Andrews reflects on Pats, reunion with UGA teammates

Published 4:16 pm Tuesday, June 19, 2018

None of the NFL’s 32 teams drafted Georgia center David Andrews in 2015, and he has since made 31 of them regret it. He signed with the New England Patriots as a free agent, and he proceeded to earn a starting job and role as team captain.

He helped them advance to a Super Bowl for the second consecutive season, where they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles on Feb. 4. Now in the offseason, Andrews and the Patriots are finished with organized team activities  and are gearing up for training camp later in the summer as they work to advance to a third straight championship appearance.

The Red & Black caught up with Andrews about his offseason, including his thoughts on his former Georgia teammates Isaiah Wynn and Sony Michel joining his current team in New England.

How have OTAs been?

“Yeah it’s been good. It’s always great to get back on the field and play football. There’s limitations on what we can do, but it’s always great to get the team out there and get that competition back going.”

Is there anything specific that you’re trying to improve or is it more just getting back in a routine with everybody?

“Yeah, I think there’s always things you’ve got to improve on. I think first, the biggest thing, is that you’ve got to be in the best shape that you can. You’ve got to work out and do all these football things and run, but especially for an offensive lineman it’s just hard to simulate the kind of shape you need to be in. So that’s definitely a big thing, and then I think also just getting back into your technique and working on your technique. Kind of looking at ‘Alright, here’s what I did last year.’ There’s some things I did good on and there’s some things I really need to focus on, whether that might be hand placement and things like that. It’s not necessarily, for me, learning the offense. I’m fortunate enough to have been in the system now for four years so I can really focus on the minor details.”

Do you feel as though you’ve embraced even more of a leadership role on this offensive line?

“I think we do a great job of all sharing leadership. At center, there’s kind of a role for a leader; you’re kind of in the middle of it and in control of calls and things like that. So you’re kind of thrust into that role. I was fortunate enough to learn from a lot of guys, and we’ve got a lot of guys that have played a lot of football there. Guys on either side of me, you know Shaq Mason and then Joe Thuney, we’ve played a lot of football together. Even at tackle, Marcus Cannon’s been here for eight years, so we’ve definitely got a lot of experience … We have a great room, and we definitely have to just bring each other along. I think that’s what makes our group special is that we’re doing a good job of that.”

Can you describe what it meant to you to be named a captain last year?

“Yeah, you know it’s definitely a great honor. But at the same time, you’ve just got to be you each day. I think you can’t let that change who you are, so you’ve just got to keep doing what got you there. I think it’s the same with anything, you can’t work really hard and then get something and just relax. But it was a great honor, and I was very grateful that my teammates picked me to fill that role.”

Now diving into these Patriots-Georgia ties, did you have any idea that there was a chance New England would take one or two Georgia players this year?

“No. I kind of joked with some people that I was the one in the draft room making the calls, but no I mean I had no idea. It was obviously documented that we were at the Pro Day, and I was happy to see them there, but you just have no idea what’s going to happen. So much goes into draft night. I saw Isaiah get drafted and that was awesome, I was super excited for him. Then I actually went to sleep, I had to go to work the next day so I wasn’t staying up and watching it. But my wife came into the room and told me Sony got drafted and I was kind of shocked. Like, ‘What? What in the world?’ I don’t know the last time two players in the first round have been taken by the same team. But it’s great, I’m super happy for them. They’re going to have a good road ahead of them.”

I know you three played together for a year at Georgia, but did you keep in touch? Or did you have to reconnect once they got drafted?

“Yeah, we kept in touch. Definitely more with Isaiah, just with him being an offensive lineman and him going through the process and all that stuff. The O-line at Georgia has been in touch since I left. And then with Sony, I’ve seen him a couple times just whenever I’m back in Athens and things like that. It was great, definitely, to shoot them a text and tell them congratulations.”

In your opinion, how are [Isaiah and Sony] adjusting? I guess you’ve only seen them through OTAs, but just both on and off the field.

“It’s a tough transition for anyone. For a first rounder or an undrafted guy, it’s tough. It’s a lot of work, it’s a lot of things you’re not used to, you’re away from home and living in a hotel room, there’s a new playbook and all this type of stuff. But they’ve each had coaching changes throughout their career. There’ve been new systems (what is it, three or four that they’ve had to learn now?), so you know there’s just a learning curve. They’ll get there, it just definitely takes some time.”

In what ways do you think UGA prepares you for that next level?

“I think being a freshman in college and being a rookie are completely different, but there are some similarities. There’s a new environment, you’re away from home, there’s new challenges and things like that. So they are very similar on a basic level. I’m very grateful to coach Richt, coach (Mike) Bobo and coach (Will) Friend, they taught me a lot about toughness and things like that. I thought Coach Bobo’s system prepared me well for the NFL just because it was a pro-style offense. I was prepared, and you kind of try to relate things back to, especially being a rookie, back to what I knew. So I’m definitely grateful to those coaches for what they taught me.”

Did you notice any similarities between the offense you were running at Georgia and what y’all are doing now in New England?

“Yeah. I think football scheme-wise is, to me, very similar at a lot of levels. It’s more complicated, but it’s just like learning a different language. So if college was Spanish, the NFL is advanced Spanish. It’s similar, but there are just some more intricate things. To me, I thought the offense that we ran at Georgia had a lot of similarities that carried over, it was maybe just called something different or a little more advanced or things like that. But there was a lot of things that I could relate to in the running game and even in the passing game with protection systems and things like that. I felt that once I got here, and I didn’t know this at the time, that I was definitely really prepared in things that I could relate to.”

You played under Mark Richt and Bobo, but have you had any contact with Kirby Smart and the new regime that’s come in in the past couple of years?

“Yeah. Coach Smart does a great job of making us feel welcome, which means a lot because he was a player there and so he gets it and understands how much that place means to a lot of us. Obviously I never played for coach Smart — he recruited me at Alabama — but he treats me like I played for him for four years. I’m definitely grateful for that, I love those coaches over there. Coach Pittman is the same way. I never played with him but he treats me like coach Smart does. It’s been awesome just to watch them from afar and see the great things that they’re doing.”

Printed with permission from The Red & Black independent student media organization in Athens, Ga.; redandblack.com/sports.