Tag: David Andrews

Revisiting Patriots captain David Andrews’ take on hip-drop tackle in 2023

Revisiting David Andrews’ hip-drop tackle comments after Rhamondre Stevenson’s injury last season

The hip-drop tackle ban was one of the biggest stories in the NFL with multiple players reacting to it.

On Monday, NFL owners unanimously voted to approve a rule that banned the tackling technique. Now, teams will be given a 15-yard penalty if such tackles occur.

The fallout from the rule change had some revisiting comments made by New England Patriots captain David Andrews on the technique last December.

The Patriots were impacted directly with running Rhamondre Stevenson getting injured with a hip-drop tackle against the Los Angeles Chargers. The injury forced him to miss the rest of the season, and the running back depth in New England took a major hit.

Yet, despite the injury to Stevenson, Andrews didn’t condemn the defensive technique.

“It’s the defense’s job to tackle guys, and I don’t think people are doing that with malicious intent,” said Andrews, via Patriots insider Zack Cox. “Eventually, you keep taking away certain plays, taking away certain plays, taking away this, taking away that, what’s going to be left of the game? Look, it’s an unfortunate reality of this game, and no one wants to see that. Guys on other teams don’t want to see guys get hurt. We don’t want to see guys get hurt. But it’s an unfortunate reality of playing in the NFL — playing football at any level.”

The NFL will have its work cut out trying to enforce the rule change consistently, especially at full speed. Regardless, this is just another case of defenders having to adapt to efforts to protect the offensive players.

The Morning After…End of an era, or not?

Will the inevitable rebuild in New England include Bill Belichick as head coach?

While New York Jets players did snow angels after beating the New England Patriots 17-3 in Sunday’s regular season finale, Bill Belichick walked off the field for perhaps the last time as Patriots head coach.

It was a sobering moment that brought a rush of emotions for longtime fans of the team. Belichick was the man responsible for building the greatest dynasty in NFL history.

Even for those ready to say Tom Brady deserves the brunt of the credit for the winning, there is no Brady in New England if Belichick didn’t take him at No. 199 in the 2000 NFL draft. Belichick is the architect, and he deserves the utmost respect for his contributions.

But there’s also the reality that the team needs a new direction after a second straight losing season. They finished 2023 with a 4-13 record and last place in the AFC East. Change is desperately needed.

Is it the sort of change that needs to happen without Belichick, or will the team go a different route, while also staying connected with the greatest coach in NFL history?

Here are some leftover notes from Sunday’s game:

Bills vs. Patriots: Key matchups to watch in Week 17

#Bills vs. #Patriots: Key matchups to watch in Week 17:

The Buffalo Bills will host the New England Patriots in their upcoming Week 17 matchup at Highmark Stadium.

The two teams have been rigorously preparing for the contest throughout the past week. Buffalo (9-6) and New England (4-11) will think they know their upcoming opponent, inside and out, after all the practicing and studying they have put in.

Because of that, despite all the off-field talking, speculation and discussion, it will still be the games, within the game, that will make all the difference when it comes to the final outcome of this upcoming weekend.

With that, here are three key matchups to watch during Sunday’s Bills-Patriots matchup:

Bill Belichick raves about center David Andrews ahead of Sunday’s game

Bill Belichick called Patriots center David Andrews a “warrior” heading into Sunday’s game against the Broncos.

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick had extremely high praise for David Andrews when he met with the media on Friday morning.

Andrews has been a part of the Patriots organization since the 2015 season. He came to New England as an undrafted free agent and worked his way up to team captain and a dependable starter for the team throughout the course of his career.

The center has started in all 14 games he has played in this season, and he has started in 114 of the 117 games he’s appeared in.

Belichick is not one to offer major praise to players. However, one question prompted him to give Andrews a very strong review, as transcribed by NESN.com’s Zack Cox.

“Fantastic,” Belichick said. “Fantastic. He’s done as good a job — it’s as good as I’ve seen, honestly. Every day, his performance on a daily basis is really exceptional. Attitude, effort, communication, energy, leadership with younger players, leadership with his peers, communication, you name it. And look, like everybody who plays a lot of football, you get banged up and deal with some stuff during the year.

“…He’s shown a lot of physical toughness to play through that, a lot of mental toughness. He would never come out of practice for a play. We have to take him out to kind of help manage some of the bumps and bruises that he has, but this guy is a warrior.”

Andrews has been a fixture on the Patriots’ offensive line for quite some time. He has also been very forthright and open with media during his press conferences. The qualities of dependability, as well as productivity and accountability, have made him a New England fan-favorite.

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Patriots captain nominated for Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award

Patriots’ longtime captain gets nominated for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award

New England Patriots center David Andrews was named one of the finalists for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award.

The Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award “recognizes players around the league who exemplify outstanding sportsmanship on the field,” per a release from the NFL.

Andrews has been a captain for the Patriots for seven straight seasons. He has won two Super Bowls in what has been a productive journey for the undrafted free agent out of Georgia.

