Josh McDaniels backs up Danny Amendola and Brandon LaFell
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| Amendola speaks with Tom Brady on the sidelines, via CBS Sports |
LaFell didn't have much of a track record when he signed with New England, but he did have the physical tools at 6'3" 210 pounds.
Amendola had an awesome track record when he signed a five-year, 31 million dollar contract with New England last year. The only questions surrounding him were injuries, which ultimately plagued him in his first season. Combine that with the emergence of Julian Edelman, and it was tough for some fans, including myself, to see a big spot for him given his lack of size to be an outside threat.
Nonetheless, like a good coach should do, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels fully supports his players. Here's a quote from McDaniels out of Karen Guregian's article in the Herald.
"(Amendola & LaFell) have got a great attitude. Everybody has. Sometimes you start one way, but it's a long season," McDaniels said. "There's a lot of opportunities left. I'm sure the ball will get thrown in a lot of different directions as we go forward."
This wide receivers corps has been one of the toughest to figure out given the variety of players they have. There are players like Amendola who are small and quick, and players like LaFell who are big and have a large catch radius. Each player brings a different match up problem, so if I had to guess, I believe the rotation of Kenbrell Thompkins, LaFell, Amendola, and maybe even Dobson, will be used differently week to week depending on the match up. With Bill Belichick at the helm, you never know what's going to happen.
While I don't believe Amendola will be a huge part of this offense, I still have faith that he will contribute because he has proven he's a hard worker and a talented player. As for LaFell, I'm not sold on him yet. The criticism I gave him in an earlier post was deserved. I would love for him to contribute and became a part of the offense, but he's done nothing to show that he will. That being said, I can't make any long term assumptions. He deserves his chance, but he has to do something with it. I still like Thompkins over LaFell, but I understand why they are giving him looks. It's about the match up each Sunday, and they want to see what he can do.
I'm sure McDaniels and Belichick have faith in each and every one of their receivers, otherwise they'd be out of here. Regardless, it'll be interesting to see how Amendola, LaFell, and the rest of the receivers are utilized this year.
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