Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson Inspires ‘Love’ From Rare Source
FOXBORO — Does New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick have a case of the ‘big L?”
It seemed that way after his team completed a dominant 29-0 victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Gillette Stadium.
Seldom effusive in his praise of his team’s performance, Belichick was notably generous with his compliments of the Pats complete effort in all three phases of their Week 5 win.
Among those with whom the ‘HC of the NEP’ was most impressed was second-year running back Rhamondre Stevenson.
“He is a good all-around back,” Belichick told reporters of Stevenson in his postgame remarks. “Love him. Love him.”
Before images of valentinesbegin to dance in the heads of Patriots fans, it should be noted that Belichick had every reason to be enamored with the Oklahoma product’s showing against the Lions.
Stevenson rushed 25 times for 161 yards and secured both receiving targets for 14 yards. He also recovered a fumble by quarterback Bailey Zappe in the second quarter. He was particularly impressive following the early exit of backfield mate Damien Harris, who left the game with a hamstring injury in the first half and did not return.
Once he settled into the feature role, the 24-year-old demonstrated a cool, confident sense of responsibility, despite being the only active running back on the Pats roster at the time. Aside from Harris, rookie Pierre Strong was a healthy scratch, with fellow first-year rusher Kevin Harris on the practice squad. Veteran Ty Montgomery has been on injured reserve with a leg injury since Sept. 13.
Still, Stevenson remained undaunted, and his coach appreciated it.
“You have to give him a ton of credit,” Belichick continued during his postgame meet with the media. “With Damien out, we only carried two backs for the game, and he put it all on his shoulders. He does a great job with the ball in his hands, he’s a strong runner but can make people miss. Just a good football player, really a good football player - so glad we have him.”
Though he may not have found his way into the end zone on Sunday, Stevenson proved himself more than capable of carrying out the duties as the Pats’ lead back. His 49-yard run in the first quarter served as New England’s longest play of the day. Following Harris’ exit, Stevenson’s output only increased, as he accrued 92 of his rushing yards in the second half.
While it is still too early to determine if Harris may be sidelined for an extended period of time, Stevenson’s performance has instilled confidence within the Patriots coach staff that he is up to the challenge … and seemingly none have more faith in the Pats running back than Belichick himself.
During his weekly appearance on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” on Monday, the Pats coach made it clear that his affection for Stevenson’s efforts was not only a case of ‘love-you-now’ but also “respect-you-in-the-morning.”
“Every player on the team, every coach on the team has total confidence in Rhamondre to do whatever it is we need him to do,” Belichick said. “Catch the ball, pick up the blitz, run the ball, inside, outside, break tackles, short yardage, make explosive plays … he’sreally worked hard to make himself a good player. He’s a talented player, but he’s put in a lot of extra work and understands what he needs to do to be effective in all those situations, and he’s worked hard to perfect his techniques and craft to do that.”
When directly asked about the level of faith he and the Patriots coaching staff has in Stevenson to be a complete, three-down back for New England, Belichick replied: “As much confidence as you could possibly have, that’s how much we have.”
With more information expected in the coming days regarding Harris’ hamstring injury, Stevenson and the Pats are set to begin preparations for their Week 6 showdown with the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Oct. 16 at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL and Listen/Subscribe to his daily podcast: Locked On Patriots
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