Tag: patriots news

Former UGA C David Andrews cleared to play for Patriots in 2020

Former Georgia football center David Andrews announced that he’s cleared to play for the New England Patriots following blood clots.

Things are going to look different in New England next season, but at least the Patriots will have team captain and four-year starter David Andrews back at center.

After missing 2019 with blood clots in his lungs, Andrews, a former Georgia Bulldog, announced on Instagram that he has been cleared to play in 2020.

“I know 2020 has affected everyone in ways we couldn’t have imagined prior,” Andrews said. “But with the draft over the next few days a lot of dreams are gonna be realized for a lot of players entering the league. During this time there has been a lot of time for reflection on the past, present and future. As to the future I’m excited that I’ll have the opportunity to play the game I love again. When and whatever the nfl season looks like I’m just thankful that I’ll be able to get back to competing with my teammates and coaches. Go pats.”

The Patriots running game was hurt by Andrews’ absence last season. Sony Michel, another former Dawg, saw his average yards per carry drop nearly a full yard from 4.5 to 3.7 without Andrews creating holes for him to run through in 2019.

Andrews used the first day of the NFL Draft to announce that he’d been cleared. If you remember, Andrews was one of the great stories of the 2015 NFL season. After going undrafted, the Patriots quickly picked up the Johns Creek, Georgia native.

Before we knew it, Andrews was hiking the ball to the greatest quarterback in NFL history and became a two time Super Bowl champion.

He had started 57 regular-season games and nine playoff games before missing the 2019 season.

Tom Brady thank Pats Nation in touching Instagram video

Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady shared a video on his Instagram account thanking Patriots fans for their love and support over 20 years.

Tom Brady may be a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers now, but the future Hall of Fame quarterback built his legacy with the New England Patriots over the past 20 years.

Brady’s stint with the Patriots is the stuff of Hollywood stories. A sixth-round draft pick who came in to replace injured starter Drew Bledsoe early in the 2001 season and eventually went on to lead the Patriots to nine Super Bowl appearances and six titles before he left New England this offseason.

While Brady won’t be suiting up for the Pats next year, he still has lots of love for the Patriots and their fans, evident by this video he posted recently on his Instagram.

Take a look.

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Former Georgia C David Andrews ‘ready to get back’ following blood clots

Following blood clots and sitting out the 2019 NFL season, former Georgia football and current New England Patriots C David Andrews is ready

In an interview with 247 Sports, New England Patriots center David Andrews provided fans with some good news regarding his current health status.

After missing all of 2019 with blood clots, the former Georgia Bulldog captain told 247 that he’s “ready to get back.”

“I had been dealing with some chest pains and trouble breathing, started coughing blood the first day we reported to training camp actually,” he said.

“All of this was partly my fault, just being dumb and pushing through it. I thought I was sick and I really did not feel like myself. It was not like I was having a bad camp. I just was not having a consistent camp.”

Prior to the 2019 season kicking off, Andrews found himself on injured reserve. New England’s run game was nowhere near as productive without Andrews anchoring the line. Georgia fans can relate to how difficult it is to play without Andrews — remember the 2014 Georgia-Florida game when Andrews injured himself early on? The whole offense instantly sputtered.

Sony Michel (1) reacts with center David Andrews (61) after scoring a touchdown against Troy — Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Without Andrews at center in 2019, the Patriots averaged 3.8 yards per carry, down from 4.3 in 2018. Former Bulldog Sony Michel saw his stats drop from   4.5 yards per carry during his 2018 rookie season to 3.7 during his sophomore campaign.

“The Patriots were so good to me, It was really a frustrating year because athletes want to compete,” he said. “I was limited on what I could do but I really focused on rebuilding my body and trying to turn a negative into a positive. I got to be a part of the team, got to watch film with the guys. I got to lead a pass rushing meeting each week. I was still a captain and got to attend those meetings. I got to spend more time with my wife. It has been a different year. I am ready to get back.”

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Former Georgia WR Malcolm Mitchell pokes fun at Falcons fans on 3/28

Former Georgia football and New England Patriots WR Malcolm Mitchell poked fun at Atlanta Falcons on 3/28.

After blowing a 28-3 lead in Super Bowl LI, March 28th is a day that is dreaded by fans of the Atlanta Falcons.

I won’t go into great detail, but the Falcons had a 28-3 lead midway through the third. Then, Tom Brady became Tom Brady.

The Patriots won the game 34-28. Nothing screams “Georgia sports” more than this heartbreaking defeat.

But for one former Georgia Bulldog, wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell, this day has a different affect on him than most out of the Peach State.

Mitchell, a Valdosta native, played for the Bulldogs from 2011-15. Taken in the 4th round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Patriots, Mitchell was a key player in that Super Bowl as a rookie.

He caught six passes for 70 yards in the overtime win, including all five targets from Brady in the pivotal fourth quarter. He converted four of those five receptions into first downs.

As much as you may hate the Patriots or the date 3/28, it’s hard to dislike Mitchell, who has overcame so much to make a name for himself in the NFL.

We’ll let him this one.

