Will Campbell Watch

rads2005 · Jan 19, 2026

Isn't Campbell coming off of a knee injury and a 4 week absence? Against these top pass rushers, the margins are very thin for success vs failure, and you'd expect at least a slight decrease in strength and mobility from injury/absence. He's also a rookie at the end of his first long NFL season. College teams play less games and half of those are probably less taxing ones against terrible teams/pass rushers.

ALP · Jan 19, 2026

Campbells replacement played better over the last two months. Put him back in the starting line up

TB12TheGoat · Jan 19, 2026

I'm seriously hoping that his play against LAC and HOU can be chalked up to recovering from the injury or still being injured. because if not, the conversations are going to get loud again about moving him to guard where he would probably be all-pro level

ctpatsfan77 · Jan 19, 2026

TB12TheGoat said:
I'm seriously hoping that his play against LAC and HOU can be chalked up to recovering from the injury or still being injured. because if not, the conversations are going to get loud again about moving him to guard where he would probably be all-pro level

As has been brought up here before, where are you going to get the LT who's able to push Campbell inside? It's not Vederian Lowe, b/c they would've tried that if they thought it would be significantly better than the status quo.

BennyBledsoe · Jan 19, 2026

If arm length was such a dominant factor, why aren't we talking about the great Dawand Jones and Matt Peart? They both have exceptional arm length. It's because it might HELP, but footwork and smarts will take you much further.

Triumph · Jan 19, 2026

TB12TheGoat said:
I'm seriously hoping that his play against LAC and HOU can be chalked up to recovering from the injury or still being injured. because if not, the conversations are going to get loud again about moving him to guard where he would probably be all-pro level

I'm beginning to believe the same as you.

Campbell is not giving up a lot of sacks. but is getting pushed back so close to Maye that the pass rusher can knock the ball out of Mayes hand. Some folks attribute the struggles to Myles Garret being a HOFer and the Texans D a rarity. Yeah, youre supposed to be facing the best defenses in the post season. Seattle and Denvers defense is no joke either.

farn · Jan 19, 2026

aluminum seats said:
Campbell is a rookie.

….playing vs some of the best rushers in the league, during the playoffs.

Simpelton · Jan 19, 2026

BennyBledsoe said:
If arm length was such a dominant factor, why aren't we talking about the great Dawand Jones and Matt Peart? They both have exceptional arm length. It's because it might HELP, but footwork and smarts will take you much further.

THIS. Hands help, but OL do most of their work with their feet.

Also, there isn't an offensive lineman alive that didn't have a steep learning curve going in. We're facing some of the best defenses in the NFL, the soft teams are gone, Campbell is having a baptism by fire. A few mistakes are to be expected. And Maye is free to do enough to win against the best defenses in the league, that means that the offensive line as a unit is doing its job.

Good defense are gonna get through. The idea that the OL has to be perfect is crap. No offensive line was perfect. Brady frequently ended up on his ass after any given play, because everyone knew that the best way to stop the Pats was to get to him. Quarterbacks are gonna take hits.

If Maye is standing tall in the pocket it's because the OL is good enough to allow him to play that way, it's certainly not because he can't scramble. He's not bailing out of necessity or running around in the backfield like Mahomes has to do so often. He's getting the ball forward reliably enough to score points in the playoffs, and that's a credit to the OL.

So let's not make a mountain out of this particular molehill. Our OL is pretty good, and it will get better with experience.

obgod3 · Jan 19, 2026

Maye needs to help also, he has to feel the pocket collapsing, he also cant hang onto the ball too long which he does. Brady was great for lots of reason but one thing his did best is not take a bad play, he would rather take a sack or throw it away. Maybe needs to learn this also. The entire O line needs to shore it up for Denver as Denver isn’t far off Houston.

stelfans · Jan 19, 2026

He was visible pissed at the end of the game, I expect better next week. But it wouldn’t hurt for Josh to give him some help.

Simpelton · Jan 19, 2026

obgod3 said:
Maye needs to help also, he has to feel the pocket collapsing, he also cant hang onto the ball too long which he does. Brady was great for lots of reason but one thing his did best is not take a bad play, he would rather take a sack or throw it away. Maybe needs to learn this also. The entire O line needs to shore it up for Denver as Denver isn’t far off Houston.

We aren't going to face a bad D for the rest of the season. All 4 teams left have top 5 defenses. There's a reason for that, as you might well imagine.

Huckleberry1 · Jan 20, 2026

Betterthanmost said:
He is not it at LT. A good player but LT is not his ultimate position. We can excuse his play with injuries, but prior to injury, the evidence was there against premier rushers.

He's a very good rookie left tackle and he's going to be a franchise left tackle for years to come. The 1/3 of an incher's here are completely full of ****. We can excuse your ignorance, but not your refusal to accept reality.

Toofy · Jan 20, 2026

I listened to what andrews said in a podcast and he said against pass rushers most important thing is to have the entire body weight on the leg behind your body which in camp ellam case is right leg. This would be putting maximum pressure on right knee which is the area where he got hurt .

