David Andrews enters his seventh year with the New England Patriots, and it’s safe to say he’s built a good rapport with young signal-caller Mac Jones.
Andrews joined NBC Sports Boston’s Scott Zolak on “98.5 The Sports Hub” on Friday to talk about Jones’ progress toward his second year in the NFL. The 23-year-old quarterback has earned hype to be the NFL’s Most Valuable Player, and he has been undergoing offseason workouts that follow in Tom Brady’s footsteps.
However, it has been Jones’ new physique that has Patriots fans hyped up for a sophomore breakout. Andrews reacted to the news of his quarterback’s jacked body.
“The kid’s a hard worker,” Andrews said. “He works his butt off, day in and day out. Sometimes I try to get him to take a deep breath, but that’s what you want out of your quarterback. He works really hard. He’s a tough kid. It’s been fun, for the past year, for me to get to know him and got a lot of respect for how he does things and how he carries himself.”
Tight end Jonnu Smith has also expressed admiration for Jones’ work ethic, but the biggest question over the Patriots’ offense is the coaching staff, particularly the absence of an offensive coordinator.
All signs point to former defensive coordinator and Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia not only being the offensive line coach but also leading the offensive scheme. However, for Andrews, there’s only one thing on the mind of players.
“We’re all working to be the best we can be,” Andrew said. “Whether that’s Mac, me, we’re all professional athletes. Whoever it is on the football team, we know we have a job to do, and we’re going to do that to the best of our abilities to be the best we can be. We’re all here for the same common goal. It’ll all start whenever we report. That’ll be day one. We’ll keep working on it, keep improving it, try to keep getting better throughout season and not have that kind of lull like we did last season.”
The questions around the offense will likely be answered throughout training camp and in the preseason. But Jones’ success will ultimately be dependent on the supporting cast around him.
