I'll admit i was wrong - Amendola didn't work

[Miguel]

Based on Ben Volin's report I have created the 5 possible cap scenarios for his release on my blog

Danny Amendola ? Cap Scenarios atriots Salary Cap

 

[50-yard-line]

Well let me ask you do you think they will ask him to restructure?

They can always ask, but I doubt it. It's a long-term deal newly inked. They don't have a lot of leverage.

I think it was Reiss who mentioned that Amendola could have sat out a lot of games this year with that injury, maybe even called it a season. He didn't. Just coming back in that Buffalo game and playing at the level he did, while in such obvious pain, shows me something.

I doubt the Pats want to be that team that panics at the first sign (season) of trouble. But hey, they've surprised me too many times to pretend I know what they'll do, honestly. If Brady wants Amendola gone, he's likely gone, right?

On the other hand, I do think they'll ask Tommy Kelly to restructure, and I think he'll do it (and I think VW will, too). Kelly's on his last deal, likely, and isn't happy about losing half the season with that knee - all of his rehab was at Gillette...and he said all the right things. He's on the wrong side of 30 and trying to come back from a second ACL surgery.

EDIT: After reading Miguel's update...now they have more leverage than I thought, so yeah, they might well ask for a restructure...and if so, probably one with performance incentives attached.

 

[SalemPats]

Amendola, by all accounts, works his ass off and is a good teammate. Haven't heard a negative thing about him, attitude-wise. There's NO WAY they cut him. I doubt he'll restructure, either.

Unfortunately Brady has lost all faith in him with his average hands and route running. Not to mention that Edelman has replaced him

 

[Sciz]

Unfortunately Brady has lost all faith in him with his average hands and route running. Not to mention that Edelman has replaced him

Welker had worse hands and Amendola was out there running routes on one leg. Edelman is a free agent with his own injury concerns.

 

[Deus Irae]

Welker had worse hands

People keep making this claim. It's misleading, at best. Welker's catch/target ratio was better than Amendola's.

 

[PatsfanCP]

danny has to go

 

[SalemPats]

Welker had worse hands and Amendola was out there running routes on one leg. Edelman is a free agent with his own injury concerns.

Welker was better after the catch. Who cares about Welker now, we have mini-tron who's a lot better than DA

 

[chasa]

if we can save money by dumping amendola i think we have to do it, I had more faith that collie would catch a ball than amendola at the end.

 

[Huckleberry1]

I really hope they never lock this thread so we can bring it back up next year at this time.

 

[mgteich]

Yup. Then we can argue about how Welker, Amendola and Edelman contribute to their different teams.

I really hope they never lock this thread so we can bring it back up next year at this time.

 

[mgteich]

We do not "have" Edelman.

Welker plays for Denver. Edelman is unsigned and plays for no one. Amendola plays for New England. Let's see where we are in 6 weeks when free agency starts.

Welker was better after the catch. Who cares about Welker now, we have mini-tron who's a lot better than DA

 

[50-yard-line]

Unfortunately Brady has lost all faith in him with his average hands and route running. Not to mention that Edelman has replaced him

Brady told you that, did he?

 

[SalemPats]

Brady told you that, did he?

Yes he did

 

[50-yard-line]

Yes he did

Very unlike him to talk out of school like that.

Basically, Volin made that off-handed assumption after the AFCCG and now it's a full blown he-slept-with-his-girlfriend's-sister gossip.

Sure didn't look like Brady had lost confidence in him in the Divisional game where he was targeted 5 times (out of 25 PA) and had 3 catches for more than a 3rd (77 of 198) of Brady's total yards, including the critical 53-yarder.

There's a dozen scenarios in that last game - who was covering Amendola? Was he doubled (the Donkeys had 7 DBs in at times)? Did Brady have enough time to read through the progression to get to him? Did Brady just flat-out miss him at times, when he lasered in on JE?

Well, we'll know soon enough, I guess. I really hate the piling on against Amendola. Guy gutted it through and had a couple of big games. Not the year I wanted, certainly, but man, you guys are brutal.

 

[Brady6]

They can always ask, but I doubt it. It's a long-term deal newly inked. They don't have a lot of leverage.

I think it was Reiss who mentioned that Amendola could have sat out a lot of games this year with that injury, maybe even called it a season. He didn't. Just coming back in that Buffalo game and playing at the level he did, while in such obvious pain, shows me something.

I doubt the Pats want to be that team that panics at the first sign (season) of trouble. But hey, they've surprised me too many times to pretend I know what they'll do, honestly. If Brady wants Amendola gone, he's likely gone, right?

On the other hand, I do think they'll ask Tommy Kelly to restructure, and I think he'll do it (and I think VW will, too). Kelly's on his last deal, likely, and isn't happy about losing half the season with that knee - all of his rehab was at Gillette...and he said all the right things. He's on the wrong side of 30 and trying to come back from a second ACL surgery.

