FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Win or lose, David Andrews is the first Patriots player to address reporters after every game.
Still clad in his uniform, Andrews steps to the podium and fields questions, good or bad. A two-time Super Bowl champion, the offensive line captain knows what it takes to get to the top of the mountain, and is honest when his team isn’t meeting that standard.
On Wednesday, Coach Bill Belichick spoke about of the leadership Andrews has provided this season.
“He’s done a great job. He’s done a great job,” Belichick reiterated. “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.”
QB Mac Jones believes that his center – who at 31 with 122 NFL games under his belt, can provide less-experienced teammates with valuable info.
“David does a good job. 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,” Jones said.
In the middle of his Wednesday morning press conference, Andrews actually provided a window into the day-to-day advice he offers his teammates in the middle of an unrelated answer.
“I try to tell this to the young guys: If you go out there in practice and say ‘I’m going to fix 30 things today,’ you’re going to be overwhelmed,” Andrews said. “Especially during the season. It’s too hard. Practices are too quick. Game plan, all that. Go out there with one or two things. It’s like today, right? Wednesday. Let’s work on our footwork in the run game.”
JOSH UCHE returned to the practice field Wednesday after the pass rusher missed every practice last week and Sunday’s win over the Bills.
Uche (knee) had appeared in every game before sitting out last weekend. He has two sacks, six tackles and three QB hits on the season.
Rookie defensive lineman Keion White was the only player missing at Wednesday’s practice. White continues to recover from a concussion he suffered 11 days ago at Las Vegas.
After starting at right tackle versus the Bills, offensive lineman Mike Onwenu again worked with the tackles at the start of Wednesday’s practice. Another offensive lineman, Vederian Lowe, appeared limited. Lowe replaced starting left tackle Trent Brown for one series against Buffalo after Brown suffered an apparent knee injury. Brown later returned to finish the game.
THE PATRIOTS released Malik Cunningham just 10 days after signing the versatile quarterback/receiver to their 53-man roster, but hope he is back soon.
Cunningham was named the backup quarterback to Mac Jones in Week 6 in Las Vegas, but was inactive on Sunday and waived two days later.
On Wednesday, Belichick didn’t exactly explain why the Patriots cut Cunningham but said he hoped to bring the rookie back to the practice squad. When asked why he cut Cunningham, Belichick replied, “Just do what’s best for the team.”
CHRISTIAN BARMORE has strung together a pair of very disruptive performances as a pass rusher with a strong effort in Las Vegas, and then living in the Buffalo backfield in last Sunday’s win.
Barmore ranks 16th in pass rush win rate for all of the NFL’s defensive tackles, according to ESPN Analytics and Belichick had a simple explanation for his third-year player’s success this season.
“B-More has had a really good year,” Belichick said. “He’s been healthy. Had a good offseason. I would say this is the hardest that he trained – or been able to train. Some of that’s been a little bit rehab related. But had a good offseason. Good training. And he’s playing well. So, I think those things usually go together.”
Barmore battled knee injuries in each of his first two seasons and has been listed with one again this year, but hasn’t appeared terribly hindered by it. He’s played 59% of the defensive snaps – which would be a career high if it holds – and has been tasked with more early-down responsibilities than past seasons.
CHASE WINOVICH, a former Patriots linebacker, announced his retirement after five seasons in the league.
Winovich, a 2019 third-round pick with the Patriots, spent three seasons in New England. The linebacker, who played college football at Michigan, registered 5.5 sacks in each of his first two seasons with the Patriots. In March 2022, he was traded to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for linebacker Mack Wilson.
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