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FOXBOROUGH – Patriots coach Mike Vrabel put any and all speculation to bed on Monday regarding the future of Patriots left tackle Will Campbell.

“Will’s 22 years old. He’s our left tackle. He’ll get better, he’ll get stronger. There were moments where he played well, moments where he blocked the guy. There’s plays he’d like to have back. We’re not moving Will to guard, to center, to tight end or anywhere else. So, I don’t know what to tell you.”

By announcing today that the team is moving forward with Campbell as the team’s left tackle, Vrabel took all the pressure off of his young left tackle and put it squarely on himself. He is standing by his player and rightfully so.

Campbell was awful in Super LX giving up 14 quarterback pressures. He gave up 29 pressures total in the playoffs. He was not good, but when you watch the tape, two things stick out. One: Campbell needs a lot of technical work to learn to play left tackle with his body type. Two: He was clearly hurt. Campbell couldn’t move and it was glaringly obvious against a Seahawks front that is one of the quickest in the NFL.

Several former offensive lineman from around the NFL all came out in support of Campbell and talked about what ailed him on Sunday night and what can be fixed.

Former Saints and Dolphins offensive tackle Terron Armstead talked about Campbell’s footwork.

“Will Campbell’s issues are fixable. He’s trying to block the best players in the world without a solid foundation. His feet are constantly moving backwards before contact on 90% of these reps. Damn near impossible to anchor against power if your feet are not in the ground. Changing that alone would cut his issues in half. I’m excited to see his response next season. I believe that he will.”

Former Bengals great Willie Anderson took it a step further in his assessment of Campbell and went into detail about his sets and hand usage.

“The long arms/short arms debate online about this kid Will Campbell is interesting. All long arms do is allow you to be later with your hands. That’s the advantage us long arms guys have but it doesn’t guarantee success. There are a lot of awful long arm left and right tackles. I see the problem with Will is a technique issue that having short arms don’t help with that technique. He has to first master better sets versus different alignments. I’ve watched four games this year and you can tell he’s worried, so he’s overcompensating. He has to learn this offseason to say ‘F—k it’ I can block this guy with perfect sets. That college BS of vertical setting 90% of time will get you worn out in this league. He’s also a floater. When he’s square and stops he does a solid job. Need faster hands and maybe use high hand/low hand.”

Finally, former Giants offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz tweeted that a big reason for Campbell’s struggles are due to his pass set.

“My Will Campbell take is very simple. He’s got to play to his body. He took pass sets last night (and often this season) like he’s [Andrew] Whitworth or Lane Johnson. He’s not big or strong enough to vertical set so much.”

I watched Sunday’s game. I coached offensive lineman for years, especially early in my coaching career. Here is what I saw and what he needs to fix.

1. Campbell is late out of his stance, a lot. He needs to snap into his pass set and be under control when kick sliding.

2. Campbell’s hands are too low and too close to his body. He needs elevate them and extend them more. His arms are not long enough to play with his hands down and tight.

3. He needs to be stronger with his inside hand and use it more when engaged. It will allow him to better control defenders once engaged and he can use his outside hand to work them outside.

4. Campbell panics and as a result, he loses his balance and gets over powered. He needs to be more under control and patient in his kick slide.

5. Campbell needs to stop opening his outside hip. He is trying to widen defenders but is instead giving them a short corner. He isn’t long enough or athletic enough to consistently set vertically but he needs to jump set more based on the protection, play call and alignment of the defender. He tends to panic when vertically setting and that’s when he gives up outside pressure.

The Patriots were never going to move Campbell to guard this off-season. They are committed to him long term as their left tackle. Prior to hurting his MCL, Campbell looked like a left tackle. Since he came back from the injury, he has not been the same. It is not an excuse, it is a fact.

The Patriots need to make sure he is healthy, get him in the off-season program and get him some off the field training that can help him fundamentally. If they do that, he should be fine moving forward.

I know a bad game on the biggest stage is magnified but let’s not forget. Campbell was a rookie. The Patriots rolled with him and Jared Wilson at left guard hoping to get them experience this season. The team exceeded expectations and went a lot further than people thought. In the process, the left side of their offensive line gained experience but they got exposed as well in the Super Bowl. It is to be expected. Now both need to bounce back.

Campbell has the potential to be a long term answer at left tackle. Vrabel believes in him and so does the rest of the organization. Now they just need to support him and help him bounce back from a tough game on Sunday.