Slowly but surely, Danny Amendola is becoming the wide receiver the New England Patriots were hoping to sign. Tasked with filling the large shoes of Wes Welker, Amendola was expected to come in and be quarterback Tom Brady's right hand man. With offseason workouts and a week of training camp under his belt, the wide receiver is proving up for the challenge.
Early reports out of training camp say Amendola is leading the pack of wide receivers that also features Aaron Dobson, Kenbrell Thompkins and Josh Boyce. The Patriots are paying Amendola like a top player and he is looking like one on the field.
Head coach Bill Belichick has nothing but praise for wide receiver who was signed in the offseason. He said the first thing that really stood out to him was how hard Amendola worked on the field and how quickly he picked up the offense.
"He's become a very dependable player for us. He doesn't make many mental errors. He's a guy who is usually in the right spot and has a good understanding of defenses and what he's supposed to do. You can tell he's been in the league for four years," Belichick said.
Brady no longer has his top five receivers from last season on the field. Wes Welker, Brandon Lloyd, Aaron Hernandez and Danny Woodhead are all gone. Tight end Rob Gronkowski is still receivering from offseason surgeries. It is up to Amendola to pick up the slack in the pass game. Excited to fill the shoes of Welker, Amendola is stressing that he is not the same player as the new Denver Broncos receiver, but is excited at the opportunity presenting itself in New England.
Now, the top priority is building chemistry with Brady on the field. The two put in plenty of work during the offseason together and have picked right back up with training camp underway.
"It's going to be a while," Amendola told media. "We'll work out the kinks from here on out until the end of the season. We'll try to improve every day, that's just the way football goes. We're all just trying to get on the same page. He's been here for a long time doing a lot of great things, I'm trying to adapt and trying to learn the best I can to get ready to play for him and for our team."
Amendola is slowly gaining Brady's trust with each rep he is given. He wanted plenty of game film on the quarterback and is confident that he can help produce wins. After an offseason filled with drama, Bill Belichick and company certainly hope that is the case.
