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Mike Reiss
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said New England is committed to keeping Will Campbell at left tackle.
Campbell, the No. 4 pick in last year’s NFL draft, had multiple blocking miscues in New England’s 29-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX.
With some NFL teams projecting Campbell as a guard last year coming out of LSU, debate on his future position in New England swirled in some parts of social media after the Super Bowl. Campbell declined to speak to reporters immediately after the game.
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Vrabel acknowledged the scrutiny that Campbell faced in his rookie season, comparing it to playing quarterback and cornerback, and even being a head coach.
«Will is 22 years old, he’s our left tackle, he’ll get better, he’ll get stronger,» Vrabel said Tuesday in his season-ending news conference at Gillette Stadium. «There are moments he played well, moments he blocked the guy, there are plays he’d like to have back.
«We’re not moving Will to guard, or center or tight end or anywhere else.»
Campbell, who was taking the loss hard, had declined to answer questions from reporters after the Super Bowl LX. He apologized to media members Tuesday.
«When I get emotional, I tend to have no mind — and that’s not the way that I need to approach this thing. I know myself. If I would have spoken after, I would have said something that I didn’t need to say,» he explained. «So I slept on it. I watched it. I know what I got to get better at and move on.»
Campbell, who shared that he tore a ligament in his knee Nov. 23 against the Cincinnati Bengals, relayed that he can handle the criticism.
«It comes with the job when you don’t perform. Obviously I was picked high, paid a lot, so people expect a certain thing. And I expect more myself,» he said.
«So whenever I don’t perform, I don’t expect everyone to be like, ‘It’s OK, buddy.’ Obviously it sucks, but it doesn’t suck for anyone more than it sucks for me.»