EDIT: After reading Miguel's update...now they have more leverage than I thought, so yeah, they might well ask for a restructure...and if so, probably one with performance incentives attached.

I do not think the Amendola injury was as serve as many like to portray including Reiss. Amendola as I highlighted in a few posts has been a player throughout his NFL career that is inconsistent on a week-to-week basis. Some players are just like that, they can exploit certain match ups but they are non-factors in others.

I think Amendola is just a totally different player - most of the belief that Amendola could replace Welker was built on him playing the same position, being similar size and having similar athletic ability (some suggest better). The thing that they overlook is that if Welker was relying on his size, strength and athletic ability he would have been out of the NFL in 2005 and never seen again. Welker was/is very intelligent he had an understanding of how to get open, where to find space in congested areas and what to do after he caught the football. Edelman was able to witness that first hand for 4 seasons and I am sure it made a difference in his development and you see that in what he does on the field, he is very good at getting open quickly, finding the open space in a congested area and he excels after the catch. Amendola is not that good at any of those things from what I have witnessed, he is not very good after the catch and when he makes plays it is generally because he is able to use his athletic ability to exploit a 1on1 matchup. I am not saying that Amendola is stupid but he is not as intelligent playing the game as Welker and Edelman.

If the team goes to Amendola and asks him to restructure which I believe is extremely likely given his cap #, his lack of productivity and their interest in Edelman, and he refuse to do it I would consider him gone, this team will be looking to restructure all-time great Patriots like Wilfork, Mankins and Gostkowski for the good of the team this season, our GOAT QB has restructured probably a half a dozen times in his career so if Amendola isn't going to put the team first Belichick will not want him here in my opinion. Since 2009 Belichick has put a tremendous focus on adding team first players and working with younger less expensive talent who leave it all on the field to earn their pay, I am not saying Amendola doesn’t leave it all on the field but he isn't earning his salary right now and if we keep Edelman I don’t know that he will ever be able to.

 

[AzorianPats]

I do not think the Amendola injury was as serve as many like to portray including Reiss. Amendola as I highlighted in a few posts has been a player throughout his NFL career that is inconsistent on a week-to-week basis. Some players are just like that, they can exploit certain match ups but they are non-factors in others.

I think Amendola is just a totally different player - most of the belief that Amendola could replace Welker was built on him playing the same position, being similar size and having similar athletic ability (some suggest better). The thing that they overlook is that if Welker was relying on his size, strength and athletic ability he would have been out of the NFL in 2005 and never seen again. Welker was/is very intelligent he had an understanding of how to get open, where to find space in congested areas and what to do after he caught the football. Edelman was able to witness that first hand for 4 seasons and I am sure it made a difference in his development and you see that in what he does on the field, he is very good at getting open quickly, finding the open space in a congested area and he excels after the catch. Amendola is not that good at any of those things from what I have witnessed, he is not very good after the catch and when he makes plays it is generally because he is able to use his athletic ability to exploit a 1on1 matchup. I am not saying that Amendola is stupid but he is not as intelligent playing the game as Welker and Edelman.

If the team goes to Amendola and asks him to restructure which I believe is extremely likely given his cap #, his lack of productivity and their interest in Edelman, and he refuse to do it I would consider him gone, this team will be looking to restructure all-time great Patriots like Wilfork, Mankins and Gostkowski for the good of the team this season, our GOAT QB has restructured probably a half a dozen times in his career so if Amendola isn't going to put the team first Belichick will not want him here in my opinion. Since 2009 Belichick has put a tremendous focus on adding team first players and working with younger less expensive talent who leave it all on the field to earn their pay, I am not saying Amendola doesn’t leave it all on the field but he isn't earning his salary right now and if we keep Edelman I don’t know that he will ever be able to.

B6, how do we know how severe DA injury was? This is the same team that kept the Brady having ligament damage on his throwing hand midway thru the season disclosed til the end of the season.

The one thing I do know is a groin/hip injury is a pain in the ass for any type of reciever. And from someone that went to training camp once or twice last summer, seen him in pre season, and watched his week 1 game vs the Bills, he looked like a complete different player after the injury. Not to mention he came back around the time Gronk did, and he pretty much lost his job to JE11. Safe to say, it probably wasn't the dudes best year.

Regarding his production before coming here, I throw that out the window. It should be obvious to all of us that a slot WR is much, much more valuable to this offense then most offenses around the league. Not to mention a guy like Welker last offseason. Arguably the greatest slot guy in history dipping his toe into FA last year, and only had interest from 2 teams (not counting us). Tennessee, a team he had no interest going too, and Denver a team his agent initiated the conversations with. And I'm sorry, I don't care that he scored 10 TD's, or missed weeks with a concussion. His season this year was nothing special, and it def didn't compare to any of his seasons here.

 

[Brady6]

B6, how do we know how severe DA injury was? This is the same team that kept the Brady having ligament damage on his throwing hand midway thru the season disclosed til the end of the season.

