Breaking News: Will Campbell Played With a Torn Knee Ligament and is Enjoying an Unprecedented Outpouring of Support From America's Offensive Line Community
I've been saying this every since I was the fat kid anchoring the line for Mr. Donovan's Ralph Talbot Elementary flag football team in 5th and 6th grade. The John Hannah of Weymouth interscholastic sports. And it is that offensive linemen are a breed apart. In no other position in all of sports are you guaranteed to show up to the game knowing you'll never hear your name over the PA system unless you screw up. That no one will ever cheer for you, even if you do everything as well as it's ever been done. Yours is the satisfaction of looking up to see some other kid run to glory through the hole you just opened up, and you celebrate alone.
And so it is that Will Campbell came out of Super Bowl LX as the story of the game. More talked about than even Kenneth Walker III, who won the MVP. His name has been on everyone's lips in the 36 or so hours since the game ended:
And it will continue to, in light of new information:
As well as an outpouring of support from the men who've lived the life of a professional blocker. Offensive linemen, O-line coaches, and other members of the football intelligentsia from around the country have been flocking to the social media to say Campbell's issues are minor fixes, easily correctable, and that his future at left tackle in New England is secure if he just make a few tweaks to his technique:
… out in front of him to prepare to strike Quicker. Shorter arms and late don’t go together also this off season he will fix his sets . Guaranteed
… problem With Will is a technique issue that having short arms don’t help with that technique. He has to first master better sets vs different alignment. I’ve watched 4 games this year and you can tell he’s worried so he’s over compensating . He has to learn this offseason to say “ Fawk it” I can block this guy with perfect sets! That college BS of vertical setting 90% of time will get you wore out in this league! He’s also a floater! When he’s square and stops he does a solid job! Need faster hands and maybe use high hand low hand my technique “ The club” it would fit him perfectly!
Changing that alone would cut his issues in half!
I’m excited to see his response next season!! I believe that he will!
Patriots Super Bowl Champions LT Trent Brown agrees:
A couple of defensive linemen have weighed in to give him grace:
And a defensive back:
Some dispassionate football analysts with no skin in the game:
Unfortunately, Campbell is right that no one wants to hear excuses. No matter how legitimate. He knew that when he signed up for this line of work. It's an O-lineman's lot in life. It's not a lot; but it's his life. Nobody wants to hear about the labor pains, they just want to look at the baby. And his baby Sunday looked like Rosemary's.
All anyone is going to remember is that NextGen Stats had him at 14 pressures. Though I'll be damned if I can find that many. Pro Football Focus has him at 8 pressures (6 hurries, 1 QB hit, 1 sack) on 57 pass blocking snaps. Which was still terrible but not the unmitigated disaster that's been widely talked about.
And like we've just seen, there are plenty of people who understand the craft who think his problems are matters of technique, minor, and easy to coach up. That he just turned 22, could use a full offseason in an NFL training regimen, and Doug Marrone, Jason Houghtaling and Robert Kugler will make a career left tackle out of him yet.
And I'll add that he never fully recovered after he missed Weeks 13-17. He had an 11-week stretch where his PFF grade was between 60.8 and 75.6. His last three were, in order, 45.8, 50.6, and 38.2. So the knee ligament tear is completely plausible. Which makes the gameplan all the more frustrating. They simply left him on an island to face the onslaught of Derick Hall, Uchenna Nwosu and whatever corner they ran in from the slot all on his own. Thayer Munford Jr. took one snap. There was no attempts to make Seattle pay for selling out on the blitz by running screens. They made no adjustments until the 4th quarter, by which they had to be perfect and ended up turning the ball over twice.
The point being there was a lot of wrong to go around. And it's a mistake to just SparkNotes it down to "Will Campbell can't play left tackle."
Still, it's going to be a tough sell to Patriots fans. When talk radio has the choice of talking about Celtics, Bruins, Red Sox Spring Training or inciting panic about a young player who failed in the biggest moments … well that's not even a choice. They're going to spend from now until next season feasting on Campbell's flesh, then sucking the marrow out of his bones and asking for seconds. That's what comes with the territory of being an offensive lineman.
Personally, I'm hoping Mike Vrabel's staff decides to stick with him. Sometimes I'm loyal to a fault, and this is one of those times. I want to see his redemption arc as he becomes the LT they thought they were getting when they used the No. 4 pick on him. When that happens, just remember I stood by my guy. If not, let's just forget I ever brought it up.
