Amendola

[JDM]

Just curious the thoughts you guys have on him. Have heard a lot but limited info from actual rams fans. I'm curious if you have a different perspective at all.

 

[Retroram52]

He is a very consistent player but just can't seem to stay healthy. You won't see much of a drop off from Welker. You just have to keep him healthy.

 

[JDM]

Looking at the types of injuries he has had, I am not sure either is a sign of serious weakness or come with a high risk of recurrence. There is obviously risk on that front, but there is with every player. I'm not strongly concerned that he is much higher risk than most other players.

I personally don't want him playing the role Welker did. I wanted Welker gone because I felt the role was counterproductive to our offense being effective. Welker was almost exclusively underneath/ short outside, and the only player we could stretch the field with was gronkowski. We approached that at the WR position to some extent with Dobson, but if Amendola can run intermediate routes I think he can bring more than Welker did. So that brings me to a more specific question. How is he going to be on medium range routes?

I have seen opinions from a lot of columnists but it would be nice to hear from rams fans as well.

 

[Red_Chaos]

hard worker but breaks like cheap off brand crakers

 

[bluepigpen]

100% guy on every play. Will fit in with Patriots, I think a lot of his injuries come from over extension. He is not careful at all which is fine if you have depth at positions, the Rams didn't, so every time Amendola got hurt, we got hurt. A Welker clone for sure but where except for the one year Welker was broke, Amendola has not stayed healthy. He should do well for you guys, as Rams fans we all liked Danny but it was time to move on.

 

[mutigers1fan]

If you want him to stretch the field consistently you probably got the wrong guy. He is a hard worker and you will be thrilled with im if he's able to stay on the field. He and TJ Moe are basically the same guy and I've been saying that since Moe's sophomore year. I think in time it'll become a "you can only have 1 of them on the field" type of scenario. Both have to stay healthy though and TJ has already failed to do so.

 

[JDM]

I don't want him to stretch the field. I think gronkowski and hopefully Dobson if he works out can fill that role. I just want him to be able to run routes further than 5 yards.

 

[fastforward]

Amendola is NOT the injury risk he's portrayed to be. He suffered a freak elbow injury in 2011. That injury could have happened to any receiver going to the ground during practice or in a game. If it had happened in week 17 rather than week 1 no-one would be talking about Amendola's history. It was believed he had completely recovered from that injury and it's unlikely to affect him in the future.

He had various injuries in 2012. He missed a few games but he played tough. The Patriots signed a very good player at the top end of his expected wage scale. He lacks blazing speed and doesn't have exceptional physical abilities but he has good hands, moves, and timing. His guaranteed money is short-term so if his abilities fade over the next 2 years it won't be a financial problem to his new team. The Rams will miss him and I wish him well.

 

[Caynine29]

In order to avoid drawing the ire of Patriots fans (and fans league-wide) I know no one else wants to say it. Lol... but, I believe that, when healthy, Danny Amendola is actually an upgrade, over Welker. Younger, faster, quicker, and phenomenal hands. I was truly sad to see him go, if not only for the tremendous chemistry he had with Sam Bradford. (of course... landing Tavon Austin in the draft, considerably softened the blow. )

Amendola is obviously not a #1 WR. Which is exactly why the Rams didn't retain him, at his asking price. Of course, the glaring caveat here is, "when healthy". True, Amendola's injuries have largely been of the "freak" variety. But, they've happened with disturbing frequency. And whatever the reasons may be... fact of the matter is... he's spent more time off, than on the field, the past few years.

As long as he's on the field, though, I predict Patriots fans will be very happy with the results.

 

[ksudodger]

100% agree with you Caynine. The key in your assessment is "when healthy". I believe Danny will catch 60-70 Brady passes this year if he plays 14-16 games and fit very well in the offense. I,too was sad to see him go, but I also know that as good as he is, he is not worth what the Pats are paying and I am glad Demoff and Snead did not cave...

 

[Retroram52]

JDM: Caynine has Amendola described perfectly!

 

[JDM]

Thanks for the responses guys. As for the money, I think he is more worth the money here than to you, because we are better equipped to take advantage of his skill set. I felt the same thing about Wes Welker going to Denver. I think you guys made the right choice for you, but we did for us as well.

For the most part your assessments are how I see things. I just wanted some input from you guys, so thank you.

 

[TEB11]

JDM, excellent player if he can stay on the field. He has only played 16 games the last two seasons due to injury. Personally, I think you overpaid him, but who knows, that's the risk you take and it may pan out for you. He was a great Ram, very classy. Your club house got an outstanding addition.

 

[Caynine29]

Thanks for the responses guys. As for the money, I think he is more worth the money here than to you, because we are better equipped to take advantage of his skill set. I felt the same thing about Wes Welker going to Denver. I think you guys made the right choice for you, but we did for us as well.

For the most part your assessments are how I see things. I just wanted some input from you guys, so thank you.

To reiterate, I don't think that Amendola is being tremendously "overpaid" by the Patriots. Although, the guaranteed money ($10 million) is quite the risk. Speculation is, that the Rams offered him only slightly less than what he ultimately moved to New England for. The upside is, if he plays, he's more than worth it. You're basically getting a better, and more importantly, younger version of your best WR, for roughly the same price. That deal makes perfect sense for the Pats. Neither the offense, nor the accountants, should miss a beat.

The Patriots aren't really "better equipped to take advantage of his skill set", though. That's certainly not the reason St. Louis let him walk. As good as I believe he is, the Rams are clearly going a different direction. A direction in which Amendola's skill set isn't necessarily needed.

While it may not have been Tavon Austin (or... it may have been), who the Rams were eyeing the entire time, Danny's agent was trying to hash out his client's new contract... it's pretty obvious that they had a contingency plan for 2013, that did not include Amendola.

I do agree, though, that both teams absolutely made the right move. The Patriots can keep running the same offense that's obviously been working incredibly well for them and, with any luck, will be able to do so for the next 5 years to come. And the Rams get to move on building Fisher's offense, with Fisher's guys. Personally... I'll be rooting my ass off for Danny. If only to prove to my "Patriot fan" friends that I was right, all along. Lol

 

[SJ76]

Hard worker, fights for extra yards, quick but not fast, gets hurt some.


He'll probably be a great fit for the Pats.

 

[SmokingMonkey]

Buy your patriots Amendola jersey now. He fell into the best situation for the prime of his career, and Brady should immediately start giving him 8-10 looks per game, if not more while Gronk recovers. Only difference between Welker and Amendola is that MIA never tried to fully utilize Welker before they let him go to NWE.

I wouldn't worry about the injury history. Elbow/Collar bone the past couple years were very fluke-ish, and I don't see anything going wrong on the injury front for the Pats. When he was in games for the Rams, Bradford was targeting the hell out of him. He won't get that many looks/touches, but I see better production in his future. Less looks/touches should = less likely to get injured. Brady is going to love how Amendola catches in traffic like Welker also, but I just don't think the Pats will throw as much as they did the previous few seasons. I think that Ridley/Vereen will be showcased as much as, if not more than, Brady's arm this season.

 

[UnrealTerm04]

Everyone here nailed it...

Amendola is a very hard worker who doesn't gripe and complain when the team around him is terrible. It sucks to see him go but at least he is going to a team to where his talents will not be wasted. Not that his talent was being wasted in St. Louis, we just could not afford to keep him... which sucks.