View this post on Instagram

HAPPY 3.28

A post shared by Malcolm Mitchell (@money_mitch26) on

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Mike Florio likes the idea of Jameis Winston playing for the Patriots

See why Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots might be just the right team for turnover-prone quarterback Jameis Winston.

The dawn of the Tom Brady era means the sun has set on Jameis Winston’s time in Tampa Bay. The 2015 number one overall pick failed to return the Bucs to the postseason in his five years under center. A 7-9 finish to 2019 sealed his fate and opened the door for the Bucs to go after Brady in free agency.

While Brady is ‘excited, humble and hungry’ to get started in Tampa Bay, Winston is still looking for a job nearly two weeks into free agency. The Pittsburgh Steelers have been mentioned as a possible landing spot for Winston, who may ultimately have to settle for a backup gig in 2020. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk offers another team for Winston, however — the New England Patriots.

Per Florio (via NESN):

“I mean, Brian Hoyer, Jarrett Stidham. The longer Bill Belichick is looking at that as his depth chart and reminds himself 5,100 passing yards for Jameis Winston last year. I mean, if anybody can break Jameis Winston out of the, ‘What the hell were you just doing?’ mindset, it’s gonna be Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels. So, that’s attractive to me.”

Winston’s 30 interceptions last season tend to overshadow the fact that he put up over 5,000 passing yards, becoming just the eighth quarterback in league history to accomplish that feat. Belichick turned Matt Cassel into a solid quarterback in 2008 when Brady missed the season after suffering a torn ACL in the opener. Cassel guided the Pats to a record of 11-5, though they surprisingly missed the playoffs.

Belichick has made a name for himself out of reviving the careers of guys other teams gave up on. Winston would be the ultimate revitalization project for him.

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Joe Montana believes the Patriots made a mistake by letting Tom Brady go

Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana believes the New England Patriots will regret letting Tom Brady leave in free agency.

Tom Brady and Bill Belichick were joined at the hip for the past 20 years as they led the New England Patriots to nine Super Bowl appearances and six titles. Now that the pair have split, the debate over who was actually the grand master of the Patriots dynasty will begin.

While Belichick looks to reboot with the Pats, Brady heads to Tampa Bay to join Bruce Arians and the Buccaneers. Bucs fans may be celebrating the signing, while Patriots fans are left wondering what the future holds for them for the first time in decades.

Many believe the Patriots will regret letting Tom Brady leave in free agency, and you can now add Joe Montana to that list. Montana, the Hall of Fame quarterback who was infamously traded from the San Francisco 49ers to the Kansas City Chiefs, spoke with USA TODAY and offered his theory on why he thinks Brady really left the Patriots.

Per Montana:

“He wants control. I mean, he wants a lot of control. I don’t know what Tampa Bay gave him, but at some point in time, you’re just a player. You can try to get what you can and do what you want, but in the end, you’re still not in the hierarchy when it comes to hiring people, firing people and all that. I don’t know exactly what he’s looking for, but my understanding was that he’s just looking for more control of the offense.”

Dianna Russini of ESPN reported the other week that Brady was in fact looking for more control and input from whatever team was looking to sign him. It seems the Bucs gave in to his demands. Still, when you can a six-time Super Bowl champion to come play for you, you do whatever it takes.

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Tom Brady’s Instagram post proves a picture is worth a thousand words

Tom Brady’s post announcing his Bucs signing shows the quarterback may finally be happy when it comes to football.

It may be hard still for many of us to believe, and say out loud, but Tom Brady is officially a Tampa Bay Buccaneer.

After saying goodbye to the New England Patriots last week after 20 years and six championships, the greatest quarterback to ever play the game chose Tampa Bay as his new home. Some may wonder why he opted for a franchise that hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2007 over a team like the Los Angeles Chargers, who at least offer the glitz and glamour of Tinsletown for a celebrity couple like Brady and his wife Gisele.

While the Bucs’ roster certainly offers the best offense for Brady to work with — having guys like Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and O.J. Howard at his disposal — it may be working with the man himself, Bruce Arians, that made Brady’s decision to choose the Bucs a little easier.

In a terrific piece today over at ESPN.com, Seth Wickersham wrote about the split between Brady and the Patriots, and in particular gave an in-depth look at the fractured relationship between Brady and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. Wickersham talks about how the Belichickian culture eventually became too much for Brady, who loved what he did but didn’t feel loved or appreciated by his coach.

Arians will offer Brady a fresh start in sunny Florida, and more importantly, Arians feels like the complete opposite of Belichick. While he’s still a straight-shooter and candid coach, he fosters a less restrictive environment than that of Belichick and is more laid back. Remember, Arians dropped several F-bombs almost immediately during his interview for the Arizona Cardinals head coaching job (which he eventually got).

As Wickersham rightly points out, too, Brady’s Instagram post from Friday (seen above) shows a man who looks fresh and full of life. There’s no look of exhaustion like we saw at times from Brady during press conferences last year. He looks as excited as a high-school recruit signing his letter of intent.

Brady looks genuinely happy. And a happy Brady could spell trouble for the rest of the league.

