After being released in March, David Andrews could have pursued a career elsewhere, in another city and for another team. The 10-year veteran just couldn't wrap his brain around that idea, so he went out like he came in - as a New England Patriot.
"I didn't want to go do it for another organization," he said Monday afternoon. "That wasn't what I had in mind to finish my career. I wanted to finish it here and I did."
The 32-year-old Andrews fought back the tears several times throughout his 11-minute speech. It was a speech he had written in advance because he knew how hard this would be. He choked up and had to gather himself before he even began.
"As you can see, there's a lot of emotions," he said. "The one that kept sticking out to me was gratitude. When I look back on the 26 years I've been blessed to play this game, that's really all I could think about. Especially playing O-line since I was 6 years old, you learn very quickly that it's not about you, it's about the team. For my whole career, I've been surrounded by the best team anyone could ask for. So today, I'd like to show my gratitude to those who sacrificed and helped me."
Andrews wasn't given much of a chance to be an NFL player, let alone one who lasted a decade. He went undrafted out of the University of Georgia but made the team out of training camp and eventually became an 8-time team captain and two-time Super Bowl champion.
“This game has given me so much over the last 26 years,” Andrews said. “I’ve met some amazing people, been places I’d never imagined, and done things I’d never dreamed of. You’ve taught me so much about myself and life, while letting me get to play a child’s game and call it a job. You’ve been so good to me and I think I’ve been pretty good to you."
I have two distinct memories of Andrews. The first is him waving goodbye to legions of Chiefs fans after Rex Burkhead scored the game-winning touchdown in the 2018 AFC Championship game in Kansas City. The second is how he was first to the podium week after week in Bill Belichick's final season. All class, all the time.
MORE THAN WORDS
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has insisted it's imperative for him and this coaching staff to get to know their players as men first. Phone calls and text messages are part of the norm, but when the situation calls for it, hopping on a plane is not above and beyond. That's exactly what happened this spring when Rhamondre Stevenson's father passed away.
"I'll keep a dialog to myself, but it meant a lot. Just the whole coaching staff - them being new - just still having my back, just checking in on me, said Stevenson after Monday's OTA. "You know, the running back coach (Tony Dews) even came to Vegas for a little bit. So all that means a lot to me. It meant a lot to my family. And, you know, I loved it."
Stevenson didn't return to Foxborough until last week and is being gradually integrated into the mix. He had one of the highlight plays of the day, a fingertip grab of a Drake Maye pass down the left sideline, and was in the middle of several conversations with Dews and a familiar face in offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who was here for Stevenson's rookie season. By the smile on his face, it's clear he's enjoying a return to that system.
"I'll say I'm very comfortable just looking back through it," he said. "You know, Josh and Bill Belichick yelled at me a lot my rookie year for the same playbook. So I kind of got it drilled into me. Just need to go over a little bit more."
Stevenson knows that if he's on his game with McDaniels, he'll touch the ball quite a bit.
"I feel like Josh always loved the running back position," he said. "He always tried to give us the ball."
Coming off a career-low 3.9 yards per carry (the offensive line was bad, yes, but Antonio Gibson averaged a full yard more) and a career-high 7 fumbles, Stevenson has more competition in the backfield. The team drafted TreVeyon Henderson in round two, and he's already opening eyes. Stevenson says he'll be happy to help the youngster, noting his experience can aid the former Ohio State star with "tips and tricks" of the position, including reading defenses. In the short term, however, being back with the team has lifted Stevenson's spirits.
"It felt great just being in the huddle with the guys and just being back in the building, just doing (inaudible) in the weight room," he said. "It was great to be around them. They kind of get my mind off things and get me focused on football. I love being around."
SO FAR, SO GOOD
Mike Onwenu knows what a good offensive line looks like. Unfortunately, he hasn't been on one since 2021, but the veteran guard thinks this group has a chance.
"Yeah, I feel good about it, he said. We got a really great room - full of potential. A lot of guys, everybody can play, pretty much. So I'm happy about it."
Onwenu himself is coming off a down year after securing the bag in the 2024 offseason. He didn't round into form until the final handful of weeks, and his conditioning - especially in the summer - seemed subpar.
This spring, the former University of Michigan standout looks like he might be north of that 350-pound mark that he typically plays at. Onwenu has been rehabbing a hand injury, which is why he's spent a lot of time during the OTAs we've seen off to the side with rookie Jared Wilson and veteran tackle Morgan Moses. They, too, are coming off injuries.
"I feel great. I feel strong. I feel fast. I'm ready to ball," insisted Onwenu, who was clearly laboring during the final conditioning work at the end of Monday's practice. "(You) want to be in football shape in general. Whether it's the plays or whether it's conditioning on the side. It'll all just help with playing in the games and playing those long series..."
The Patriots hope to have a lot more of the latter during this upcoming season, and they'll need Onwenu to return to the form that made him worthy of that contract in the first place.