The winner of the award will receive a $25,000 donation from the NFL foundation to the charity of their choice. Matthew Slater won the award for the Patriots in 2021.

Andrews is definitely deserving as well considering he has been a model of consistency during his time in New England. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better role model, particularly when it comes to sportsmanship, than one of the best offensive linemen in franchise history.

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Patriots captain had strong message for J. C. Jackson situation

Short but sweet. Patriots captain David Andrews had a powerful message on the J.C. Jackson situation.

New England Patriots center and captain David Andrews had a strong message for cornerback J. C. Jackson, who reportedly got into trouble with the team last week for performance issues and missing curfew.

Jackson subsequently sat out the first two series of the Week 9 game against the Washington Commanders. New England lost the game by a 20-17 margin. Things didn’t get much better after the loss with Jackson being sent home and ruled out for Week 10 against the Indianapolis Colts.

Things are seemingly snow-piling on the Patriots at a point when they have the worst record in the AFC division. Andrews reiterated the message of team, and sent a message to Jackson in the process as well, per NESN.com’s Zack Cox.

“I don’t make those decisions or really know much about it, but I think the biggest thing is being committed to the team,” Andrews said. “I think that’s always something I’ve tried to preach and live by — the team comes first.

“Sometimes it comes first, and whether it be your family or things like that, I try to find that balance. That’s hard. But I think the team always will come first. That’s the most important thing in this game. It’s the greatest team game.”

We’ll see if the team can rally together at its lowest point in Sunday’s meeting with the Colts.

Patriots OL coach expected to be out for extended timeframe

The hits keep on coming for the Patriots’ offensive line with coach Adrian Klemm now out for health-related reasons.

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick indicated offensive line coach Adrian Klemm will be out for an extended timeframe, when speaking with media members on Wednesday.

Belichick confirmed that Klemm’s absence was health-related.

Klemm was hired by the Patriots organization in January, as the team looked to build stability on the line. The Patriots have allowed only 18 sacks in a season when the offensive line has had to undergo a revolving door of personnel changes on a weekly basis due to injuries.

New England still has several difficult games coming up on their schedule. It will be interesting to see how Klemm’s absence affects the play of the line. His health is on the mind of his players, including center David Andrews, who shared kind and encouraging words for his coach.

The Patriots are slated for an AFC clash with the Indianapolis Colts in Germany on Sunday. Offensive line will continue to be a major talking point with multiple players working through injuries and Klemm no longer coaching up the position group.

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10 highest-graded players for Patriots offense vs Dolphins, per PFF

PFF’s top-10 offensive players for the Patriots in loss to the Dolphins

It was back to reality for the New England Patriots’ sputtering offense in their Week 8 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

The pass protection up front was iffy at best, the run game never got going, receivers couldn’t get open and quarterback Mac Jones turned the ball over.

Rinse, wash and repeat.

No offensive player outside of tight end Pharaoh Brown was given over a 70.0 grade by Pro Football Focus. It didn’t help matters that two of the team’s top receivers, DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne, both went down with injuries.

Bourne, who led the team in receptions, yards and touchdowns, will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL, while Parker is in concussion protocol. Those injuries create even bigger questions for the Patriots moving forward this season.

Let’s take a look at the top-10 highest-graded offensive players for New England, per PFF, in the loss to the Dolphins.

10 highest-graded players for Patriots offense vs Bills, per PFF

Some unexpected names topped the list of offensive standouts for the Patriots in their Week 7 win over the Bills

The New England Patriots offense came off of life support on Sunday and helped hand the Buffalo Bills a shocking 29-25 loss.

This wasn’t a game where the unit needed to be bailed out by the defense, either. With less than two minutes to go in the game, quarterback Mac Jones led the offense on an eight-play, 75-yard game-winning drive to put Josh Allen and the Bills away.

There was plenty to like from the performance, including the emergence of rookie wide receiver Demario Douglas, who routinely made plays as a runner, receiver and return man.

Kendrick Bourne continued to serve as a reliable receiving target for Jones, and running back Rhamondre Stevenson finally got going. But most importantly, the offensive line finally showed some fight after collapsing like a paper house in a thunderstorm in their previous three games.

Here are the top-10 highest-graded offensive players for the Patriots in Week 7, per Pro Football Focus.

Patriots’ top 10 offensive players in Week 3, per PFF grades

Which Patriots offensive players had the highest PFF grades in Week 3?

The New England Patriots had just enough of an offensive pulse to squeak out an ugly 15-10 win over the New York Jets.

Make no mistake, Sunday’s game was all about Matthew Judon and the rest of the Patriots defense throwing on the red cape and saving the day. But there were still solid efforts made on the offensive side of the ball as well.

Quarterback Mac Jones was efficient and didn’t turn the ball over. A third tight end emerged as a legitimate offensive threat for New England. And the offensive line put up a better fight than expected against a Jets defensive front that ranks among the best in football.

It wasn’t pretty by any stretch of the imagination, but the Patriots offense hasn’t come close to reaching its full potential. Here are the Patriots’ top-10 offensive players from Week 3, according to their Pro Football Focus grades.