Will Campbell opens up about knee injury, playoff struggles
The Patriots left tackle finally faced the music after his rough performance in the Super Bowl.
It took until the Tuesday after the Super Bowl, but Patriots left tackle Will Campbell finally faced the music.
Kicking off his media availability by apologizing for ducking reporters after a bad night in the Patriots' Super Bowl loss to the Seahawks, Campbell then fielded questions about his season. He was asked particularly about the knee injury that kept him out of the lineup for four games, and whether it hampered him in the playoffs. Campbell tried his best not to sound like he was excusing away his poor performance, but he acknowledged he in fact suffered a tear in his knee and, like pretty much everyone in the NFL, wasn't at full strength.
"I mean, it obviously wasn't 100%," Campbell said. "When you tear a ligament in your knee, it's not going to be how it was before. But I was healthy enough to go. I'm not going to say that it held me back, but yeah, it wasn't the same as it was before, obviously. But I was good."
Campbell wasn't on the injury report ahead of the Super Bowl, so it's tough to use his injury as any sort of excuse. But if anything, it's Campbell's time away from the field in general that had to set him back. He was a rookie in the first place, and that's a tough spot for him to return right before the playoffs then face an absolute gauntlet of edge rushers.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel reaffirmed his commitment to Campbell as the team's left tackle, as the 22-year-old faces as much noise as ever about moving to guard. No matter what position he plays, he'll have a lot of critics and doubters to prove wrong in his second season.
