New England Patriots: Tom Brady heaps praise on Danny Amendola
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady spoke highly of wide receiver Danny Amendola after the victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night.
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is a perfectionist. That is partly why he has the success on the gridiron that he does. Even when he is without some weapons, he seems to always find a way to help his team get a victory.
That is exactly what happened on Thursday Night Football in Week 5. On a short week, the Patriots had to travel south to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was already a difficult matchup, but things got tougher when tight end Rob Gronkowski landed on the injury report.
Gronkowski popped up on the injury report Wednesday with a thigh issue. He made the trip to Tampa Bay but was announced out less than three hours. Without their star tight end, the Patriots were at a disadvantage, but that did not stop them.
New England was able to escape with a hard-earned, 19-14 victory over the Buccaneers. The Patriots are lucky kicker Nick Folk is in such a funk, or they could have easily been on the losing end of this game.
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They were not, however, as multiple people stepped up to help cover up where the Patriots had some deficiencies.
The defense was finally able to get some stops. The statistics paint an uglier picture than what was actually occurring on the field. The defense is far from a finished product, but they definitely took a step in the right direction as Matt Patricia put together an excellent scheme on a short week or preparation.
Offensively, Josh McDaniels adjusted to more three and four-receiver sets, which received some praise from head coach Bill Belichick. One of the receivers that stepped up was Danny Amendola.
Amendola has already battled injuries this season, as he suffered a concussion in Week 1. However, whenever he is on the field, he is producing. He has also become a favorite of Brady’s, who spoke highly of Amendola after the game.
"“Danny played great. He always does. He’s had such a great year. I’m so proud of him. He’s so tough. He’s someone I just love playing with.”"
Getting into Brady’s good graces is not an easy thing to do. Amendola has managed to do it as he is a gritty player that always does what is best for the team.
Against the Buccaneers, Amendola caught all eight of his targets for 77 yards. He had one great over the shoulder, one-handed catch called back as the referees called offensive pass interference on him.
Next: 4 Takeaways From Patriots vs Buccaneers Week 5
Amendola is constantly moving the chains and is someone that Brady has a lot of trust in, and rightfully so. Amendola plays an important role for the Patriots as he has helped fill the void left by Julian Edelman‘s torn ACL. As long as he stays healthy, he will continue to be a great contributor for the Patriots offensively and on special teams as a punt returner.