LOUDON, N.H. -- Patriots football is just around the corner.
New England's players and coaches have been on vacation since minicamp ended mid-June, but rookies will report to Gillette Stadium next week before training camp officially begins July 27. So, get ready for an uptick in Patriots news in the very near future.
Center David Andrews, who drove the pace car in Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, shared his mindset during a brief meeting with reporters.
"We had a good offseason," Andrews said. "We finished that up in the middle of June, and guys have had some time off to kind of step away from football for a little bit. Because come (training camp) ... it's six months of full-tilt.
"We've got a lot of work ahead of us; so does every team. This is kind of a race each week to get better and keep improving. It's a long season and, just like in anything, it doesn't really matter what you do at the front of the season ... real football starts after Thanksgiving. That's when, when you're successful, you kind of hit that stride toward the end of the year and keep that momentum going."
Andrews added: "We just try to work each day in and out, and kind of improve and take it one day at a time."
Now 30 years old, Andrews is set to enter his seventh season in New England. He is a two-time Super Bowl champion.
