Danny Amendola had a long career in the NFL, but he's best known for his tenure with the New England Patriots.
The former longtime wide receiver spent his most notable years with the Patriots (2013-2017) as one of Tom Brady's primary weapons. Amendola won two Super Bowls and had a 152 receiving yard effort in a Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles along with producing two touchdowns in a comeback win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Championship Game during the 2017 season (he was named MVP).
Amendola retired after the 2021 season after spending 13 seasons in the NFL which included stints with the Los Angeles Rams franchise, Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions and Houston Texans. He took the time to sit down for a one-on-one interview on his thoughts on the current Patriots with A.J. Brown and Drake Maye, why the Rams are the championship favorites and his experience with USAA and hosting military service members for combine drills at Patriots training camp.
USAA Salute to Service Boot Camp
Q: Tell me what you did today with USAA.
Danny Amendola:The USAA Salute to Service NFL Boot Camp here in Foxboro. Amazing, amazing outing today. How many? How many we have today? 50 men and women from either the Navy or the Air Force came out, put them through quarterback drills, put them through receiver drills, ran the 40-yard dash, the shuttle, the three cone, the broad jump. You could tell how much fun these men and women were having, just being out here sharing the love of the game and having fun, seeing the facilities, watching practice. Vibes were high here, and it was awesome to be a part of.
Q: What was it like seeing these service members go through those drills? What advice did you give them?
Danny Amendola:They were so excited. They were smiling from ear to ear, just asking questions and tips and tricks, just trying to get better and see where they lined up against, the times and I feel like we had some great times. We had a 4.51 40-yard dash. We had a 55-yard toss by one of the quarterback drills, and then everybody was having fun and running around. It was great to see.
Q: Yeah, man, it sounds like a great time. Is this the first time you've done something with USAA, or have you done stuff in the past with them?
Danny Amendola:No, first time. Great group. Obviously, the military does a lot for our country, our men and women here in the states, and without them, none of this would be possible. It's great to kind of give back and get them out here on an NFL field, and just have some fun playing ball.
The New England Patriots Outlook
Q: You were there with the Patriots and whatnot. Your former team, they're coming off of a great season. I want to get your thoughts on the Patriots this upcoming season. Do you think that they can replicate that success from last year?
Danny Amendola:I think so, man. They got a great group. They have another veteran with A.J. Brown. They made some defensive moves. Got some fresh faces in the building, and they're just stacking days and trying to get better one day at a time. They got two joint practices coming into town here in the next few weeks where they can really see where they stand amongst some of the league's best here, and continue to get better. Training camp's tough, man. It's a grueling grind, and it takes every ounce of energy, emotional, physical to get through and into the regular season. Your team is that much stronger by the end of it. I'm excited to see what the Pats have in store. Got a great group, and the sky's the limit for him.
Editor's Note: The Pats are at +1600 to win the Super Bowl, according to DraftKings. If you are looking to get in on the action, and in one of the legal sports betting states, you can use this DraftKings promo code for a bonus.
Q: What do you think A.J. Brown brings to the table? Obviously, Stefon Diggs was the leading receiver last year. They replaced him with Brown. Have you talked to Brown? What does he bring to this New England offense?
Danny Amendola:I talked to him today. First time I met him, great dude. I wanted to see how he works in practice, and I think he got 25 plays today. Probably caught six or seven balls. You can really feel the standard elevate in that room when he steps on the field. These guys have playoff experience, Super Bowl experience, so they know what championship level of communication, championship level of execution looks like. He's really elevated the group, which is exciting for me to see.
Q: I know it's early on in training camp, but what are you seeing with the chemistry between A.J. and Drake Maye?
Danny Amendola:Oh man, I was here for an hour, and I could already tell. They're getting work on the side in between drills, and after practice, and then they're just putting it in to get on the same page. It takes a couple preseason games, a couple weeks in camp to do it. I feel like they've been here for a handful of days and they're already on the right track. It's great to watch.
Q: Absolutely, obviously you know the situation with A.J. in Philly last year, how he was unhappy. Do you think this year there's going to be a little bit of a chip on his shoulder? That he's going to be a little bit rejuvenated?
