Patriots’ Rhamondre Stevenson pushing to be among NFL’s best RBs

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:

1. Sizzling Stevenson: After helping carry the Patriots to their season-opening win, running back Rhamondre Stevenson was given the ultimate respect by the coaching staff this week in preparation for Sunday’s home opener against the Seattle Seahawks (1 p.m. ET, Fox).

Stevenson was rewarded with a limited workload Wednesday instead of banging away in full pads with his teammates. The idea was to rest him after a 25-carry, 125-yard performance, but there was only one problem: He didn’t quite take the coaches up on their offer.

“He’s running gassers at the other end of the field,” running backs coach Taylor Embree said. “I’m like, ‘What are we doing here?'”

Embree delivered that last line with a laugh; after all, what coach doesn’t like to see one of his players pushing himself beyond what is required?

“It’s a long season, man. I felt my conditioning was very good last Sunday but extra is never going to hurt anybody,” Stevenson said of why he ran the gassers.

Coach Jerod Mayo hinted that Stevenson has shared lofty goals with him. Mayo was sharing his belief that he always viewed Stevenson as one of the league’s best when he was about to reveal one of Stevenson’s goals for the year before stopping short. “I probably shouldn’t get into this,” Mayo said.

Stevenson said he wants to keep his goals to himself at this point, but allowed that he’s approaching this year with a “relentless” mentality that makes it hard for the first defender to bring him down.

His 25 carries in Week 1 were the third most in the NFL, behind the Texans’ Joe Mixon (30) and 49ers’ Jordan Mason (28). The Eagles’ Saquon Barkley was right behind him (24). Stevenson didn’t want to come out of the game as he helped the Patriots run out the clock, which center and longtime captain David Andrews said was the type of confidence that resonates with teammates.

Embree acknowledged that the Patriots will be more judicious with Stevenson’s workload as the season progresses.

“It will all balance itself out as we go through the year,” Embree said. “Game 1 we wanted to make a statement. I know ‘Mondre wanted to make a statement, so he was out there toting the rock.”

Stevenson’s style of play has been a top storyline after his standout performance, with Embree saying he’s the ideal fit for offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt’s system because of his size (6-foot, 227 pounds), quickness, ability to make the first defender miss and being an all-around athlete who is adept at every run in the playbook — from between the tackles to wide zone.

Video: Running backs coach Taylor Embree with insight on why Alex Van Pelt’s offense is a nice fit for RB Rhamondre Stevenson, comparing Stevenson to a WR playing in a spread attack. pic.twitter.com/yDUlwbCNNS

— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) September 12, 2024

When Van Pelt coordinated the Browns’ offense the past four seasons, he had a workhorse in Nick Chubb. He has brought the same system to New England and Stevenson is essentially his new Chubb — for one week, at least.

“He’s a great back. I’ve been around some good ones and he has to be right up there,” Van Pelt said. “His contact balance, his vision, his ability to make guys miss at the second and third level was really impressive. He’s one of the toughest guys to bring down, for sure.”

Stevenson says the system is ideal for him.

“He’s the first offensive coordinator I’ve been around that absolutely loves to run the ball relentlessly. That’s a great thing being a running back,” he said. “He’s a physical guy and that’s exactly what I want to do.”

2. Maye’s virtual reps: In addition to getting 30% of the first-team snaps at practice and helping run the scout team, rookie quarterback Drake Maye told ESPN he’s experiencing the benefits of virtual repetitions as he learns behind the scenes.

“The virtual reality is pretty cool, which is another chance to get reps throughout the week — be inside the goggles and play the game,” he said. “You flick a little remote that shows where you’re going with the football. Also, you can control the iPad and see the looks versus our plays.”

3. Family Tuesdays: Mayo has opened the team cafeteria to coaches’ families on Tuesday, which is usually coaches’ longest day of work as they put together the game plan.

“It’s been a great thing for all of us,” said receivers coach Tyler Hughes, who along with his wife, Lisa, has four sons — Kenyon, Isaac, Will and Max.

