Super Clutch: A Danny Amendola Appreciation Post

Danny Amendola has had one of the most interesting journeys of a Patriots wide receiver. Despite not easily fitting into a Wes Welker-replacement box early on, Amendola emerged with clutch catch after clutch catch, cementing his place amongst Patriot legends. But in 2017, with Julian Edelman going down in the preseason with a torn ACL, Amendola is on pace for a career year and is only adding to his already legendary status.

In 2013 the Patriots let Wes Welker walk to Denver and signed Amendola to a five-year, $30 million contract with $10 million guaranteed. Instantly fans wondered if Amendola would be able to replace Welker’s 100 catches per year. Welker was Tom Brady‘s most reliable target for the previous five seasons and the wide receiver turnover in 2013 was worrisome. Amendola had missed 20 games in the previous two seasons and when fans smell someone who might be “injury prone” it’s hard for them to contain their groans.

Amendola instantly showed his clutch gene in his first game, the season opener in Buffalo that saw the Patriots down down 21-20 as they got the ball back for one more drive. Amendola would have four catches on the drive, including an acrobatic 10-yard catch on third-and-eight just outside of field goal range. The Pats kicked the field goal and won the game. But Amendola was injured in the game and would miss the next four weeks, giving the injury-haters plenty of fodder.

But Amendola would continue to chip in with timely receptions, even though it was Edelman who ultimately became the receiver Brady would lean on. Since 2013 Edelman has been targeted on third down 330 times with 232 receptions, good for a 70.3 catch rate. Amendola only has 177 targets for 124 catches, but nearly the same catch rate at 70.1. So yes, Edelman got more work, but Amendola was every bit as reliable.

Amendola proved his true value in the playoffs, most notably with his touchdown in Super Bowl 49 and his touchdown and game-tying two-point conversion in Super Bowl 51. In the biggest moments of the biggest games, Amendola has always come through.

After just 23 catches in the 2016 regular season, Amendola had 10 in the playoffs.

Perhaps most endearing is that Amendola has re-worked his contract the last three-straight years to stay with the Pats. He’s one of the few true Patriots who understood the value of playing in New England and was willing to put his money where his mouth was. A guy who takes less money and still delivers Super Bowls? His place on the Troy Brown-Deion Branch-Wes Welker-Julian Edelman Mount Rushmore of Brady’s favorite receivers is already carved out.

Through the his first four games of the 2017 season (he missed one due to a concussion), Amendola is on pace for a career year. Without Edelman, Amendola has emerged as Brady’s go-to receiver in critical situations. Josh McDaniels summed it up best.

“The guy, he’s a great football player and he does a lot of things well – he’s tough, he always makes an impact when he’s in there, he blocks hard, he gets open in the passing game, he catches the ball, he’s hard to tackle, he returns punts, makes big plays in the kicking game, he’s a great teammate,” McDaniels said. “There’s nothing I don’t love about Danny Amendola. Every time he’s out there, you feel good about what may happen if the ball is headed towards him, and he always comes up big in the biggest moments or biggest games. Danny’s having a very good beginning to the season, and we want to continue to try to do that.”

Amendola’s third down catch rate in 2017 is now 88.9 percent, catching eight of nine targets. It was clear against the Buccaneers just how vital he will be to the offense, especially as they try to replace the production of Edelman. If Amendola can stay healthy, he could finally be that 100-catch receiver Patriots fans hoped he might be back in 2013. He doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone at this point, but it would certainly be a nice cherry on top of a remarkable career.