FOXBORO -- About an hour after Patriots coach Bill Belichick lauded the Patriots young offensive line, Tom Brady did the same.
It was a year ago at this time that Brady's protection up front was failing him. In the wake of the trade that sent Logan Mankins to Tampa Bay and threw the line into disarray, the group had a difficult time getting organized and consistently blocking oncoming rushers, and through four weeks the Patriots record sat at 2-2.
Three of the four players this year's Patriots team has used on the interior of the line are rookies, but the group has been effective enough to help make the offense one of the most productive in the league.
Brady said that despite their combined lack of of experience, he's never stressed over whether his rookie teammates would be able to provide protection that was be up-to-snuff.
"Truthfully, I never worry about the offensive line much," Brady said. "I never . . . We've just been so well coached over the years. I think those guys have done such a great job. Like, I don't think I've ever put a lot of concern into whether those guys are capable of what they're asked to do. I think we've got a lot of confidence in the guys that have been in there this year.
"You know, it's just one of those things in my career, that I've been very blessed with to have really great players up front, really well-coached, always know what to do. It just allows me to focus on what I need to do, which there's plenty of that. If all my mental energy can go to one job to do my job, that's ultimately where it's best. If you're worried about the line or receivers or tight ends it takes away from what I'm trying to accomplish."
Brady has worked closely with the group through the early part of the season, especially Andrews, with whom he developed a new cadence before the Patriots Week 2 game in Buffalo.
New England Patriots
"We talk quite a bit," Brady said of his relationship with his young linemen. "There's a lot of things that you try to . . . As our offense has evolved, you try to skip part of the learning process and get to the results part and say 'Alright this is what we want to do on this.'
"They're going to go through growing pains like every young player has. Veteran players make plenty of mistakes, too. A lot of it is just having that trust for those guys to be dependable. And they really have been this year and through the course of my entire career."