Socci's Notebook: David Andrews Center Of Patriots' Plan To Keep Brady Upright In Denver
By Bob Socci, 98.5 The Sports Hub
DENVER (CBS) – The official record of last January's AFC Championship, its NFL Game Summary, includes an attendance figure of 77,112.
But only your own memory (if that) of the din they created with a Super Bowl berth at stake for their Broncos and the visiting Patriots can reflect how they affected the outcome.
Sounding as if numbering at least a 100,000 more -- especially upon imploring Denver's defense -- that full-throated, orange-clad crowd sustained a roar that proved deafening at times. And for much of the day, they helped to silence New England's offense.
Repeatedly, an inaudible Tom Brady was left at the mercy of an offensive line struggling to protect him from Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware and the rest of their mates who routinely timed the silent-snap count, beat their blockers and teed off on the quarterback.
That same Game Summary shows four sacks and a total of 17 quarterback hits by the Broncos. Others tallied more than 20 knocks on Brady, who still nearly led New England to a last-second tie in a 20-18 loss.
Then-rookie David Andrews heard and saw it all from the sideline of Sports Authority Field, as a backup to center Bryan Stork. Eleven months later, with the job all his, it's Andrews' turn to step into the breach at Mile High.
"They've got a great fan base out there," says Andrews, whose great uncle Dan Reeves recorded 110 wins and three conference titles while coaching the Broncos in the midst of their 363 straight home sellouts. "They've been successful for a long period of time now. So their fans, they're awesome (and) they're going to be ready to support their guys. But that's what makes football fun and competitive."
More important than simply understanding what awaits him, Andrews is prepared for it.
"David has a lot of experience at the position. He played center since junior high school or whatever it was," head coach Bill Belichick says of Andrews, whose 24 career NFL starts follow 40 in a row for the University of Georgia. "There's of course a lot of crowd noise in the SEC."
Though cadences may differ between Athens and Foxborough, Belichick points out that the objective is identical -- keeping defenses off balance.
In last season's AFC Championship, in particular, the Broncos seemingly drew a bead on when Stork was going to snap the ball. New England's inability to adjust was later criticized by no less than former Patriot standout Matt Light, the left tackle in three of the franchise's four Super Bowl victories.
As the anchor of this year's improved line, Andrews has to perform football's most anticipated act without being too predictable for defenders. At the same time, he can't be too unpredictable to fellow offensive linemen.
Basically, because they have to stay on their toes, his task isn't as simple as it seems.
"That's really a big thing but nobody ever talks about it," Belichick said on Wednesday. "You could gain an advantage yourself as a center but it's at the disadvantage of the other four guys. You're trying to gain the advantage for all five of you against their line. (It's) not just you being able to kind of beat the snap as a center, which some centers do (but) they kind of put their teammates in a bad spot.
"David does a great job of doing those kinds of things in such a way that it helps the whole line. He's got a good sense of timing and good awareness of all that. It's not just working with the quarterback on it, although that's important too, but just the whole, the other four guys, so they can all be aggressive. You don't want to be sitting there on the offensive line and then wait to move until you see the ball snapped. I mean, that's like playing defense. Now you've given them the advantage."
If offensive linemen are left guessing and go early, they're guilty of a false start. If they err on the side of caution, so as to stay on-sides, defenders are granted a head start.
"There's definitely a lot to that," Belichick continued. "There's a lot to that whole center position and the way it interacts with the other linemen and the timing."
All of which Andrews gets, as he readies for his third dose of Rocky Mountain inhospitality in little more than a year. He was also in Denver for a late-November overtime loss during the 2015 regular season.
"You just try to use all those experiences, what helped you or hurt you, and just try to perfect it as much as you can," Andrews said from his locker Thursday. "It's nothing revolutionary. It's just trying to make sure that everyone is on the same page and you use what advantage you can get. You don't want to put yourself at more of a disadvantage."
And thereby give the Broncos rushers the same edge they enjoyed in January.
Bob Socci is the radio play-by-play voice of the New England Patriots. You can follow him on Twitter @BobSocci.
