Andrews or Stork

So this is going to come up soon. Both are pure Centers IMO so i don't see either moving to guard. If push comes to shove and Andrews keeps this up and Stork comes back 100% healthy who should we play?

Also at the end of the year do you keep both or try to trade one? Kinda hard to have 2 pure Centers on a single team but not impossible.

Stork can play guard.

BobDigital said:

So this is going to come up soon. Both are pure Centers so i don't see either moving to guard. If push comes to shove and Andrews keeps this up and Stork comes back 100% healthy who should we play?

Also at the end of the year do you keep both or try to trade one? Kinda hard to have 2 pure Centers on a single team but not impossible.

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The concussion thing with stork scares the crap out of me. I'd say move stor along as slow as possible and let his head/neck completely heal before letting him touch the practice field. From there you have a few weeks while he gets back into the routine, and then it's a tough decision. I lean towards having Andrews ride it out assuming the oline is still firing on all cylinders. Leaves stork as a+ injury insurance in the event Andrews goes down.

Pretty amazing how young and deep this oline group is. And to think I was calling for guge's head after the first few weeks last year...

andrews...why change what's working??? the kid is only getting better.

Stork, and you keep both.

50-yard-line said:

Stork can play guard.

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...but is the best center the Patriots have fielded in many a year. If he's healthy, I'd start him.

50-yard-line said:

Stork can play guard.

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IDK about that at the NFL level. He looks like more of a pure center to me. And while perhaps he could i question if he should. I think if he is playing guard something has gone wrong.

Assume it's storks job to lose. I'm not dealing away either, though, until I see the health of stork. Also, I'm fairly certain the value of both to the club is far higher than any which they'd receive back in a trade.

Talk about a luxury problem to have... two quality young proven Centers. And Wendell is no slouch at the position either. Crazy depth. Really, IDK... it's not like the young Guards are struggling either. Put Stork at OG so you can take snaps away from Mason or Jackson or Klein?

I think it's more likely that McDaniels tries to turn our quality depth into a weapon, but rotating at every single OL position. Keep guys fresh. Specialize different line formations for high temp passing, and and one that focuses on zone run blocking. Don't know if it's ever been done before. Actually, pretty sure it hasn't.

How are we going to find roster spots for all of them. The 53-man is full and deep, right down to the 53rd man.

It all depends on Stork's health. but we definitely need to bring him along slowly. If Stork is 100% then maybe Andrews goes to the practice squad?

There is not even a question here. If he's healthy and in shape, Stork is your center. The Pats have 3 people who can play the position adequately, but have only ONE who can be more than that, and that is Bryan Stork.

Words can't appreciate the job David Andrews done, how important he's been and how far he's come since the start of TC. But the fact remains that Andrews is a short, undersized, nonathletic C who has far exceeded his potential. However in the end he has his limits and they are in the Ryan Windell level. That is not a bad level to dwell, but isn't all we should aspire to. Especially with Stork waiting in the wings a month down the road.

Bottom line: Our OL will clearly not fall apart if David Andrews mans the spot all year, but it will never reach its potential.

Belichick be like...

rookBoston said:

Talk about a luxury problem to have... two quality young proven Centers. And Wendell is no slouch at the position either. Crazy depth. Really, IDK... it's not like the young Guards are struggling either. Put Stork at OG so you can take snaps away from Mason or Jackson or Klein?

I think it's more likely that McDaniels tries to turn our quality depth into a weapon, but rotating at every single OL position. Keep guys fresh. Specialize different line formations for high temp passing, and and one that focuses on zone run blocking. Don't know if it's ever been done before. Actually, pretty sure it hasn't.

How are we going to find roster spots for all of them. The 53-man is full and deep, right down to the 53rd man.

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Actually, I think Wendell was a tremendous slouch at Center. He was miles better at Guard. He has one of the worst snap tells in the NFL when he is at Center. I think that was part of his problem with pass pro (the defensive/nose tackles were getting a jump).

rookBoston said:

Talk about a luxury problem to have... two quality young proven Centers. And Wendell is no slouch at the position either. Crazy depth. Really, IDK... it's not like the young Guards are struggling either. Put Stork at OG so you can take snaps away from Mason or Jackson or Klein?

I think it's more likely that McDaniels tries to turn our quality depth into a weapon, but rotating at every single OL position. Keep guys fresh. Specialize different line formations for high temp passing, and and one that focuses on zone run blocking. Don't know if it's ever been done before. Actually, pretty sure it hasn't.

How are we going to find roster spots for all of them. The 53-man is full and deep, right down to the 53rd man.

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I mean, we have 8 OL and 12 DL so I think they'll have room for Stork.

50-yard-line said:

Stork can play guard.

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Please provide evidence that Stork can play guard at a level better then the rooks (and Kilne) that have been playing well through the pre-season and through three games.

Remember when the center position used to be a major weakness?

Elijah said:

I mean, we have 8 OL and 12 DL so I think they'll have room for Stork.

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The "normal" number of offensive linemen is 9 or a total of 12 OL's and TE's. We have only 21 players on offense. There is plenty of room for Stork.

The "real" question is where Wendell plays and how much, as the season progresses. Wendell could be the emergency center. He also could be a starting guard.

As folks have said, we have the luxury of quality backup at every position on the OL. The must questionable backup situation is at LT. I would have kept Barker on the Practice Squad.

patfanken said:

But the fact remains that Andrews is a short, undersized, nonathletic C who has far exceeded his potential. However in the end he has his limits and they are in the Ryan Windell level.

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I have to disagree. I assume you're just saying this based off the fact the guy was undrafted.

I watched the Bills and Jags games again on replay, just to watch the OL blocking. Andrews is consistently making plays on the second level in the run game, switching off to take the guy coming around on a stunt in the passing game. One of the Belichick Breakdowns has a great shot of him switching off to pick up the loose pass rusher coming around, and BB call out the play. This, just three games into his career, making plays like a veteran all pro. It's not like he's been getting mental reps on red shirt IR. He's a true rookie, the ink is still wet on his diploma. He just gets it.

As for his size, agreed he's not as big as Stork, by an inch and 15#. But he is bigger than Jeff Saturday who had a pretty good career, and he was plenty big enough to control Marcel Dareus... so what's the problem again?

The ceiling on this guy is very high, and what makes him so effective is his smarts and mobility. For Belichick, the smarts part of it count double. One the field, he clearly already has chemistry with Brady. And for a rookie playing with the GOAT and a veteran team, he is not out of his depth at all.

Captain at Georgia, and now we're seeing why. This guy is a real find.

patriot1136 said:

It all depends on Stork's health. but we definitely need to bring him along slowly. If Stork is 100% then maybe Andrews goes to the practice squad?

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Not a chance he isn't snatched up. Sounds like both have played guard. I hate to dump Andrews in a trade with Stork's concussions possibly being a real problem.