The New England Patriots officially released longtime captain David Andrews on Thursday, leaving the franchise with the task of finding his replacement — not just on the field, but in the locker room as well.
NESN’s George Balekji questioned the move on the latest episode of the “Boston Has Entered The Chat” podcast.
“As they’re ushering in this new era under Mike Vrabel, there was a lot of talk about leadership,” Balekji said on the podcast. “And the guys that I thought would be pivotal for that were the David Andrews, who for the highs and the highs and I covered him for the last three seasons, the lows of the lows, he was the same guy.
“He would be the leader of the team. He would be the leader in the press conferences. He would take bullets for everyone’s shortcomings and he would always answer the media and address it honestly, which I really admired about him.”
Balekji pointed out that with the Patriots entering the new era under Vrabel, the culture needs to be established, and Andrews should have been a key player in helping with that.
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“A guy like David Andrews, I feel like, fits everything that Mike Vrabel stands for,” Balekji explained. “But, they cut ties with him.
“… Overall it’s a major question mark at the center position. … It’s dependable and consistent. David Andrews, when healthy, is that. This feels like the hard business decisions and I don’t all the way agree with it. You need leadership, and while I admire David Andrews as a leader, he wasn’t costing you a ton. He was a voice in the locker room that is respected and revered.”
To hear more from Balekji break it all down, you can catch the whole conversation on YouTube or Spotify.
Featured image via Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images
