Cam Heyward Confirms What We Already Knew: The Whole League is Keying on the Patriots Ball Security Problems

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Stop me if you've heard this before, but the Patriots lead the NFL in fumbles with six. That may sound familiar, because they led the NFL in fumbles last year, with 30. Now these would be very bad numbers if, say, they've also been leading the league in rushing. That is far from the case. Last year they finished 13th in rushing yards. Right now they're 19th. I mean, when Derrick Henry leaves the ball on the ground twice and costs his team a win:

… you can say that's regrettable, and you'd be right. But it doesn't mean he's not the best power running back of his generation or disqualify him from getting into Canton on the first try. Neither Rhamondre Stevenson nor anyone else on the Pats roster is a mortal lock for a Hall of Fame jacket. Which only amplifies the volume of this particular problem with the kind of speakers Metallica uses in stadiums. 

So it's not going to make anyone emotionally invested in this franchise to hear the guy who caused this game-losing fumble:

… confirm what Mike Tomlin alluded to in the postgame. Which is that the Steelers scouting reports suggested not only does Stevenson has a very punchable football:

… but the entire Patriots offense does:

Pro Football Talk - Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward … personally kept the Patriots from scoring 14 points, with a tipped pass that became an interception in the end zone and a strip of running back Rhamondre Stevenson, who lost two fumbles on the day, near the goal line.

“We practice a lot on our turnover circuits, and punching the ball, being aware of different opportunities to create turnovers,” Heyward told PFT by phone after the game. “And we knew there were a lot of career fumbles on the other side. So, you know, knowing that and practicing that, we were well prepared for the opportunities.”

They were specifically prepared for Stevenson.

“Oh, we were aware every time he was in the game,” Heyward said. “And that’s not anything on him. And it’s not just him. Drake Maye has turned the ball over earlier in his career, and a couple of other guys as well. We were really locked in on this is a group that turns over the ball. It’s about making sure you’re there for the opportunities, and you have a good chance to punch it loose.”

So there you have it. It's actually worse than we thought. It's not like Stevenson is the wounded animal in the herd that the predators set their sights on because he's vulnerable. It's the whole bloody pack. From 'Mondre to Drake Maye all down the roster. If you see a Patriot carrying the ball, it's time to play "Punch Buggy." This offense doesn't take care of the ball, which encourages defenses to go after them, creating less ball security, which encourages more ball-punching, thus creating an endless doom loop of ballhawking and fumbles. 

For the life of me, I don't know what Mike Vrabel is supposed to do about it. Before they became the worst team in the league at this, in 2023, they were 23rd in the NFL with "only" 19. And the head coach treated every one of those whoopsies like he was receiving the Viking "Blood Eagle" torture. In 2013, Belichick deactivated Stevan Ridley after three fumbles in three weeks the year after he rushed for 1,263 yards and 12 TDs. The message sent by that was lost on no one. 

Whether Vrabel has the will or the personnel to the same remains to be seen. What we do know for sure is that Carolina comes to Foxboro Sunday tied for 4th in the league in forcing turnovers. And they're watching the same game we just saw. 

And it's possible there's not a damned thing the coach can do about it.