Leftovers from a lost season
FOXBOROUGH — Dumping out kudos, leftover anecdotes, and other thoughts ahead of the final Patriots game of the season ...
1. Center David Andrews is the only Patriot to have played every snap on his side of the ball this season — yet another testament to his importance.
In a season in which the offensive line has featured nine starting combinations, Andrews has served as the constant. His experience and leadership have become even more valuable with offensive line coach Adrian Klemm on an extended absence for health-related reasons.
If the 31-year-old Andrews is on the field for every snap Sunday against the Jets, he’ll reach ironman status for the second time in his eight-year career. That feat is certainly not lost on Andrews, who missed the 2019 season with blood clots in his lungs and dealt with a broken thumb that landed him on injured reserve in 2020.
“As a player, your availability is huge,” he said. “They pay me to be out there, and I couldn’t look at myself not going out there and playing for the guys and the organization and the community and, honestly, all the people that sacrificed for me to do this. Because at the end of the day, you’re a representation of them and all the people that poured into you.”
Andrews, a longtime captain, is under contract through the 2024 season. Though his performance has dipped at times, his presence has been vital not only on the offensive line but in the locker room.
Veteran James Ferentz also deserves a shoutout, despite playing only four offensive snaps. The 34-year-old, who has been with the organization since 2017, has also stepped up as a leader with Klemm away.
2. The Patriots do not have a Pro Bowl selection for the first time since 2000.
The potential snubs are defensive tackle Christian Barmore, who has emerged as a disruptive force with a career-high 8.5 sacks, 15 quarterback hits, and 54 tackles. Safety Jabrill Peppers also could be seen as a snub, despite missing the last two games.
Players are selected to the
Pro Bowl based on votes from fellow players, coaches, and fans. The fact that the Patriots were one of four teams without a selection, joining Green Bay, Washington, and Carolina, reflects their lack of star power.
3. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson picked up a nickname this season, with several teammates referring to him as “Franchise” in the locker room and on social media. When asked about it, Stevenson revealed coach Bill Belichick was the one to coin the moniker. Its debut came during a film session, and the nickname stuck. According to Stevenson, Belichick almost exclusively refers to him as “Franchise,” whether he’s complimenting or critiquing his performance.
4. When players sported custom cleats as part of the NFL’s “My Cause My Cleats” initiative in Weeks 13 and 14, tight end Pharaoh Brown represented Windrush Farm — a therapeutic horse-riding center in North Andover.
Brown, who started horseback riding a couple of years ago in Houston, can speak to its benefits. Although he remembers he was “scared as hell” for his first ride, the 29-year-old has since become a regular at a horse farm during the offseason. He called the experience soothing, meditative, and grounding.
“This is probably the biggest animal that humans get to interact with,” Brown said. “These are powerful animals. You have to freakin’ bond with it. You can’t just go jump on a horse, them horses will kick you off. It’s a super bonding experience. They can feel your energy. A horse can feel a fly land on its butt.”
When Brown retires, he hopes to buy a horse (with his wife’s approval).
“The feeling is hard to describe,” he said. “It’s just peaceful. There’s so much chemistry between you and the horse.”
5. On Wednesday, the rookies received snow brushes in preparation for the storm forecast for Sunday. Wide receiver Demario Douglas, who grew up in Florida, joked that he thought it was for cleaning up the locker room and then asked for tips on how to use it. My guess is that players will be staying in a hotel at Patriot Place on Saturday night to ensure that everybody is able to arrive at the stadium on time.
6. Although Belichick’s future remains undetermined until he and owner Robert Kraft meet after the season, at least one locker room is already spooked by the possibility of Belichick becoming its next coach. Over the past two weeks, Chargers players have asked new backup quarterback Will Grier about his brief experience playing for Belichick.
Grier, who spent three months on the Patriots’ practice squad before getting signed to the Chargers’ 53-man roster, highlighted the role of the team’s captains in helping enforce Belichick’s philosophies. Four captains — Andrews, special teamer Matthew Slater, defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr., and linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley — each have at least one Super Bowl ring from playing for Belichick. It would be interesting to see if his old-school approach would be as effective without the leaders that have experienced success from it.
7. It’s hard to imagine left tackle Trent Brown will be back in New England next season,based on how this season is ending.
The 30-year-old Brown, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent, started the season strong, but availability issues once again derailed him. Brown’s playing time had slowly decreased as a result of injury and personal reasons, before the team made him a healthy scratch in Week 16.
Headed into the season finale, Brown has been on the field for only 58.5 percent of the offensive snaps, which means he will not hit any of his playingtime incentives and miss out on up to $6.5 million. Brown’s lowest incentive benchmark was 65 percent of snaps.
With Brown’s likely departure, re-signing Mike Onwenu and finding another premium tackle should be a top offseason priority.
8. The Patriots’ 2024 opponents have been set, with the exception to one.
In addition to their division opponents (Buffalo, Miami, New York Jets), the Patriots will host the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers, Houston, Indianapolis, and Seattle, and travel to face Arizona, Jacksonville, San Francisco, Tennessee, and Cincinnati.
New England’s final road opponent will be the last-place NFC North team. Only Minnesota (at Detroit in Week 18) and Chicago (at Green Bay) are in play.