The New England Patriots have experienced a lot of moving parts in recent years. Seismic shifts in the departures of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have hollowed out the long-held iconic identity of the franchise.
Perhaps still feeling the regime changes in the wake of Belichick's departure and the hiring of Jerod Mayo in January, running back Rhamondre Stevenson mistakenly answered a sideline question thinking his old head coach was the subject. Awkward!
It was an honest mistake. During the Patriots' preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles, longtime New England-area broadcaster Steve Burton asked Stevenson a series of open-to-interpretation questions.
“I gotta ask you about the guy who just left. How much are they gonna miss him? And who's gonna step up in his place?”
Stevenson didn't miss a beat.
“Oh yeah, I miss Bill [Belichick]. That was one of my favorite coaches,” Stevenson said. “But Mayo is a great leader, he knows what he's doing with us and I'm excited for Mayo. I think we can get it done with him.”
Burton then tried to salvage the interview but still didn't say Matthew Judon's name.
“I wasn't talking about Mayo, I was about your defensive teammate.”
Then it dawned on Stevenson, “Oh, Judon.”
Burton kept the weirdness going, saying, “[Judon's] moving on to better places.” A statement usually reserved for those who have passed, not teammates traded elsewhere.
Yet, Stevenson bullied forward.
“I'm excited for [Judon]. I know he has a couple more years in him. So I'm excited for him.”
How a hard-to-watch Rhamondre Stevenson sideline interview could foreshadow this Patriots season
In this second preseason game, the Patriots eventually lost to the Eagles, 14-13. No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye, fared well. He threw for 140 yards on 15-of-19 passing and called his own number in the red zone to convert a four-yard touchdown rush.
That positive performance could tamp down the hype backup QB Joe Milton III received in the Patriots' preseason opener by extending plays with his legs and showing off his big arm. Milton finished with 20 yards on 2-for-7 passing while taking two sacks.
While Maye's performance provides the franchise a temporary silver lining, New England has too many unknowns on offense. Will the team choose to start Jacoby Brissett over the rookie? How will new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt split the backfield touches between Stevenson and Antonio Gibson? Does New England have a No. 1 WR between Ja'Lynn Polk, Demario Douglas and Kendrick Bourne (after he recovers from his ACL tear)?
The offensive line is bad, and their struggle may force the offense to start Brissett so as not to traumatize Maye under a deluge of sacks and pressures.
The Patriots conclude their preseason on Sunday, August 25 at 8:00 p.m. EST on the road against the Washington Commanders.
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