FOXBOROUGH - As the Patriots suffered through the worst two-game stretch of the Bill Belichick era, the first voice heard in those postgame press conferences was not that of the head coach or quarterback. Nope. The man front and center to face the bright camera lights and probing questions that he undoubtedly didn't have an answer to in those immediate moments was David Andrews. If you've followed his career, this wasn't a surprise. From undrafted free agent to starter to team captain, Andrews has consistently proven worthy of the responsibilities he's earned.
There have been only two constants on the offensive line this season - Trent Brown and Andrews. In the opener, the 31-year-old Andrews center was flanked by two rookies. The following week, there was one left guard (Cole Strange) and two right guards (Mike Onwenu and Atonio Mafi). Week 3: two LGs, one RG, and a new right tackle. I could go on, but you get the point. The only thing the Pats have been able to settle on is being unsettled due to injuries and subpar performance. But in Andrews, they have their Mr. Reliable, something not lost on those whose opinions matter.
"He's done a great job. He's done a great job," repeated Belichick. "He's playing well, and he really helps the quarterback, the offensive line. He's a very good personality, calm but enthusiastic, aggressive and energetic, but at the same time, there's not a panic to it. Really good, he does a great job."
"Yeah, David does a good job," added Mac Jones. "Obviously, when you're an older player in your room, I feel like the knowledge and experience that you have can really help young people. That's something that stood out to me, regardless – receiver room with the older receivers, DBs, or whatever. Very good to have that on the team, and definitely has seen a lot of plays, played in a lot of different games, so that's important to use someone like that as a resource."
In all the years I've covered Andrews - which is to say all of them - he's never been one to talk about himself. Instead, He'd point out what the team and his teammates are doing well, reminding them that they can continually improve.
"You're always chasing perfection," he's said many times. "That's the goal."
That pursuit is a daily endeavor for Andrews, and the Pats are fortunate to have him setting that standard.
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JuJu Smith-Schuster returned to practice Wednesday after missing the last week-and-change with a concussion. He was listed as limited, but it was nice to see him smiling and interacting with teammates post-workout.
A few lockers down, the man who took the lion's share of those snaps vacated because of JuJu's injury, Demario Douglas, held court. He's coming off an impressive performance against the Bills Sunday - 4 catches, a 20-yard run on a jet sweep, and an electric punt return.
"You play with confidence; you play differently," said Douglas. "When you've got confidence from your teammates, confidence from your coaches, you play with that swagger."
"He's a dynamic, dynamic player," said captain Matthew Slater. "He's got a unique ability to make guys miss in space, to free himself up in space. The thing that I've really enjoyed the most about him is his humility and willingness to learn."
There have been plenty of teachable moments for Douglas thus far, including the fumble in week two against the Dolphins - "I learned about ball security," he smiled. This past weekend, the young wideout ran an option route directly into a defender when the right play was to sit in the space between two defenders. That drew the ire of Mac Jones.
"I can be hard on him and try to raise that standard because I know where he comes from," said Jones, who's known of Douglas since their days in Jacksonville. "I know how hard he works, and he's going to bring it every week."
If 'Pop' continues to improve at this rate, there will be plenty more experiences for him and Jones to learn from and plenty more big days to come.