Campbell offered up this assessment of Stenberg earlier this week,
“There again, this week’s going to say a lot. It’s going to tell a lot about Logan. We like what’s in there. We like his ability. He’s somebody that we feel like … Look, he’s a pup. He just is. He’s such a young buck right now. He’s got a lot of room to grow. He’s also got a ways to go, too. That’s the reality of it. I think the question for him is, ‘How quickly can he get better and develop?’ He’s getting better, but it’s like, ‘Man, it’s got to come.’ These pads are where it’s going to start for him. We need to see him be able to drop his weight and get under guys and get movement. This will be a huge week for him.”
And it doesn’t look too good for his prospects:
For how much Stenberg was looked at as this big, tough mauler at guard coming out of Kentucky, being called a pup could be a tough pill to swallow. He did gain some valuable experience from last year, but from Campbell’s eyes, he is nowhere close to where he needs to be. It’s unfortunate to see, especially with the competition in front of him for an interior spot.
When you are churning the bottom part of the roster, players should contribute in multiple facets. However, when it comes to interior lineman, you will probably want one who can be effective at guard and center. Sternberg tried center last year, and it did not work in his favor and looks to be taking guard snaps primarily this offseason.
With Stenberg’s skills not matching up at center, he will have a long hill to climb especially against the players he will compete against who can fill multiple roles along the interior offensive line. He does have the upside and could see a further push in his development the more we get into training camp, but seeing that he may already be behind, does not bode well for the second-year guard. He will be someone to watch for to take a big step forward, or he could be on the outside looking in.
I love how Campbell tells it like it is. The guy doesn’t sugar coat anything, and as tough as that may be for Stenberg to hear, he should respect and challenge those words to improve.
Side note*
I also feel like he was drafted by the Patricia regime simply because he fit the “Patriot way” slogan.
I mean, I could be wrong because I didn’t know much about Stenberg in college, but I also didn’t hear much other than he’s just a “mean player” on the field rather than any skill sets he has.
I wrote Stenberg off last year. I don’t think he’s going to turn it around. You win some, you miss some. And I agree, Dan can tell it like it is, without dissing anyone, I actually look forward to listening to him versus any other coach we’ve had since Fontes.
Stenberg was a solid run blocker @ Kentucky, lots of pancakes on his film, but that’s against college players in an offensive scheme that was run heavy.
He just can’t seem to pass block, and that’s a real problem @ the nfl level.
He’s going to get a lot of playing time in the preseason games. I could see them trying to sneak him onto the practice squad.
Hated the pick. Why are we spending a 4th on an OG with short arms and limited athletic ability, just because he’s nasty? You had a specimen with great PFF grades in your own backyard with Onwenu.
Matt Patricia’s goal was to make himself the skinniest guy in the room, but be able to eat whatever he wanted. Of course, this was by making LBs bulk up to 280 and add big immobile OL like Stenberg and Vaitai.
Maybe Matty Patty will become an annoying diet trend… Get Skinny By Surrounding Yourself with Fat People ( also known as the insecure high school girl method)
I wonder if it’s a talent thing vs just something he isn’t getting vs not putting in the work. I agree I think we got excited as fans when we hear “nasty run blocking” and really want the guy to come through. But when the coaches talk about Sewell and Jackson making great strides and their presence felt compared to stenberg being a pup, that’s not a great thing… unless it was a motivation tactic.
I hope the best for him but agree, I don’t think he makes the final cut this year. Maybe practice squad guy
This is getting off topic. Back when I had an office to work in I would help myself lose weight by dumping two or three bags of “Halloween” candy on the break room table and wait for it to disappear, usually in the same day. The most miserable of tricks.
I “work from home now” but I really miss that break room table. It was understood that items placed there were first come first served and this somehow made them irresistible to a certain type of individua whol I could never identify. As an experiment I once placed a half-eaten but still mostly in the wrapper teriyaki beef stick on the break room table. Gone.
I liked the pick at the time. Saw a couple UK games and liked what was displayed. Really thought he would click here. Oh well, still have hope…although it’s getting a little less every day.