So more than hands it's just his injury which is troubling him. He might be the best bet we have . I am happy we have Campbell as our LT and he should be miles better as he recovers.

Steve102 · Jan 20, 2026

Huckleberry1 said:
He's a very good rookie left tackle and he's going to be a franchise left tackle for years to come. The 1/3 of an incher's here are completely full of ****. We can excuse your ignorance, but not your refusal to accept reality.

Dude's playing hurt. He'll end up getting his knee scoped or something once the off season comes. Everyone just wants to be right more than they want him to do well.

Huckleberry1 · Jan 20, 2026

Steve102 said:
Dude's playing hurt. He'll end up getting his knee scoped or something once the off season comes. Everyone just wants to be right more than they want him to do well.

Agree completely. The people who kept saying his arms are too short were proven completely wrong and can't deal with it.

Thelonious · Jan 20, 2026

rads2005 said:
Isn't Campbell coming off of a knee injury and a 4 week absence? Against these top pass rushers, the margins are very thin for success vs failure, and you'd expect at least a slight decrease in strength and mobility from injury/absence. He's also a rookie at the end of his first long NFL season. College teams play less games and half of those are probably less taxing ones against terrible teams/pass rushers.

This is an excellent post. It is ridiculous at this point to offer any definitive adverse evaluation of the guy, and when he is evaluated, I hope we will factor in his apparently very positive impact in the locker room. That said, if he ends up being a really top guard - and I really would expect no less if he were to shift to that position - I don't see that as any sort of tragedy. There's a lot of value in a guard who can fill in at LT when needed. All in all, I do think he'll be a long-term LT, but if not, though you probably hope for more in so high a pick, it's not a big deal.

The Gr8est · Jan 20, 2026

Huckleberry1 said:
He's a very good rookie left tackle and he's going to be a franchise left tackle for years to come. The 1/3 of an incher's here are completely full of ****. We can excuse your ignorance, but not your refusal to accept reality.

Tom Curran was discussing this the other day and he said that Scott Pioli said Jonathan Ogden needed help in his rookie year too.

Joe Thomas was also a short armed tackle who had a HOF career and he didn’t have any concerns with Campbell pre-draft.

Campbell is also playing on an injured knee where they would probably have shut him down for the season if the Pats were not in the playoffs.

Are the “1/3rd inchers” just laying in wait for an opportunity to pounce on any slip up and triumphantly proclaim they were right?

Huckleberry1 · Jan 20, 2026

The Gr8est said:
Tom Curran was discussing this the other day and he said that Scott Pioli said Jonathan Ogden needed help in his rookie year too.

Joe Thomas was also a short armed tackle who had a HOF career and he didn’t have any concerns.

Campbell is also playing on an injured knee where they would probably have shut him down for the season if the Pats were not in the playoffs.

Are the “1/3rd inchers” just laying in wait for an opportunity to pounce on any slip up and triumphantly proclaim they were right?

That's exactly what they are doing. Every time one of them calls for them to move him to guard I check back and find that they had a bias against Campbell to begin with.

Steve102 · Jan 20, 2026

Huckleberry1 said:
Agree completely. The people who kept saying his arms are too short were proven completely wrong and can't deal with it.

I just don't get. Khalil Mack is a future HoFer. Hunter and Anderson had phenomenal years and are All-Pros. Probably more of the same with Bonitto this Sunday, although Campbell seems to be struggling more with bull rushers and less with quickness. It is what it is.

They are in the AFCCG, and Campbell is a big part of why.

mgteich · Jan 20, 2026

The Gr8est said:
Tom Curran was discussing this the other day and he said that Scott Pioli said Jonathan Ogden needed help in his rookie year too.

Joe Thomas was also a short armed tackle who had a HOF career and he didn’t have any concerns.

Campbell is also playing on an injured knee where they would probably have shut him down for the season if the Pats were not in the playoffs.

Are the “1/3rd inchers” just laying in wait for an opportunity to pounce on any slip up and triumphantly proclaim they were right?

The question is NOT why an injured rookie needs help against top pass rusher, especially with an average (at best) LG next to him.

The question is why Josh hasn't been able to provide more help. How many times does an opposing player have to cause havoc before Josh makes adjustments? Obviously 5 is not enough (3 sacks and 2 fumbles).

172	21K

668	55K

Will Campbell Watch

On the Game Day Roster

Pro Bowl Player

In the Starting Line-Up

PatsFans.com Supporter

In the Starting Line-Up

PatsFans.com Supporter

PatsFans.com Supporter

In the Starting Line-Up

In the Starting Line-Up

2nd Team Getting Their First Start

In the Starting Line-Up

PatsFans.com Supporter

In the Starting Line-Up

You are an ill-made, spiteful little creature.

PatsFans.com Supporter

PatsFans.com Supporter

Pro Bowl Player

PatsFans.com Supporter

You are an ill-made, spiteful little creature.

PatsFans.com Veteran

Similar threads

📅 This Week in Patriots History: