Poor showings from Patriots left tackle Will Campbell were a common theme of the team’s run to the Super Bowl. New England’s left tackle was operating at far from full health during that stretch. 
During Campbell’s first remarks after New England’s Super Bowl loss, he said (via MassLive’s Mark Daniels) he suffered a torn ligament in his knee during the regular season. Campbell had not fully recovered by the time the playoffs began, and the ailment affected him through all four of the team’s postseason games.
Campbell noted the injury was not an excuse for his poor play, but it does at least partially explain his struggles. The fourth overall pick in last April’s draft was unable to consistently hold up in pass protection during the Patriots’ journey to Super Bowl LX. New England’s offensive line – which had Campbell as well as fellow rookie Jared Wilson as a starter at left guard – was a major talking point leading up to the game. Seattle’s defense was highly successful in pressuring quarterback Drake Maye, something which led to the Seahawks’ victory. Campbell in particular endured a rough outing in the title game.
“Will is 22 years old,” head coach Mike Vrabel said (via Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network) when speaking to the media on Tuesday. ” He’s our left tackle. He’ll get better. He’ll get stronger… there’s plays he’d like to have back. We’re not moving Will to guard, center, right end or anything else.”
Leading up to the draft, Campbell’s arm length was a source of concern with respect to his ability to remain a left tackle at the NFL level. The LSU product operated on the blindside throughout his rookie season, one which was interrupted by an MCL sprain. Campbell returned to left tackle duties upon return, and based on Vrabel’s comments he will again be counted on to serve as an anchor of New England’s offensive line moving forward. A return to full health will be the priority in this case, and Campbell’s ability to improve in Year 2 will be key in determining the Patriots’ success next season.
Good timing on the story 😂 this can’t possibly be trying to save face. That turnstile was dealing with a knee guys, that’s the issue 😂
Gotta love the NFLPA and ‘player safety’ rules.
The injury is not an excuse yet stories are coming out about it as he’s being criticized in the media. Sure.
Being a rookie and a little undersized against some of the most physically imposing pass rushers in football was already enough. But think a lot of Sunday’s problems could be chalked up to blocking scheme as much as individual blockers.
Not to mention the playcalling. They didn’t help him out-or Wilson, who was just as bad (if not worse).
I think I’d blame him, Wilson, and McDaniels pretty heavily for the offensive troubles. Thing is, McDaniels at least had some success during the regular season. Campbell has had good moments, but a lot of bad ones too. The playoffs really haven’t good. And, again, none of this explains Wilson’s struggles next to Campbell, either. Just a poor effort by the left side of the line.
I don’t disagree with any of that, but a couple things I think are worth mentioning here.
For one, Jared Wilson didn’t play a ton of college ball until his senior year and almost all of it was at center. I thought he was a bit undersized to even play center right away in the NFL. I got the sense he was a good center prospect who would likely need time. Playing him as an even more undersized guard as a rookie in the NFL was a BIG leap. And when you put him next to Campbell, who is also a rookie and is an outlier in his lack of length, of course you’re going to be at a disadvantage against big and/or elite pass rushers.
On top of that, I simply don’t understand how McDaniels could fail so hard to both game plan and adjust to what Seattle was doing. How many times did we see the Seahawks load up one side of the defense, then blitz from the slot on the other side? They ran it over and over again, because it kept working. For all those great defensive front players, you know who led Seattle in QB hits? Devon Witherspoon.
But really, it was not only a much, much better coached defense facing that offense, but a much more talented one. New England’s receivers aren’t good enough to get frequent separation against Seattle’s caliber of defensive backs, which makes life even harder for an offensive line that isn’t nearly as talented as the front they’re facing. Maye looks like he could be full on great, but you could see his youth when faced with those situations. Which is understandable!
For me, it was funny to see how often Darnold also faced a great deal of pressure, but basically protected the game by not letting it turn into sacks. This is unfamiliar to my experience as a Jets fan.
Darnold moved really, well, beautifully in the pocket. It was effortless, or at least looked that way. A couple of the resulting throws didn’t end in completions, but he did a fantastic job.
I think your analysis is excellent. I wasn’t very familiar with Wilson’s college profile, but as a pro, he looks to have bourne out your predictions.
