The New England Patriots entered Super Bowl LX well aware that their offensive line was a potential Achilles heel against against a ferocious Seattle Seahawks defensive front. And indeed, the group struggled for much of the night which compounded the team’s overall issues on that side of the ball.
The main issues, as has been the case for much of the postseason, came on the left side and with rookie duo Will Campbell and Jared Wilson. While the two youngsters did show plenty of promise in 2025, they had to take some hard rookie lessons over the last few weeks, and the Super Bowl was no exception.
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Most of the criticism during and after the game was reserved for Campbell, the 22-year-old left tackle making his 17th career start on Sunday. Based on the Patriots’ offensive issues as well as the statistics — he was credited with between eight (PFF) and 14 (NextGenStats) pressures surrendered — it is not hard to see why.
What was less clear, however, was why Campbell struggled.
While there has been plenty of discussion about his arm length and whether or not moving inside to guard might help bring the best out of him, a group of former NFL offensive linemen took to social media to share a more nuanced breakdown of what plagued Campbell against the Seahawks.
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And what all of them very much said was one thing: he is no lost cause and his issues are very much fixable.
(Text taken from the linked sources and slightly edited for better legibility)
OT Terron Armstead (12-year vet, 1-time All-Pro, 5-time Pro Bowler): “Will Campbell’s issues are fixable. He’s trying to block the best players in the world without a solid foundation. His feet are constantly moving backwards before contact on 90% of these reps. Damn near impossible to anchor against power if your feet are not in the ground. Changing that alone would cut his issues in half. I’m excited to see his response next season. I believe that he will.” | Source
OG T.J. Lang (10-year vet, 2-time Pro Bowler): “Will Campbell is going to be just fine. Needs to work on body control and exploding out of his stance more. None of these reps would be any different if his fingers were 1/2 inch longer.” | Source
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OT Willie Anderson (13-year vet, 5-time All-Pro, 4-time Pro Bowler): “The long arms/short arms debate online about this kid Will Campbell is interesting. All long arms do is allow you to be later with your hands. That’s the advantage us long arms guys have but it doesn’t guarantee success. There are a lot of awful long arm left and right tackles. I see the problem with Will is a technique issue that having short arms don’t help with that technique. He has to first master better sets versus different alignments. I’ve watched four games this year and you can tell he’s worried, so he’s overcompensating. He has to learn this offseason to say ‘F—k it’ I can block this guy with perfect sets. That college BS of vertical setting 90% of time will get you worn out in this league. He’s also a floater. When he’s square and stops he does a solid job. Need faster hands and maybe use high hand/low hand.” | Source
OT Mitchell Schwartz (9-year vet, 4-time All-Pro): “I think Will Campbell is just late. His hands are late, so he’s catching, but his feet are moving too and not set. He’s getting zero power and no ability to stop power moves. … He played well enough before the injury. Needs a technique adjustment and health.” | Source
OG Geoff Schwartz (8-year vet): “My Will Campbell take is very simple. He’s got to play to his body. He took pass sets last night (and often this season) like he’s [Andrew] Whitworth or Lane Johnson. He’s not big or strong enough to vertical set so much.” | Source
In addition to his initial assessment, Schwartz also shared a 14-minute explainer into the good and bad of Campbell’s performance:
Ultimately, it remains to be seen how quickly and effectively Campbell will address the issues pointed out by those five former players. However, what all of them make clear is this: it is not time to push the panic button if you’re the Patriots.
Read the full article here