I don’t know how severe it was, like I said I don’t think it was as severe; what I mean by that is there were posters suggesting he could have went on injured reserve in week 1 and I don’t think that is the case.

The one thing I do know is a groin/hip injury is a pain in the ass for any type of reciever. And from someone that went to training camp once or twice last summer, seen him in pre season, and watched his week 1 game vs the Bills, he looked like a complete different player after the injury. Not to mention he came back around the time Gronk did, and he pretty much lost his job to JE11. Safe to say, it probably wasn't the dudes best year.

I here you on that and I said this in another thread – I would not rule out the possibility that Amendola lost permanent lateral movement and explosiveness from this injury. Look at Ras-I Dowling he suffered a hip injury in week 2 of his rookie year and we never saw the same player again. Keep in mind that Amendola was not a first round draft pick oozing with talent, he was an UDFA. I would say it takes less than 1% loss in ability that makes up the difference between having an NFL career and not for all players.

Regarding his production before coming here, I throw that out the window. It should be obvious to all of us that a slot WR is much, much more valuable to this offense then most offenses around the league. Not to mention a guy like Welker last offseason. Arguably the greatest slot guy in history dipping his toe into FA last year, and only had interest from 2 teams (not counting us). Tennessee, a team he had no interest going too, and Denver a team his agent initiated the conversations with. And I'm sorry, I don't care that he scored 10 TD's, or missed weeks with a concussion. His season this year was nothing special, and it def didn't compare to any of his seasons here.

I think the primary reason that Amendola and Welker didn’t draw a ton of interest is because they’re talent does not fit universally across all offenses in the NFL. Denver had Stokley and we had Welker so the signings of Welker and Amendola just replaced already existing slot WRs they were not building the slot into their offense. Welker and Amendola are not elite talents by NFL standards as WRs so there is likely some questions in how they’ll fit in the minds of other GMs, there are players like Cobb and Hilton who have freakish speed and play the slot a different way, those types would likely be more attractive on the open market.

 

[AzorianPats]

I don’t know how severe it was, like I said I don’t think it was as severe; what I mean by that is there were posters suggesting he could have went on injured reserve in week 1 and I don’t think that is the case.



I here you on that and I said this in another thread – I would not rule out the possibility that Amendola lost permanent lateral movement and explosiveness from this injury. Look at Ras-I Dowling he suffered a hip injury in week 2 of his rookie year and we never saw the same player again. Keep in mind that Amendola was not a first round draft pick oozing with talent, he was an UDFA. I would say it takes less than 1% loss in ability that makes up the difference between having an NFL career and not for all players.



I think the primary reason that Amendola and Welker didn’t draw a ton of interest is because they’re talent does not fit universally across all offenses in the NFL. Denver had Stokley and we had Welker so the signings of Welker and Amendola just replaced already existing slot WRs they were not building the slot into their offense. Welker and Amendola are not elite talents by NFL standards as WRs so there is likely some questions in how they’ll fit in the minds of other GMs, there are players like Cobb and Hilton who have freakish speed and play the slot a different way, those types would likely be more attractive on the open market.

I will say, some people here complaining bout DA, but we can all come to an agreement, that we got more bang for our buck with him, than Seattle did with Percy Harvin!

 

[Brady6]

I will say, some people here complaining bout DA, but we can all come to an agreement, that we got more bang for our buck with him, than Seattle did with Percy Harvin!

Absolutely, unless Harvin does something that wins the SB this Sunday that will go down as the easily the worst offseason move of 2013.

 

[50-yard-line]

Absolutely, unless Harvin does something that wins the SB this Sunday that will go down as the easily the worst offseason move of 2013.

Mike Wallace was a pretty awful move that will haunt Miami for a lot of years.

I'm not going to pretend to be a stats nut,but Amendola was given a +6.8 PFF rating, with Welker being a 7.1 (post-concussion Welker fell through the floor...remember, Amendola had one, too). He's also considered by far the best blocker of our WRs.

Interesting 9 and 11 here: Advanced NFL Stats - Player Statistics by Position

His ratings also scaled greatly with snap counts, climbing way up on the games where he played the most snaps. Is that a match-up thing, an injury thing or (likely) a combination of both?

Edelman was targeted on 12.5% of his snaps, Amendola on 12.4% of his snaps, Dobson on 12.3% of his snaps...

If you project out Amendola's snap count to equal Edelman's and that number holds, he catches 94+ balls (Eldeman had 105).

Again, I'm not a big stat guy - I have no idea if ANS or PFF are any good or any of that. I was reading a thread elsewhere about Amendola and saw these stats so I followed them back to the source material and sorted through it. Even with the injury this year, he was an above-average receiver, and by all accounts, a very good blocking WR (which the Pats value, and which shows dedication).

He'll get another year to prove his value; the criticism, "CUT THE BUM!" attitude on this thread is way over the top.