FOXBORO — There has been plenty expected of Patriots left tackle Will Campbell during his first professional season. He has recorded nearly 800 snaps on Drake Maye’s blind side as his team enters its Wild Card matchup with the Chargers.
But early on in his tenure, head coach Mike Vrabel offered Campbell another gig: weatherman.
In actuality, the idea was presented to Campbell more as a demand than a request. Top-five pick or not, he was a rookie, after all.
“He volunteered me,” Campbell told NBC Sports Boston, smiling. “I didn’t really have a choice, but I’ve enjoyed doing it.”
The job? Every week, get up in front of the team during Friday’s meeting to serve as an anchorman of sorts, delivering reports on the weather for Sundays as well as highlighting any community or player events on the schedule. Campbell would also lay out the post-practice lunch menu and discuss the news of the week that was.
Hysterically so, apparently.
Campbell’s dry delivery, teammates will tell you, is much more Norm McDonald than it is Tom Brokaw. He’ll needle players — veterans, in particular — and at times venture into territory beyond that which would be allowed to air on Saturday Night Live.
“Most of them are (family-friendly),” veteran tight end Austin Hooper said of Campbell’s quips. “But every once in a while, Will will throw one zinger in there that is hilarious. But that’ll be more for us.
“It’s a good mix of stuff that’s for everybody and some stuff where Will is going a little harder in the paint. All performers sometimes have to push the boundaries.”
Campbell’s address is a weekly ritual that helps keep things light late in the week, teammates say. This year’s iteration of the Patriots has taken opponents seriously enough to finish tied with the best record in football (14-3), but players also feel as though Vrabel has fostered a culture in his first year where no one wants to take themselves too seriously.
“One of the first things he told us was, ‘Don’t take yourself too serious in this building,’ ” veteran corner Carlton Davis said earlier this season. “That kind of alleviated all of the tension that came with coming into a football building. Being in the NFL, it can be a high-intensity environment.
“Everybody wants to be good, everybody wants to do a good job, to protect their job, but he kind of alleviated that by just being a cool guy, personable guy, players’ coach… Everybody kind of bought into it, and we created this quick brotherhood and this bond between each other. We want to play for each other and we also want to play for him.”
“It’s definitely a work-hard environment,” Hooper explained. “But we can still have fun playing pro sports. We’re gonna work, and we’re gonna ask a lot of you. We’re gonna hold each other accountable. But at the same time, if something’s funny, you can laugh. It’s not like you’re sitting in the middle of church.
“If something funny happens, you can laugh. You can smile. It’s OK to have whatever your personality is as long as you’re handling your business and you’re on top of your details. You can be whoever you want to be as long as you’re a good teammate and doing your job.”
Glenn Gleason/NBC Sports Boston
Glenn Gleason/NBC Sports Boston
Mike Vrabel “volunteered” Will Campbell to get up in front of the team every Friday and deliver weather reports.
After fellow rookie lineman Jared Wilson was asked for a Campbell crack that he could share with a reporter to be broadcast to a larger audience, he smiled but didn’t say a word. Eleven seconds of silence went by before he determined his efforts were futile.
“You know, there’s not a lot that I can,” he said finally, laughing. “Being totally honest with you. But they’re good. They’re good.”
“He might have a future in meteorology,” Hooper added. “Who knows? If he doesn’t have to get sent to HR on the first day. I think the FCC would say, ‘Will, you can’t say that on camera. That’ll be your last broadcast.'”
What might be deemed a stressful responsibility for most younger players has become part of the routine for Campbell. While he (like most linemen) isn’t necessarily looking to be the center of attention, there is a part of his personality that is, put simply, open to showmanship.
During his time at LSU, it wasn’t hard to find clips of him wearing eye-catching suits on game days or squatting massive amounts of weight while winking at a nearby camera. At a Celtics game last month, he popped up on the video board above halfcourt, whipped his shirt off, and chugged a beer to rile up the crowd as teammates cackled behind him.
Making his Friday duties a little easier was that he had some help, he acknowledged. He credited vice president of football operations and strategy John “Stretch” Streicher as his one-man joke-writing team.
“I mean, I was not looking forward to it at first,” Campbell admitted. “It wasn’t something that I got out of bed on Friday morning looking forward to. But now, as long as there’s some good stuff to read, I don’t mind it.
” … That’s all I do is read what’s given to me. I’ll help every now and then if I can. But Stretch is a pretty funny guy. He comes up with some good stuff.”
It’s a ritual the Patriots are hoping can extend into next week with a win over Los Angeles on Sunday Night Football, with their young 6-foot-6, 320-pound reluctant stand-up comic reminding everyone in the building that there’s a new culture in Foxboro under Vrabel.
As determined as they are to execute their jobs, as diligently as they work, it’s OK to enjoy the process. It’s OK to laugh. That’s the expectation.
Especially if you’re the butt of the joke.