Pats Pulpit
A turnover heavy loss for the New England Patriots overshadowed some positives on both the offensive and defensive side of the football. Now, New England will look for their first home win of the season as the Carolina Panthers come to town.
So before kickoff, let’s get right into this week’s #PostPulpit Mailbag.
Vrabel is a “player’s coach” and I find that important in building a culture. Still, a coach who has his players’ backs and talks about “earning it” has to sometimes be a hard-ass in demanding mental focus. 1. Do you see him going to other options than Mondre and Pop this week?
2. He seemed to limit Henderson due to some missed blocks – it this truly “earn it” or are the rules different for rookies? – ed.liebfried
Vrabel faces a tough decision when it comes to Rhamondre Stevenson and the running back room this week. As seen in Miami, and explained by Vrabel this week, New England does need Stevenson on the field. He’s been their best running back on the ground as he’s the only back to force more than two missed tackles (7) and made key plays in the passing game — where he’s also the most trustworthy option in pass pro currently.
But, the fumbles clearly can not happen.
To complicate the matters, Antonio Gibson also fumbled and TreVeyon Henderson has looked like a rookie through three games. Henderson currently ranks dead last among 40 qualified backs in rushing yards over expected per attempt (-2.0) and that backs up the film as he’s running into contact too much. While he still has plenty of talent and the belief remains that he’ll be a playmaker for this offense at some point, things seem to be moving fast for the rookie as a runner and pass protector in his first three games.
Giving Henderson more touches is also not as easy as it sounds as he’s already trailing Stevenson with the second most touches on the team (30). And as seen during his time at Ohio State, he’s not built to be a workhorse back handling 20-plus touches on a weekly basis.
Against a struggling Carolina team that’s allowed over 130 yards on the ground per game, New England could potentially get by with more Gibson while Henderson handles his usual 10-to-15 touches. But, Vrabel’s message of turnovers not being an individual stat — highlighted by Mike Onwenu missing blocks on both of Stevenson’s fumbles and Mack Hollins missing his assignment on Gibson’s — could hint towards the coaching staff not hesitating to go back to Mondre.
Is it possible that Stevenson’s fumble issues are more physical than mental? In the same way that Campbell’s arms might be too short or Maye’s hands might be too small, is it possible that Stevenson’s hands/forearm/biceps are the wrong size such that the ball doesn’t seat in place and the harder he squeezes it the more it wants to pop out? – Chowdaballz
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