### David Andrews to Miss Remainder of Season Following Shoulder Surgery

David Andrews, the New England Patriots' center and team captain, is set to miss the rest of the season due to a shoulder surgery. The injury occurred during the Patriots' game against the San Francisco 49ers, forcing Andrews to leave during the first half and not return.

SportsCenter 5's Josh Brogadir confirmed that Andrews' shoulder surgery will likely sideline him for the remainder of the season. The impact of his absence is significant for the team, according to Coach Jerod Mayo. "It's tough. One thing about Dave, the first word I would say is toughness. He's a guy who, he's been a captain here. He has great leadership abilities. He's tough. He's able to communicate across the front, and it's definitely a huge loss," Mayo expressed on Wednesday.

Andrews played as the start in the first four games of the current season and was present for 78 percent of the offensive snaps (194 snaps). He was indispensable last season, completing 100 percent of the offensive snaps (1,051 snaps) in all 17 games. His significance to the team was echoed by quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who cited Andrews as a key motivation for returning to the Patriots. "It's tough. That one hurt me. One of the key reasons why I wanted to come back here is because of my past relationship with him. It's tough when a guy like that goes down because he's not going down for anything minor," Brissett said.

David Andrews has been a fixture with the Patriots since being signed as an undrafted player from Georgia by former Coach Bill Belichick in 2015. Throughout his nine-year career, Andrews has been an influential figure both on and off the field and is one of the remaining players from the Patriots' 2015 and 2017 Super Bowl-winning teams. "He means so much to this team. Not only just on the field but off the field. His presence in the locker room, and obviously in this community. He's been here for so long and you wish you had 53 David Andrews,'" Brissett added.

SportsCenter 5's Angel Salcedo pointed out Andrews' history of snapping championship plays to Tom Brady and noted the hope that Andrews' experience would guide rookie quarterback Drake Maye. The future of Andrews' pairing with Maye is now uncertain. Despite his injury, Coach Mayo believes Andrews' presence will remain, hinting at a possible future coaching role for him. "I fully expect him to still be around the building and, you know, maybe he'll be a future coach at some point in time. But we'll see," Mayo said.

In the interim, Nick Leverett is expected to step into Andrews' pivotal role as the center, filling the gap left by the seasoned player’s absence.