Even though he fumbled the ball twice in last Sunday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and nine times total since the start of the 2024 season, the New England Patriots expressed confidence in embattled running back Rhamondre Stevenson this week. It is a confidence not shared by the team’s fanbase.
As a look at the latest SB Nation Reacts survey shows, only 18% of fans believe that the fifth-year veteran can fix his ball security issues. An overwhelming 82% have a less positive outlook, something
also reflected by the comment section.
NewEnglandWhalers
You can’t make a dog meow
luckyfukikentucky
50/50 that he fixes it. But I hope he does.
Alamoboyz
Start Henderson give him the ball exclusively and let’s see what happens! It’s time for a changing of the guard… too many times a 75yd drive ends with a Stevenson fumble!
IFormation
Probably not. There’s no excuse with what’s been happening. I also blame Vrabel for putting him back in. We win the game if he doesn’t.
kwizzer
I talk real big on these forums, but seriously my dream scenario is that Rhamondre banishes these demons and never drops the ball again. The Patriots are a better team when he’s playing well so I’d love to see him fix things and have a great remainder of his career.
KissBillsRings
Opposing teams are salivating when they see him running the ball, he’s a fumbling machine & EVERY DEFENDER knows it….he’s cost us our 2 home losses & that’s just a reality…. Right now the bad far outweighs the good he brings to the team, in other words, he’s a liability & needs to ride the pine until he understands how to secure the ball…I like the kid & see some great potential…I just don’t know if I’m kidding myself, unfortunately…sigh
TDDsDad
Doubtful. It’s been an ongoing problem, and now there’s a whole new coaching staff and an entirely new offensive line, so last year’s excuses are just that. In this brand new environment if he hasn’t fixed it by now I don’t see him fixing it any time soon (if ever).
Phaktz
Generally, when guys have fumbling issues, they will often sacrifice productivity just for the sake of holding onto the ball. However, one guy that was able to overcome this issue was Tiki Barber.Barber was fumbling machine until he changed his grip on the ball by olding it to his upper chest and had his most productive years with this change. He was a smaller back so he had a lower center of gravity working in his favor as well.
However, Stevenson is a bigger back and I believe that the best way to handle the matter is to wrap up the ball when approaching traffic and to get lower than the defenders. The team must make it an “agenda item” moving forward to challenge him during all practices moving forward and ensure that he is implementing new ball security techniques without sacrificing his instincts.
At the moment, Stevenson reminds me of Cleveland Gary, whose fumbling issues shortened what could have been a decent career. It’s mental and only intentional reps and functional changes will get him past it.
All in all, this week’s survey results look as follows:
While Patriots fans are not optimistic about Rhamondre Stevenson, they do feel good about Sunday’s game against the visiting Carolina Panthers. A combined 81% think that the team will win, with a majority of those predicting a one-score victory. Nationwide, New England is also considered the favorite to win.
Patriots fan confidence as a whole, however, is down compared to last week. While 90% thought the team was headed in the right direction following its road win in Miami, that number dropped to 72% because of the 21-14 loss versus the Steelers.
New England will get a chance to get that number back up on Sunday 1 p.m. ET.
