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After a slew of opt-outs, and a slew of free agent departures, the Patriots are entering 2020 searching for a new identity. Losing Tom Brady was going to be a challenge in itself, but losing key contributors on defense like Dont’a Hightower and Pat Chung on such short notice really hurts this Patriots team. With the season opener slowly approaching Bill Belichick will need to figure out how to minimize all of these losses on both sides of the ball. The Next Man Up mentality needs to be as evident as ever.

Even with the Patriots going through a plethora of changes, many in the betting industry still have faith in Bill Belichick. It is still a few weeks until the season starts but it’s not too early to start looking at some of the Week 1 NFL odds out there. First game of the season is going to be an easy one of the Patriots as they’re listed as 7-point favorites against Miami.

A lot can change between now and then, but a successful season for the Patriots will likely come down to a variety of factors. In particular, the leadership void in the Patriots’ locker room certainly is a question mark. But, with everyone talking about how the Patriots will cope with their personnel losses, they are getting a key player on their offensive line.

David Andrews missed the entire 2019 season due to blood clots in his lungs. Last August was a scary time for the 28-year-old Andrews, but he has made his way all the way to the field. Returning from blood clots in the lungs is already a mountain of a challenge. But, returning during a pandemic would seem virtually impossible. David Andrews isn’t just going to attempt a comeback in 2020, he’s chomping at the bit to get back there. After meeting with the media last week on zoom, there is little to no doubt that David Andrews will be ready to go, week 1:

“It’s just something I feel comfortable with, to have the opportunity to go out and play. Talking with doctors and my wife, it’s something we feel comfortable with. I’m just excited to get the chance to go out there and compete again. I’m excited for the opportunity coming up.”

Andrews has been a captain for three consecutive seasons, and really has brought stability to the Patriots’ offensive line. When he was absent for the entire 2019 season, it was obvious how uncomfortable and how out-of-sync the offensive line was.

According to Pro Football Focus, between 2017 and 2018, Andrews had a pass-blocking grade of 84.2. This was the fourth highest among qualifying centers. On top of that, Andrews has also been productive in run-blocking. He was graded out as the sixth highest center for run-blocking with a 79.2. When Andrews is healthy, he’s the best offensive lineman for New England, and it really isn’t close.

Patriots running back Rex Burkhead couldn’t stop raving about Andrews when he was asked about him during yesterday’s zoom session:

“David, he’s an unbelievable player, not only just a player but a captain for this team, a leader for this team, and just what else he brings. He’s a master communicator up front to get everyone in the right position, moving on the same page. And he does it every single day with consistency. He’s a great guy to follow for those young guys in that room to really go to if they have any questions.”

It’s tough to deny how important and how valuable Andrews is to the Patriots. With the Patriots entering the post-Brady era, leadership will be a priority. Andrews will provide that and more for whoever is under center.

The chatter and buzz around David Andrews might not seem like a difference-maker, but it’s almost a guarantee that the interior part of the Patriots’ offensive line improves in 2020.

Bill Belichick’s preparation and his ability to adapt in every situation is what separates him as a coach. Now, more then ever, Belichick will need to adapt on the fly, and work with these unprecedented circumstances. Covid-19 and the pandemic in general has made things difficult in everyday life. Now with constant testing, and new restrictions, how will Bill Belichick look to build this Patriots team in the post-Brady era?

You could argue that this season will be one of the biggest challenges of Bill Belichick’s. Losing Tom Brady, Dont’a Hightower, Pat Chung, Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins, and Duron Harmon all in one offseason are a challenge in itself. In a typical season, Belichick would use training camp and the preseason as a competition for positional battles. But, with the preseason being completely eliminated, things just got difficult for the Patriots and the rest of the NFL. The Patriots have question marks at right tackle, tight end, defensive end, linebacker, safety, and even at quarterback.

A traditional NFL season includes four preseason games. These games may do more harm then good when it comes to injuries. But, it allows for coaches to truly evaluate the talent on the back-end of the roster. Finding those hidden gems is something that Bill Belichick has truly mastered, and the preseason is a major reason why. I mean it’s almost every year that Patriots fans get excited about a guy fighting to make the team. Whether that’s Tim Tebow, Austin Carr, or Jakobi Meyers to name a couple.

So, without a preseason how will Belichick evaluate his roster in 2020? How will he replenish the system? Well, he did not seem too concerned about it when he was asked about it last week on his zoom call with the media:

“It will be a little different set up, but that’s what college teams do every year. I think ever since the beginning of college football back in – well, I don’t know about all the way back when Rutgers started in the 1870’s – but that’s the way it’s been. You go to camp for three weeks, then you start the season. There are no preseason games, and you evaluate your team and you get ready to play. I mean, that’s what all college football teams do. So, I don’t think it’s anything that’s revolutionary here. This is just we haven’t done it that way in the National Football League for a while, and I certainly haven’t done it that way. I mean, I haven’t coached in college, but as a college player and growing up around college programs, I can remember those periods of time leading up to the start of the season. Teams had their scrimmages or whatever you want to call them and ways to prepare their team and at the same time evaluate the players. It’s a process that certainly goes into the early part of the season. This is just football, that’s all. I don’t really see it any differently.”

Bill Belichick seems relatively comfortable about playing 2020 without a preseason, and he referenced college football as being one of the main reasons why.

It’s well-documented that Bill Belichick has great relationships with some of college football’s greatest minds. Former head coach of Florida and Ohio State Urban Meyer, Greg Schiano of Rutgers, UCLA’s Chip Kelly, Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly, Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, and of course Alabama’s Nick Saban all have had a connection to Bill Belichick at some point.

In particular, everyone saw first-hand in HBO’s, Belichick & Saban: The Art of Coaching, how close Belichick and Saban are. Belichick’s respect and admiration for Nick Saban extends more than anyone else in football.

“There’s nobody I respect more in football than Nick Saban. I’ve learned an awful lot from him. We’ve had a lot of great conversations throughout the years.“

It’s time for Bill Belichick to take a page out of Nick Saban’s book. Whether the key to success is more team scrimmages, or more practice reps for bubble guys, Belichick will need to figure out a solution.

I believe that Belichick will come into training camp this summer with a college football mindset. Belichick has never coached college football, but between Saban and others, he should have a pretty good understanding how they evaluate talent.

While the rest of the coaches in the NFL scramble around trying to makeshift their way through this unique training camp, Bill Belichick always seems like he’s ahead of everyone, and this situation feels no different.

For example, you have coaches like Bill O’Brien publicly giving up on his young players due to the lack of a preseason and unorthodox training camp:

“It’s going to be difficult for younger players.”

As always Bill Belichick is ready to adapt and ready to get ahead of the rest of the league.

The key to success might be an old friend…