Drake Maye, Mike Vrabel defend Rhamondre Stevenson as fumbling issue resurfaces
"We've got to get him back. We need him. We absolutely need him."
FOXBOROUGH – A frustrated Mike Vrabel stood at the podium after his team’s 21-14 loss to the Steelers and called the five turnovers that sank their chances “very unfortunate.”
Two of those turnovers came on lost fumbles from Rhamondre Stevenson, who slammed his helmet on the sideline after letting go of the football in the end zone on a key drive.
It was an aggravating setback for the veteran running back whose performance against the Dolphins was instrumental in securing the Patriots’ first victory of the season last week.
Was it frustrating? Yes. Costly? For sure. But, Stevenson has yet to reach a point where the Patriots can afford to give up on him just yet, Vrabel said.
“Yeah, it’s like you sit there, and we were so excited about him and everybody is excited about him,” Vrabel said. “The fans are, and we know what his capabilities are, and we’ve got to get him back. We need him. We absolutely need him.”
“We need his ability, but we also need to take care of the football,” the coach added. “It’s a long answer to tell you that I’m not really sure 20 minutes after the game what we’re going to do, but we need him because he helped us win the game last week, and it was a different story today.
Standing at his locker, Stevenson told reporters that his fumbling problem was at the forefront of his mind. He had never quite solved the issue last season, as he had seven fumbles spread over the course of the year. He made it through the first two games this season without incident, but on Sunday the old demons resurfaced.
Stevenson said he appreciated Vrabel’s words, but added that they won’t mean much if he isn’t able to solve the problem. He said he trained with footballs that were heavier than normal during the offseason as he tried to make the fix.
“I’ve got to hold onto the ball to have value and put value on this team,” Stevenson said. “So, if I can’t hold the ball, they don’t need me.”
Quarterback Drake Maye came to Stevenson’s defense during his press conference, highlighting the up-and-down nature of life the NFL.
“He’s one of our best players,” Maye said. “I think there’s nothing that I think he can do that would change my view of him as a player, as a teammate. He does everything the right way. He knows just as much as we know. Ball security is the No. 1 thing as a running back, and he’s had a great season and a great last weekend.”
“That’s this league,” the quarterback added. “One week you’re heck of a game and he was on the right track this game, and that happens. He knows just as much as anybody else. I just pump him up, be there for him, and I know we need him throughout the season.”
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Stevenson’s tendency to fumble was something that Pittsburgh came in knowing that they wanted to take advantage of.
“We identify opportunities, and certainly he had some fumble issues last year,” Tomlin said. “So it was an agenda item for us.”
Ball security is a top priority for the Patriots as well, and if the mistakes continue Vrabel’s patience with Stevenson will be tested.
Losing a one-score game by committing four more turnovers than the opponent certainly did not sit well with the coach.
“We don’t need to lose a football game to know that turnovers are very hard to overcome,” Vrabel said. “They erase all the good things that you do. They take away momentum. They take away points, give them field position. We didn’t need to turn it over as many times as we did to learn a lesson. I think we knew that before. It was very unfortunate.”
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