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FOXBOROUGH – The loving feeling Rhamondre Stevenson has for Bill Belichick isn't the only New England Patriots icon he has great affection for.
The second-year running back received praise from teammate Kendrick Bourne, who compared Stevenson's ability to work as a pass-catcher out of the backfield to James White following the Patriots' 22-17 win over the Jets in Week 8. Stevenson laughed when he was asked about the comparison on Thursday, but also revealed that he's “pretty often” in touch with White.
“I mean, we could be here all night with that,” Stevenson said. “James White, he coached me up a lot, on and off the field. Just him being there for me and telling me how to read defenses, the right way to run routes, just the whole thing. Yeah, he was very instrumental in what’s going on now.”
Stevenson had 72 receiving yards against the Jets a week after he had eight receptions for 59 yards against the Bears. He's also grown a lot as a pass-blocker out of the backfield, which helped him earn high praise from his coach, Bill Belichick.
Rhamondre Stevenson on his high workload in recent weeks: “I love having the ball in my hands” #Patriots pic.twitter.com/Mq3noc4Lwq
— Conor Roche (@ConorRoche27) November 3, 2022
Following a performance that saw Stevenson run for a career-high 161 yards against the Detroit Lions in Week 5, Belichick focused on the blitzes Stevenson picked up out of the backfield before saying he loves him multiple times.
When Stevenson was asked Thursday about the comment, he said that he hadn't heard Belichick say that to him directly, but he appreciates his coach.
“I feel like there’s that chemistry between us,” Rhamondre Stevenson said. “He knows I’m going to come in here and work hard, and I think he just respects that. And I respect him. He’s a great coach. A Hall of Fame coach.
“And, yeah, I love him, too.”
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Of course, Stevenson's continued to make his name as a runner, too. Against the Jets, he recorded an astounding 83 yards after contact on rushes as he ran for 71 yards in that game. There's obviously the physical component to football, but Stevenson credited the mental approach he and the rest of the Patriots took in order to get the job done in Week 8.
“You've got to be mentally tough in this league,” Rhamondre Stevenson said. “I feel like that's what we were [doing] and you've got to play a whole fourth quarter, especially with that team. They were great in the fourth quarter, all season long they've been great in the fourth quarter. We knew, we knew they were. They had a couple of two-minute drives that they finished, so we knew we had to stay on the gas and finish the game.”
Just a few yards after contact here from Rhamondre Stevenson pic.twitter.com/qTrPU8eibb
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) October 30, 2022
While the amount of touches continues to climb for Stevenson in recent weeks, he isn't concerned about it getting to him physically, either. He said he likes it “a ton.”
“I love it. I love when the ball's in my hands,” Stevenson said. “I love when I can help the team. So, I love it.”
Rhamondre Stevenson will see if his physical and mental approach will continue to work on Sunday, when the Patriots host the Indianapolis Colts.