Most of that was going from what I saw others say and looking at the measurables and some clips. I truly never saw anyone refer to him as a guard convert. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him move back over.
Right on cue, here come the excuses!
Campbell literally said its no excuse.
Its a fact, not an excuse. Anyone that saw him play before the injury ans after knew something was wrong. He was a top 10 LT in the league before the injury.
People want to jump to the arm length, but analysts with linemen backgrounds have mentioned it was power and footwork, not his arm length that was causing him problems.
Campbell isnt going to be elite most likely. Hes got work to do to continue to improve. But being hurt isn’t an excuse, it was just a fact of the situation.
He was not a top 10 tackle please stop. He is a great person, but he needs to get stronger.
Plus, he played against some to the worst defensive teams in the NFL (8 of top 10 worst). Let’s see how he performs in the 2026 season.
If it’s not an excuse, then why say anything? It’s an excuse.
@rd42- Campbell can say it’s not an excuse, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t one. This information “leaking” sure sounds like an organizational attempt to save face.
So they didn’t have a healthy backup who was better then an injured Campbell ? Either he is an all-world player who is still better than most people even if he has an injury or the Patriots didn’t have good enough backups.
Not many teams have a good LT backup. Yes, youre going to battle with your guys if they can suit up. Vederian Lowe is not a great player either. He was a turnstile last year. Might as well roll with your guy to try and get experience. He struggled mightily. But Lowe would have as well.
I also think most realize the Patriots were not yhe most talented team in the league. Depth certainly is/was an issue. Definitely a priority of the off season.
He allowed the most pressures by any lineman in any game this year. Anyone would’ve done better.
I agree that Lowe is pretty terrible, and was a huge issue last year. However, it’s hard to see how he could have been worse, especially if Campbell was seriously injured.
has nothing to do with his short arms. right. see ya at guard
These excuses after his awful performance are slightly less embarrassing than that Norwegian Biathlon medalist who used his post-race interview to admit to cheating on his girlfriend earlier today.
He should’ve been named MVP of the superbowl as he was clearly the best player for Seattle ;).
I don’t think that New England can come up with an excuse out of this because:
a) if this is a lie, then that means Campbell is just that bad at LT, and he has to be moved to G, and now you have to explain why you took a Guard at 4 overall.
b) if this is true, that means Vrabel allowed him to play while completely ineffective due to an injury, which is a serious coaching miscue.
I’ve heard this guys name a lot the last few days lol
Of course he did
Dont understand the Will Campbell hate.
He’s a rookie that had a solid regular season, and played through injury helping his team make the Super Bowl. Yes there were plenty of sacks but Maye didn’t help himself at all. He had plenty of time to get rid of the ball or make a play with his feet. They were up against a fantastic defence and Maye who finished second in MVP voting disappeared when it mattered most.
He finished with a QBR of 16 throwing 2 TD’s and 2 INTs with a terrible “fumble” pick 6.
Against Denver he had three for 86 yards.
Against the Texans less than 200 yards with a QBR of 20.
Overall tho it was a good season, no one expected them to make the SB. Maye wouldn’t have even been a top 10 contender for MVP and finished 2nd. They will grow from this and be better
Why do people say an injury is no excuse? It certainly can be. If Usain Bolt (in his peak years) pulled his hamstring the day before a race and then took last place would people say injury is no excuse? If a pitcher tore the UCL in his elbow and kept pitching and got rocked, would you say injury is no excuse? It’s a ridiculous argument.
If you want to say he should have been replaced in the lineup that’s an argument worth having. But saying “injury is no excuse” is dumb.
I really like this kid and one bad game from a rookie is no reason to start hating on the guy. He’s going to get better and have a long successful career if he stays healthy.
One of those situations where playing hurt might be tough, but it’s to the team’s detriment. Pats didn’t need a hero – they needed someone healthy.
Hurt knee doesn’t explain not speaking to the media after the loss. Sucks, but put your big boy pants on and answer the questions that you dont want to hear. The guys were just better that day all you had to say. Having the poor performance on top of skipping the media is very telling.
The coaching was bad, should have had more help from a tight end or chipping backs. Too many bull rushes into Maye’s face. It was dumb not to run the ball more. The backs had 13 carries.
*Patriots start PR push to explain why they believe Will Campbell should and will stay at LT despite all evidence to the contrary