Will Campbell gets real about all the hate he’s receiving after his awful Super Bowl performance
Campbell gave reporters a self-aware response about his play in Super Bowl LX.
Will Campbell had just suffered through the worst moments of his NFL life after producing one of the worst overall performances in Super Bowl history, so one can see why he declined, on multiple occasions, to talk with reporters after the game.
He did open up with the media on Tuesday, however, and offered some real, honest thought on all the criticism he’s received since Sunday evening.
“I mean, it comes with the job when you don’t perform,” Campbell told MassLive’s Mark Daniels. “Obviously, I was picked high [and] paid a lot, so people expect a certain thing, and I expect more myself. So, whenever I don’t perform, I don’t expect everyone to be like, ‘It’s okay, buddy.’
“I mean, obviously it sucks, but it doesn’t suck for anyone more than it sucks for me.”
It’s good Campbell has the self-awareness to understand the situation he’s in and he knows that yes, the Super Bowl will be his defining moment for right now, but he can certainly make up for it in the coming years by flushing this and working to get better. That’s all that matters, now, as the past is the past and Super Bowl LX is behind him.
He also knows there was a major factor behind his poor performance that will it also correct itself, except strictly in the near future, and that’s his knee injury.
Will Campbell says he wasn’t 100% in Super Bowl LX
Campbell suffered a Grade 3 MCL sprain against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 12, which is a tear, and subsequently missed four games on injured reserve. He cleared that up as much on Tuesday while also admitting it lingered through the playoffs and into the big game.
“It obviously wasn’t 100%,” Campbell told reporters. “I don’t think when you tear a ligament in your knee, it’s not going to be how it was before, but I was healthy enough to go. I’m not going to say that it held me back, but it wasn’t the same as it was before, obviously. But I was good.”
The knee certainly impacted Campbell, but it’s also important to note there are plenty of other guys on the field who weren’t at 100%. Still, the injury clearly impacted his play and no one wants to use that as an excuse, but it is important context. There’s also the fact Campbell wasn’t listed on the Patriots’ injury report at any time after Week 18 – so just how badly did it affect him?
NFL policy states players have to be listed on the report as long as the injury affects their performance. So, even if a player is a full participant, they have to go on the report if whatever injury they have is bothering them in whatever way.
That’s obviously grey area, but it’s curious as to why Campbell was never listed if the knee affected him to the degree he’s talking about. But that’s a different conversation for another day.
Regardless, Campbell has his directives for the offseason and they should totally fuel his desire to show everyone that Sunday was a product of circumstance, more than anything, and that he is of the caliber the Patriots believe him to be at left tackle.
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