Patriots veterans speak on return to Foxborough ahead of 2023 season

Patriots veterans reported to Gillette Stadium on Tuesday in advance of their 2023 training camp. According to Bill Belichick, three players that were in question, Trent Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Tyquan Thornton, are in Foxborough and “ready to go” for the season.

Three veterans who aren’t in question, David Andrews, Ja’Whaun Bentley, and Matthew Slater, spoke with the media Tuesday afternoon. Here are a few notable quotes from the three team captains:

David Andrews

Andrews, who’s entering his eighth season with the Patriots, spoke about how their offense has come together this offseason after a disappointing 2022:

“I think we’ve got a lot of guys that can do a lot of different things for us,” Andrews said. “Really on offense the biggest thing is really just working together.”

One of their many offseason addisons was Adrian Klemm, who will serve as New England’s their offensive line coach. Klemm played six seasons in the NFL, including five with the Patriots.

"It's always nice to have a [former] player,” Andrews said of Klemm's command of the room. “He's done it before. That's nice because they can see things and understand the things you're dealing with."

Andrews was also asked about his quarterback, Mac Jones, saying that he’s growing more confident as he's getting older:

"Mac's got all the tools to succeed."

Matthew Slater

Slater is entering his 16th season in New England and said that one of the reasons he decided to return is that “the preparation is still something I’m passionate about.” His coach Bill Belichick, meanwhile, is entering his 24th season in Foxborough at 71 years old:

“It’s impressive, isn’t it?” Slater said. “I really marvel at the fact that he’s able to mountain a level of competitive stamina the way that he has.”

What Belichick and the Patriots have done in the past, however, doesn’t matter in the present. Slater understands that:

“The time for excuses is up. We've had enough time for excuses the past couple seasons. It's time to put up or shut up." He added, “we have not enjoyed these past couple of seasons. It has not been fun for us.”

Ja’Whaun Bentley

The Patriots recently agreed to terms with Bentley on a two-year contract extension worth up to $18.75 million. He spoke on the extension on Tuesday:

“It’s a sigh of relief… Obviously I’m excited to still be a part of the family and excited what the future holds.”

Bill Belichick also spoke on Bentley’s extension, saying that he’s glad they could work it out, he improves very steadily and consistently, and that the he’s taken on a larger communication role with Devin McCourty gone.

“First and foremost, shoutout to Devin,” Bentley said before indulging on his added responsibility this season. “obviously a pillar here during his time.”

“It’s always a big deal being the main communicator," Bentley continued. Being the play caller on the field, I don’t take that lightly.”

New England begins practice on Wednesday morning at 9:30 a.m. I’ll be down there for live coverage, and WEEI’s Gresh and Fauria will also broadcast live from the practice field. Keep it here at WEEI.com for all of your Patriots training camp updates.

Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @WEEI for the latest up-to-date Patriots and Boston sports news!

Related

Belichick: ‘Jack [Jones] will be out there’ for Patriots training camp