Veteran Captain on New England Patriots' Losing Streak: 'Can't Quit'

Center David Andrews was more than willing to hold himself accountable amidst the New England Patriots' continued struggles, citing his principles both on and off the field.

New England Patriots center David Andrews has seen firsthand what a team coached by Bill Belichick could look like. He’s a two-time Super Bowl champion and one of the most well-respected veteran lineman in the sport.

Now, he’s snapping for an offense that continues to stumble forward (or, to finish Sunday’s game, backward) in miserable fashion.

This is the worst team Andrews has been a part of at the NFL level, and there’s little reason to believe things will suddenly get better. He was asked about the struggles after Week 6’s 21-17 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Andrews and Patriots quarterback Mac Jones share a high-five / Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

“It starts with us, it’s no outside factors,” Andrews said. “It starts with us, so we have to do a better job. I have to do a better job, we all have to do a better job, and that’s all I know.”

The offensive line has been one of New England’s many issues. The offense ranks dead last in expected points added per play and 28th in success rate. Pro Football Focus currently has the Patriots as the 30th-best pass-blocking team in football. It doesn’t get much lower than this for any team, much less one that has spent most of the century competing for Super Bowls.

It’s a staggering contrast from what Andrews had been used to, though he seems to be handling it with grace.

“Football’s like life—there’s highs, there’s lows, there’s in-between,” Andrews said. “And when there’s lows the only thing you can do is fight your way out of it. Can’t lay down, you can’t quit. I don’t believe in that, never believed in that. So the only thing to do is keep fighting, keep throwing punches, keep swinging. That’s the only thing that I know how to do.”

Keep swinging indeed. If it’s any solace, with veteran presences like Andrews monitoring the locker room, New England shouldn’t fall short from a lack of effort. It’s a talent issue, an offensive coaching issue, and to some extent, a referendum on Belichick.

They’ll look to punch back in a divisional matchup with the Buffalo Bills in Week 7.

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