Danny Amendola has become go-to guy for Patriots
Danny Amendola catches the go-ahead touchdown pass behind Jacksonville safety Tashaun Gipson in the Patriots' 24-20 victory in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018, in Foxborough, Mass. Credit: AP / David J. Phillip
There might not be a more unlikely hero in Super Bowl LII than Danny Amendola.
In a game featuring the greatest quarterback in NFL history and arguably the greatest coach ever, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick might not even have gotten the chance to add to their Super Bowl legacies without the diminutive wide receiver.
An undrafted free agent in 2008 who spent his first two seasons as a practice squad player for the Cowboys and Eagles, the 32-year-old receiver and punt returner just might be the second most important player on the Patriots’ roster.
Outside of the 40-year-old Brady, who is trying to become the first player in NFL history to win six Super Bowl championships, it’s Amendola who has morphed into the Patriots’ Mr. Everything.
Call him “Danny Playoff,” because that’s what he’s turning into these days.
“When you look up ‘good football player’ in the dictionary, his picture is right there beside it,” Belichick said of the 5-11, 180-pound Amendola. “It doesn’t matter what it is. Fielding punts, third down, big play, red area, onside kick recover — whatever we need him to do.”
Amendola has been at his best when the Patriots have needed him most.
With clutch slot receiver Julian Edelman missing the entire season after suffering a preseason knee injury, Amendola has become a big focus of the passing game, particularly in the playoffs. And now that All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski is dealing with a concussion that could keep him out of the Super Bowl, Amendola will be counted on even more when the Patriots face the Eagles next Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minnesota.
“He’s clutch,” Patriots safety Devin McCourty said. “You don’t worry about him being prepared. You don’t worry about him having to show up. He’s going to go out there and do whatever it takes, whether that is punt returning or making a tough catch over the middle. He shows up when we need it the most.”
Amendola was a key figure in the Patriots’ remarkable comeback from a 28-3 deficit against the Falcons in Super Bowl LI, as he caught a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to get the Patriots to within 28-20, then caught a two-point conversion pass after James White’s touchdown to tie it near the end of regulation. The Patriots won it in overtime on White’s touchdown run.
The clutch play has continued in this year’s playoffs. Amendola had a career-high 11 catches for 112 yards in the Patriots’ 35-14 win over the Titans in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs, and his two fourth-quarter touchdown catches in the conference championship game rallied the Patriots to a 24-20 win over the Jaguars last Sunday.
“It’s a lot about preparation, circumstance, opportunity, being ready and no fear,” Amendola said.
Amendola has become Brady’s go-to receiver, and the quarterback is grateful for his presence.
“He’s made so many big catches,” Brady said. “I’m always looking for him at some point. I mean, he’s a big part of what we do, so he’s never not part of what we’re doing.”
It has been a remarkable ride for Amendola. He had a decent career at Texas Tech with 204 catches for 2,246 yards and 15 touchdowns but was bypassed in the 2008 draft and signed with the Cowboys, spending the entire season on the practice squad. A year later, he was on the Eagles’ practice squad, where he drew the attention of assistant coach Doug Pederson, who’s now the Eagles’ head coach.
“Amendola was a player that I thought was a real core [special] teams guy, going to be a return specialist, could be a slot receiver, had some talent,” Pederson said. “It was just unfortunate we couldn’t keep him. Obviously, he’s been in New England now, and he’s had a tremendous career, and he’s helped them win some world championships.”
The Rams signed Amendola off the practice squad early in the 2010 season, and he was in St. Louis when Josh McDaniels took over as offensive coordinator. Amendola missed most of the year with a triceps injury, but McDaniels had seen enough of his work in practice to know he might be special.
When McDaniels returned to Belichick’s staff the following year, he vouched for Amendola after the team failed to reach a contract agreement in 2013 with another top slot receiver, Wes Welker. The Patriots then signed Amendola, although he had suffered a potentially serious injury when he dislocated his clavicle early in 2012. The clavicle came close to puncturing his trachea and aorta, which could have killed him.
“You saw a good player in St. Louis, but you didn’t see all the things behind the scenes that you kind of can see when you actually have the player on your team,” Belichick said. “Josh saw that and he made us aware of all the things that Danny does and how well he does them.”
Amendola has dealt with an assortment of injuries through much of his run with the Patriots, but he’s healthy heading into Super Bowl week, and the Patriots need him to be ready against the surprising Eagles. The Eagles have their own unlikely hero in backup quarterback Nick Foles, who has done a magnificent job stepping in for the injured Carson Wentz. But Amendola hopes his own playoff magic will be good enough.
“Just get out there and get it done,” he said. “Every play, I’m competing my tail off to try to win the route, win the block or whatever my job is on that play.”
Now all that’s left to do is win the game.
Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”
