When head coach Mike Vrabel took over the New England Patriots, he brought in new coaches and players who have transformed the team’s mindset and culture. Through five games, the benefits of this change are evident, as the Patriots own a 3-2 record.
Despite all the changes, one thing has remained the same: Rhamondre Stevenson continues to fumble. Since last season, Stevenson has fumbled 10 times, which is the most fumbles by a non-quarterback in the NFL. Instead of punishing Stevenson by benching him, Vrabel has taken a different approach: blaming other players for Stevenson’s ball security issues.
While Vrabel has made a lot of great decisions, pointing the blame at other players for Stevenson’s fumbling problems is the wrong move.
Vrabel Must Stop Blaming Others for Stevenson’s Ball Security Issues
Despite fumbling the football three times this season, Stevenson has faced zero consequences for his costly mistakes. Patriots' fans have been begging for TreVeyon Henderson to take over, but that has yet to happen. Stevenson continues to be the Patriots’ top running back, leading all rushers in carries (38), rushing yards (139), and rushing touchdowns (two).
Even after having a costly fumble in last Sunday’s win against the Buffalo Bills, Stevenson was still heavily relied on. Stevenson finished the game leading the running backs with 31 snaps while also being responsible for the team’s only two touchdowns.
Instead of condemning Stevenson for his blunders, Vrabel dared to call out the other players. He assigned blame to the offense for not protecting the football and allowing Stevenson to get beaten up. Protecting a player from media criticism is one thing. Throwing other players under the bus for another man's mistakes is something far different.
Does Vrabel want everyone to form a bubble around Stevenson, so no one touches him? Does he want his players closely behind Stevenson so that when Stevenson fumbles, they can quickly pounce on the ball and recover it?
This take by Vrabel is egregious and sends the wrong message. While it’s great that Vrabel continues to instill trust and faith in Stevenson, it still doesn’t change the fact that Stevenson fails to protect the football. As a former player himself, Vrabel should be well aware of this.
Even though I disagree with Vrabel’s perspective on the problem, it’s great to see him hold the team accountable. If there’s a problem with an individual player or position group, he makes it a team issue and puts it on the team to bounce back as one. Stevenson shouldn't be exempt from Vrabel's demands for excellence, however.
Although it was great to see Stevenson rebound from his fumble, Vrabel cannot continue to reward him for his blunders. With their next three games bringing favorable matchups, Stevenson and company cannot afford to give any of these matchups away by continuing to make self-inflicted mistakes.
With Antonio Gibson out for the rest of the season, Stevenson and Henderson will get the majority of the workload and must improve a poor run game that ranks 27th in rushing yards per game (95.2). Whether they are up to the task is something that fans will find out in the coming weeks.