Will Campbell identifies ‘very fixable’ mistake that led to Drake Maye turnover
Campbell and Jared Wilson had a tough time blocking a stunt, something Campbell says time in the film room will fix.
Mike Vrabel called it a bad decision by the quarterback, Drake Maye took accountability for it, and Will Campbell addressed it from his perspective on Sunday.
Maye played just 14 snaps in Friday’s preseason opener against the Commanders, but he committed a turnover on one of them. He attempted to make a throw with a defender lunging at his feet and wound up losing a fumble.
But, there seemed to be a bit of miscommunication between the two rookies — left-tackle Will Campbell, and left-guard Jared Wilson — who were protecting Maye’s blind side.
Campbell said two Washington defensive linemen pulled off a stunt that the rookies should have been more prepared for.
“We’ve just got to pick up the stunt,” Campbell said. “We do it every day in practice. Now it’s just got to go to the game. It’s very fixable, so that’s something we’ll work on. We obviously know that’s something that can’t happen. So, we’ll get it fixed.”
Washington defensive end Jacob Martin tried to attack Campbell with an inside move, and Campbell was able to slow him down before ultimately pushing Martin into Wilson’s path. Wilson was trying to handle Jer’Zahn Newton, who rushed to the outside and eventually ran past both rookies when Wilson lost his grip and Campbell had his back turned.
The play was put a blemish on an otherwise solid night for the rookie linemen. Campbell showed off his athleticism in the run game, pulling and getting down field to help spring TreVeyon Henderson for an 18 year gain.
“I think it’s very important not just for me, but that’s something that we preach for our whole team,” Campbell said of the importance of finishing blocks. “I wasn’t the only guy doing that, everybody was out there finishing flying around and I feel like that showed. We’re going to keep building. It’s a good block to start on. We’ll just keep progressing.”
Campbell said he spent some time working out with Wilson during the pre-draft process. As the Patriots prepare for Week 1, the team has a lot riding on how fast the two rookies can develop.
“Me and Jared trained together before we got drafted and really got to know each other throughout that process,” Campbell said. “Now it’s just building that chemistry on the field, that trust, that bond. it’s very exciting for both of us to be playing next to each other. We’re just going to keep growing and try to put our best foot forward each and every day.”
The Patriots dominated the Commanders from the opening kickoff, which Henderson took 100 yards for a score, Friday night. There is still a lot of work to be done, Campbell said.
“I just feel like I’ve got to get better,” Campbell said. “We’ve got to get better as a team. There’s still a lot of meat left on the bone. No matter what happened on the scoreboard, I feel like we have a lot more that we can do to reach where we want to go.”
Campbell was also involved in the moment that, perhaps, got the most attention of the Patriots’ entire week — when he helped break up a scuffle that ultimately left coach Mike Vrabel with a bloody cheek.
Henderson and a Washington defender got tangled up after the rookie running back delivered a physical blow on a pass block.
“I realized that Will [Campbell] and I were thinking the same thing,” Vrabel said. “Just trying to get the second guy off and TreVeyon and they’re wrestling around – I just don’t want anything to happen to anybody. My job is to try to break those up and I don’t mind doing it, and that’s kind of how it went.”
Campbell didn’t have much to say about the incident.
“Protect your teammates,” he said with a smile. “That’s all I have to say about it.”
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