For Strange, the outcome was far from what he was hoping for, but if there’s one positive to take from Saturday’s horrific loss, it’s that the Patriots may have taken a step forward by strengthening their offensive line. for 2025 and beyond.

“It meant a lot,” Strange said quietly after the game when asked what it was like to be back on the field. “This has been a long time coming.

“I really don’t feel very well. We just got beaten up. Individually, it’s nice. I’m healthy and had a complete game. This is a big step forward,” he added. “But that pales in comparison to what is important, and that is the fact that we still have a long way to go.”

It was a long and lonely road back for the veteran left guard, who could often be seen during the summer months as a single figure walking to practice on the lower courts in shorts and a T-shirt while his teammates worked with protections in the field. upper field.

This fall, after starting the season on the physically unable to perform list, he spoke about the difficulties of learning to walk again, saying he felt like a “baby deer” when it came to the awkwardness that comes with returning to walking. your feet after a long absence.

On Saturday, in his first NFL game at center — against one of the league’s best seven players — the 6-foot-5, 310-pounder seemed to step in seamlessly. The 26-year-old played for the Patriots and held up well against Los Angeles’ defensive front, especially since he hadn’t appeared in a game in over a year.

There were no sloppy exchanges between the center quarterback, as Strange worked with both Drake Maye and Jacoby Brissett, and aside from a penalty for being an illegal man on the field during a passing game, it seems like he had a pretty positive game.

“The center is relatively new, so it’s hard to say,” he said when asked for an assessment of his game. “I’m sure there was some rust. Early on, I think there were a few rooms where I was still regaining my spatial awareness. But I feel like it wasn’t really a problem.

Maye took note of Strange’s return and highlighted his role in helping draw the Chargers offsides on a play that ended with New England’s only touchdown of the afternoon.

“I thought he handled it well,” Maye said. “A lot of pressure on him – his first start at center, it’s a different job to being a goalkeeper. I was proud of the way he worked. Proud of the way he fought. I need to watch the tape and probably go over a few things that maybe we could improve on. But he caught the guys offside. It’s really him who does this.

Afterward, Strange expressed some relief about what returning to action meant, but he was still self-critical when it came to evaluating his performance. He detailed some of his mistakes, including the timing of his return.

“I think it’s really a mistake to go into marriage being proud of myself because I’m not really special,” he said. “There are guys all over the league that got hurt and came back quicker than me, so I really need to get past that, and I really just need to get better and come back next week and work for be better.”

Strange played center in college, and with David Andrews out for the year with a shoulder injury and Ben Brown on Saturday with a concussion, he was pressed into service.

Depending on what happens with Andrews this offseason – the veteran is signed through 2025 but has an out in his contract at the end of the 2024 season – Strange could be the full-time middle man for New York. England.

After the game, he expressed a sense of optimism that, even with a 3-13 record, the team was heading in the right direction.

“Well, I think if you don’t feel that way, you shouldn’t be in this league,” he replied plainly. “I just feel like we’re on the right track. I have long-term visions for myself and for this team. I think if the guys take responsibility and buy in, I just have faith in the guys and the system and I feel like we can turn this thing around.

“There is no doubt in my mind that I am on a very good path and that we are a team. It’s just that the part of the path we’re on now really sucks.

Christopher Price can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him @cpriceglobe.