s just two rookies next to each other, left guard and left tackle on the blind side. We know it’s gonna be a challenge every day. Teams are gonna bring their best on us. Just gotta be ready.”
