‘He’s just shown a lot of consistent growth’: Bill Belichick on Rhamondre Stevenson, 2nd-year players
Belichick spoke to reporters prior to a joint practice with the Raiders on Tuesday.
As the Patriots prepared for practice just about a half-hour from where Rhamondre Stevenson attended high school in Las Vegas, head coach Bill Belichick offered some praise for the second-year running back on Tuesday.
He told reporters that Stevenson has shown “a lot of consistent growth,” particularly in terms of acclimating to life in the NFL from year one to year two.
“In terms of training, understanding what … we do, what opponents do, the pace of the game, the pace of the season and so forth, he’s just shown a lot of consistent growth over that period of time,” Belichick said.
He continued to compliment Stevenson, saying that the running back is “a really good football player” who “does a lot of things well, and has a great future in front of him.”
This was not the first time this summer that Belichick has applauded Stevenson’s development, as he told reporters last week that “[Rhamondre’s] done a really good job improving his pass game skills, starting with blitz pickup and protection.”
Belichick also noted the growth that the group of second-year players as a whole have shown, pointing out that the experience players are able to get during their rookie seasons pays dividends as they enter their second year in the league.
A year of learning how the Patriots and their opponents operate, as well as getting a better understanding of “techniques, schemes, [and] matchups” is like “two graduate courses – like getting an MBA and then a doctorate in football,” Belichick said.
Between players such as Stevenson, defensive tackle Christian Barmore, and, of course, quarterback Mac Jones, Belichick and the Patriots are counting on sizable contributions from their second-year players this season.
Stevenson carried the ball 133 times for 606 yards and five touchdowns during his rookie campaign, while Barmore appeared in all 17 games (two starts), recording 46 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Jones was named to the Pro Bowl following a rookie year in which he started every game for the Patriots, completing 67.6 percent of his passes for 3,801 yards and 22 touchdowns.
The Patriots are taking part in joint practices with the Josh McDaniels-led Raiders on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, before the two teams face off in their final preseason game at 8:15 p.m. on Friday.
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