FOXBORO — On third down or down-a-Gronk, Tom Brady’s personal pick-me-up is at the ready.
Slot receiver Danny Amendola might be pint-sized compared to Rob Gronkowski, giving away seven inches and 75 pounds to the tight end, but he might be the most integral member of the Patriots’ entourage who will be tasked with replacing the Hulk-sized hole on the depth chart.
Although Amendola refused to make more of it than necessary.
“I’m not worried about Rob being gone,” Amendola said of Gronkowski’s one-game suspension. “I’m worried about my job and what I’ve got to do. It’s no different than any other week. It’s just that Rob makes a lot of plays on game day. Rob is not going to be there. Somebody has to make the plays on game day. Obviously, last week and every other week, Rob is a great player.”
Amendola had one of his best performances of the season in Week 5 against the Buccaneers when Gronkowski was out with a thigh contusion. He matched a season high with eight receptions for 77 yards, his second most of 2017. Amendola also logged a season-high 55 snaps, which was 16 more than his second heaviest workload.
“I’m not even worried about that. Stats don’t matter to me,” Amendola shrugged. “Win or lose, right? That’s it. I don’t care that Rob is out. Other guys obviously have to step up because Rob is an awesome player, but I’m just trying to win.”
Regardless, Amendola’s Week 5 boom was not a coincidence. He and Gronkowski work similar areas of the field, and Brady trusts both to get open in clutch situations, whether it’s an important down or the pass rush is affecting the pocket.
If Brady needs someone to make a quick move to get open, Amendola and Gronkowski are as important as anyone, even if they conduct business in different ways. In that regard, another statistical spike would be conducive to team success.
During Gronk’s one-game suspension, the focus might be directed toward tight end Dwayne Allen’s progression, but Amendola could be the true X-factor in extended three- or four-receiver packages. His ability to get free will be an important element to keeping the Dolphins’ pass rushers away from Brady.
This won’t be anything new for Amendola. The Patriots dialed back his workload over the past two seasons to preserve his knee, but he is fourth in receptions (46) and third in yards (489). He is on pace for 62 catches and 666 yards, which would rival 2015 (65 catches, 648 yards) for the best season of his five-year run with the Patriots.
Yet, Amendola has been on the field for far fewer plays (386) than Brandin Cooks (797), Gronkowski (720) and Chris Hogan (535). To break it down further, Amendola catches a pass on one of every 8.4 snaps, which is far superior to Cooks (one every 15.0 snaps), Gronkowski (13.1) and Hogan (16.2).
The importance has been his efficiency in relation to volume, as he is third on the Pats in third-down receptions (14) and conversions (13) and second with 172 yards. Amendola has clearly been capable of producing on a large scale, but the Patriots have determined they don’t want him burned out when the games heighten in significance.
While the Pats figure to play far more meaningful games than their Monday night affair with the Dolphins, they’ve got to first put themselves into position for those bigger stages. And by eying Amendola as the primary Gronkowski replacement for a night, they should be able to do just that.
“I’m not focused on Rob being gone. I’m focused on playing Miami,” Amendola said. “Everybody has got to step up on offense. Rob is a great player, and we have to make plays.”
