FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady remembers what he was doing his rookie season in 2000, so when he considers how rookie center David Andrews has quickly emerged as a key cog along the team's offensive line, his respect only grows.
Andrews, an undrafted free agent from Georgia, is the only Patriots player to have been on the field for every snap this season.
"He's done exceptionally well," Brady said Wednesday. "It's impressive to be a rookie ... when I was a rookie I was the fourth quarterback on the roster. I got to eat nachos before the game, and I wasn't dressing or active. I just had to bring my playbook to the meeting. That was about as much as I had to do right that year, so for him to come in there and play every snap as an undrafted free agent ... I can't say enough good things about him."
Brady added that Andrews is a "great kid" and "a lot of fun to be out there with."
"He came in and Wendy [Ryan Wendell] was there, [Bryan] Stork was there, he's fighting to make the team, and then gets the opportunity and takes advantage the way he did, [it] was very, very impressive," he said.
Brady, of course, has a similar beat-the-odds story. In 2000, he was behind quarterbacks Drew Bledsoe, John Friesz and Michael Bishop before emerging the following season.
As for Andrews, one of the unknowns is how his role might be affected by the return of Stork, who opened the season on the injured reserve list with a designation to return. Coach Bill Belichick hasn't revealed his plans with Stork and Andrews, who have exclusively played center during their time with the Patriots.