“It allows us to have our family come in, connect with them, have them be a part of what we’re doing. We do spend a lot of hours here, and our families — spouses and kids — everyone sacrifices a great deal for us to coach football. So when they can be here to connect with the other spouses and kids, it brings everyone together. It has been much appreciated.”

4. Okorafor financial impact: Veteran left tackle Chukwuma Okorafor, who was pulled after 12 snaps in the season opener and didn’t return, was placed on the exempt/left squad list Saturday. That means the team receives a roster exemption until Okorafor’s status is finalized, with sources close to the situation not expecting him to play for the Patriots this season.

As for the financial impact, Okorafor had signed a one-year contract with a base value of $4 million in March, which included a $2 million signing bonus ($600,000 of which was deferred until March 31, 2025). His base salary of $1.125 million was also guaranteed, so there could be some negotiating between the sides on how much of the $3.125 million in guarantees Okorafor ultimately receives.

It’s a moot point now, but Okorafor also could have earned an additional $4.25 million in incentives, which would have paid him $850,000 for hitting 50% of the snaps, then another $850,000 for 60%, 70%, 80% and 90%.

5. Gonzo’s gauntlet: There might not be a cornerback in the NFL who will face the gauntlet of No. 1 receivers that second-year cornerback Christian Gonzalez will over the first month of the season. He’s off to a strong start after matching up in man coverage with Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase 20 times in the season-opener and limiting him to three catches for 14 yards.

“Christian did an unbelievable job and it started in practice. He had four or five interceptions in practice, so he started that week off Wednesday with good preparation,” defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington said.

Next up is the Seahawks’ DK Metcalf, followed by the Jets’ Garrett Wilson and 49ers’ duo of Deebo Samuel Sr. and Brandon Aiyuk. As Gonzalez studied Metcalf’s performance from Week 1, he took note of Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II‘s solid work in limiting the “super fast and big” Metcalf to three catches for 29 yards, because Surtain is a player he has long admired.

6. Peppers’ helmet: Hard-hitting safety Jabrill Peppers plans to wear a Guardian Cap during games all season. He did it in the opener, said he didn’t notice a major difference, and likes the idea that he’s protected from plays where he might not see an opponent and it leads to incidental contact to the head/neck area. But he said one thing that could change his plans is weather and Sunday’s game against the Seahawks might be a good test as the forecast calls for sunshine and a high in the 80s.

“The deciding factor is how hot it’s going to be because it covers all the holes on the helmet, so it gets hot in there,” he said.

7. Quick snap: Patriots center David Andrews‘ new “Quick Snap” podcast with former New England quarterback Brian Hoyer has peeled back the curtain at times to what is unfolding behind the scenes with the team.

Andrews said in a recent team meeting that Mayo showed players a slide on the difference between a boss and leader. On one part, there were three people pulling a rope and one person sitting on a platform yelling at them — a boss. On another part, there were three people pulling a rope and one person joining them — a leader. Andrews said it reflected the “servant leadership” in which Mayo is attempting to instill in the team’s culture.

8. Macdonald’s homecoming: First-year Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald, who at 37 is the NFL’s youngest head coach, was born in Boston and recalls touring Foxboro Stadium in 1993 with his father, Hugh, as his “first football memory.”

When Macdonald was 6, the family moved to the Atlanta suburbs for his father’s job in business but Macdonald still carried a passion for the Patriots through the years. So when former Patriots safety Lawyer Milloy visited Seahawks training camp in early August, it had added meaning for Macdonald.

9. Belichick-Carroll void: The last time the Patriots and Seahawks met when neither Bill Belichick nor Pete Carroll was coaching in the game was Oct. 24, 1993. The Tom Flores-coached Seahawks defeated the Bill Parcells-coached Patriots 10-9 at the Kingdome when quarterback Rick Mirer connected with Brian Blades for a 1-yard touchdown pass with 25 seconds left. Patriots rookie quarterback Drew Bledsoe missed the game because of injury, so Scott Secules started in his place.

Last season, Carroll and Belichick were the NFL’s oldest head coaches. This year, Macdonald and Mayo are the NFL’s youngest head coaches.

10. Did you know? The Patriots have a 2-3 record against the Seahawks since 2000, making them the only team New England has a losing record against over that span.