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Kraft family thanks QB Tom Brady in full-age ad in Tampa Bay Times

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his family took out a full-page ad to thank QB Tom Brady for his time as a Patriot.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their fans are celebrating the signing of quarterback Tom Brady. But one team’s gain is another team’s loss, and Brady’s addition to the Bucs means Patriots fans are left searching for a new quarterback to call their own.

Brady’s legacy will forever be tied to New England. From sixth-round pick to six-time Super Bowl champion, he lived a Cinderella story that sounds almost too cliche to be real. Game-winning drives, clutch throws, Lombardi Trophies — Brady did it all.

Today, in Sunday’s Tampa Bay Times, Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his family took out a full-page ad, thanking the G.O.A.T. for all the memories.

Here is an excerpt:

“For 20 amazing years, you gave us everything you had… When you arrived as a sixth-round pick — and the best selection this franchise has ever made — no one imagined all you’d accomplish or how much you’d soon mean to an entire region.”

Kraft also asks Bucs fans to “take care of him. You got a great one.”

I think Tampa Bay fans are up to the task.

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Twitter users predict Patriots to draft Georgia football QB Jake Fromm

Twitter users predict that New England Patriots draft former Georgia football QB Jake Fromm now that Tom Brady is exploring NFL Free Agency.

With Tom Brady’s announcement that he is leaving the Patriots and exploring NFL Free Agency, that left football fans wondering who will be the next quarterback in New England.

With the dominos starting to fall, Patriot-style quarterbacks are not widely available in this year’s free agency, so I’d expect New England to take a quarterback in this draft. It’s just a matter of whether or not to take an immediate starter early in the draft, or wait it out a little and get a guy who can be groomed for the future – like a Fromm.

Related: Will Patriots target Georgia football QB Jake Fromm in NFL Draft?

If the Patriots do opt to go with Fromm later in the draft (they hold the No. 23, No. 87, No. 98 and No. 100 picks), it would make perfect sense.

For starters, Belichick loves Georgia players, a fact that he’s alluded to multiple times. He likes the way that Kirby Smart runs his program and prepares players for the league both mentally and physically.

We’ve seen that with his recent draft picks of Sony Michel and Isaiah Wynn, plus Mark Richt guys David Andrews and Malcolm Mitchell a few years earlier.

But there is one glaring issue — Simply put, Fromm was not very good last season. However, as inconsistent as his arm was in 2019, his mindset and preparation never wavered. Also, the play calling was horrendous…and I’m sure Belichick knows that.

Fromm really is the perfect fit for a Belichick offense, though. A drama-free, hard working leader who puts the team above anything else.

Following the news of Brady’s departure, Twitter users quickly went to the app to predict that Fromm winds in New England.

The excitement over the prediction varies, however.

 

Will Patriots target Georgia football QB Jake Fromm in NFL Draft?

With Tom Brady leaving the New England Patriots, could Bill Belichick target Georgia football QB Jake Fromm in the 2020 NFL Draft?

After a 20 year career with the New England Patriots, legendary quarterback Tom Brady announced that he would be leaving the team that he won six Super Bowl rings with.

I don’t need to tell you this, but that leaves an obvious hole at quarterback in New England.

With that being said, could the Patriots look to former Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm in the NFL Draft?

They have the No. 23 pick in the 2020 draft, one that they likely will not be using on Fromm, who is viewed as a third round prospect in April’s draft.

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But the Pats also hold the 87th overall pick, and that’s where things could get interesting if Bill Belichick wants Fromm on his team.

Whether or not he’ll be available that late into the draft is hard to tell. I’ve seen him go anywhere from the second to fifth round. But if New England wants Fromm badly enough, it will do what it takes to get the Warner Robins native.

But that also raised the question –  does Belichick even want Fromm? Based off what we have seen in the past, I’ll go ahead and guess that he’d be thrilled to have a guy like Fromm in his quarterback room.

For starters, Belichick loves Georgia players, a fact that he’s alluded to multiple times. He likes the way that Kirby Smart runs his program and prepares players for the league both mentally and physically.

In the past fews years alone, we’ve seen New England select former Georgia players Malcolm Mitchell, David Andrews, Sony Michel and Isaiah Wynn.

If you add Fromm to that offense, one that no longer includes Mitchell, that would be a Georgia fan’s dream.

But there is one glaring issue — Simply put, Fromm was not very good last season. However, as inconsistent as his arm was in 2019, his mindset and preparation never wavered. Also, the play calling was horrendous…and I’m sure Belichick knows that.

Fromm really is the perfect fit for a Belichick offense, though. A drama-free, hard working leader who puts the team above anything else.

Quarterbacks are not widely available in this year’s free agency, so I’d expect New England to take a quarterback in this draft. It’s just a matter of whether or not to take an immediate starter early in the draft, or wait it out a little and get a guy who can be groomed for the future – like a Fromm.

Former Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who the Pats used a fourth-round pick on in 2019, is currently sitting atop the depth chart now that Brady is gone. I have not seen Stidham throw an NFL pass yet, but I can tell you right now, he’s not the long-term answer in New England.