Danny Amendola- glad rookie year with Pats is behind him

In the words of former Patriots Head Coach, Bill Parcells,

"Now, on the other side of that locker room, there's darkness. There's defeat. There's despondency. There's pain. You see those players carrying those IVs onto the aircraft after a mid-summer or early season game in a hot weather city and they're carrying their own IVs onto the plane and the trainers are rushing to pack 'em in ice. And they can't sit in their seats because they'll cramp up, so they got to lay in the aisle. Ladies and gentlemen, they don't put that on television, but I was there to see it".

For Danny, the leg injury in Week 1 lasted all season. The head injury against the New Orleans Saints in Week 6 put an end to that game. There was the first game against the Buffalo Bills with 10 catches for 104 yards in leading the Patriots to a hard fought victory. Weeks 5 and 10 should be mentioned in the plus column. Both games had over 100 yards in receptions. However, it’s a tough season when only 3 of the 16 games have memorable highlights. If it were baseball, the season batting average would be .176.

Phil Perry, CSNNE:

I feel comfortable," Amendola said. "It’s different. A year under your belt in a system and a new place and a new organization, and it’s kind of like when a rookie comes in for the first time and tries to learn a new offense. It might be difficult sometimes, but the second year, that learning curve is much less. I feel very comfortable right now, and just trying to come out here and work.

That red tackling dummy was about the only one who would talk to me. In the AFC Championship Game in Denver, Danny received as many targets (one) as Matthew Slater and Matthew Mulligan -- and five fewer than mid-season pickup Austin Collie. He was like a wallflower, waiting for somebody to ask him to dance.

I am sure Danny thought that the hardest part of his rookie campaign with the New England Patriots would be finding enough tickets for all his relatives in Scituate, MA. This year when they come to the games, they can look for him on the playing field instead of being over by the bench talking to the dummy.

At least, he won’t have to worry about the sophomore jinx. His grade for last season was an incomplete. There is nowhere to go but up.

Paul Murphy is a freelance writer from New Hampshire.

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