Danny Amendola:Of course, man. If you don't have a chip on your shoulder for whatever reason, then you need to find one. I think he has one. I think he's coming into a situation here with coaches that have coached great players in the past, and they can pop on that film of Randy Moss or Wes Welker, Julian Edelman, and show what they're looking for in this specific style of offense. I think with Josh McDaniels' offense, he's gonna be really successful.
Q: Danny, was there any specific advice that you gave A.J.? Because you won two Super Bowls there. You know the Patriots' way, right? Is there anything that you said to A.J. that's notable?
Danny Amendola:I just said, "Welcome to England, man. Huge fan, and stay healthy and ball out." He gave me a big A.J. Brown smile, and seems like a great dude. He's got a great head on his shoulders, and I'm excited for him to be here in Foxborough.
Q: I want to switch gears to Drake Maye real quick. I talked to your former teammates Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski earlier this year. I asked them, "Okay, what does Drake need to do better?" And they were talking about cleaning up a little bit of the mistakes. In your opinion, when you watch Drake, what are some things that he can be better at in his third season?
Danny Amendola:I think just getting experience in the big games, and that's what he got last year. It's tough for any professional football player, athlete to go into their sport, have their first year, second year, and then your third year you really see strides. They got in a routine in the offseason. They have their workout routine down. They know what to expect going into training camp, and their narrowed focus is really really prevalent.
I think that was on notice today. He looks comfortable, and just gaining experience, which he's going to continue to get. I think he's going to play in this league for a long time at a high level, and it's good to see him in camp, man.
Q: Obviously, the Patriots-they were humbled a little bit in that loss to the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. Is there a specific area that you can think of where they can be better this year?
Danny Amendola:I mean, all around. You want to win the last game of the season. You want to be the best, and if you don't, then you got work to do. There's 31 teams that feel the same way after every season, and there's one champion. So if you don't win, then you know there's plenty to fix. I'm sure they're making strides on all three sides of the ball, and just trying to get better.
The Rams & Championship Expectations
Q: I'm going to switch gears to your former team, the Rams, where you first made a mark in the NFL. High expectations for this team, man. What are your thoughts on this whole Aaron Donald situation? Do you think he's going to come out of retirement?
Danny Amendola:I hope so, man. I hope he does. I know he's got some ball left in him. He's a great player. I'm glad he didn't get a hold of me when I was playing — he would have crushed me. But I love (Matthew) Stafford. I love Coach McVay out there. Good friends, and I played with Stafford for a number of years, and he's up there with the best of them to ever do it, really. He's an amazing quarterback, amazing person, and I'm always rooting for him personally. The Rams, they got a good corner as well, so they're making strides on both sides of the ball, and they got a great team. They're definitely the favorite.
Q: I was gonna ask you that because everybody's crowning them the favorites right now, even though the Seahawks are the defending Super Bowl champs. But based upon on paper, would you say that the Rams are the favorites like you just said?
Danny Amendola:I say so. Yeah, the Seahawks are great. They played, earned it last year. They, deserve every bit of that championship. I think coming in, you got offensive and defensive MVPs on both sides of the ball, and then another beast coming back in there in Aaron Donald at defensive tackle. Like I said, they got a good cornerback in the mix now, and they're just continuing to get better. Time will tell. That's why we play the game, and we got a long way to go. By no means do we crown them the champions yet, but they've definitely got a good football team.
Q: Obviously, you're very familiar with Matthew Stafford. How much longer do you think he'll play? He's playing better than ever right now at age 38.
Danny Amendola:He's like a fine line. This guy keeps getting better, better and better, man. He's one of the best quarterbacks I've ever been around. I put him up there with Tom (Brady), and he's a great person, man.
Around the League & USAA Partnership
Q: You played for the Dolphins a little bit. Obviously, they play in the same division as the Patriots. They're in a complete rebuild mode. What are your overall thoughts on this team this year?
Danny Amendola:I don't know a lot about the Dolphins and what they're doing out there right now, but every team in this division can play. It depends how well they mesh in camp and go into the season on all cylinders, so we'll see. Time will tell. It's a tough division.
Q: I appreciate the time that you took out for me today. Before we wrap things up, man, is there anything else that you want to get out there about USAA and this partnership and what you did today?
Danny Amendola:Yeah, man, amazing partnership. The military does so much for our country, for our livelihood here in the states, and just to get them out here on the football field to see the facility to watch professionals practice. I mean, it was full of juice. It was awesome to be a part of.
