Bill Belichick is rarely effusive in his praise for players during their playing careers. Unless he's trying to make an opponent feel good about themselves before he gears up to throttle them on Sunday, Belichick usually saves his warm comments for players until after they are done playing.
That's certainly the case with Danny Amendola, who announced his retirement yesterday after a successful 13-year career. Amendola is widely known for his five season stint with the New England Patriots, whom he helped win two Super Bowls in 2014 and 2016. Amendola always found a way to up his game in the postseason, earning him the nickname of “Playoff ‘Dola” for his contributions in the postseason.
Amendola was part of some of New England's best offenses, and the Patriots probably wouldn't have been as successful without him. Bill Belichick caught wind of Amendola's retirement from yesterday afternoon, and made a point to hand out some praise for Amendola after he decided to call it a career.
Bill Belichick on Danny Amendola retiring: "I love Danny. He was a very good player for us. … I'm glad we had him here, and he was certainly a big contributor for us."
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) July 26, 2022
Bill Belichick is right that Amendola was a big contributor for New England during his time there. He served as a solid third or fourth option at wide receiver who quarterback Tom Brady could always count on. It was always telling that when the stakes got higher, Amendola managed to get even better. Not all athletes are built like that.
Amendola's stats aren't going to earn him a spot in the Hall of Fame, but he will always be remembered in New England for his contributions to two Super Bowl winning squads. Bill Belichick knows this better than anyone, and it was nice to see him offer some praise for one of the underrated pieces of Patriots dynasty.
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