Danny Amendola paid tribute to Mike Leach with a touching routine on Dancing with the Stars

This is such a cool gesture from Danny Amendola to his late college coach.

Paying homage to his late college coach, former NFL wide receiver Danny Amendola was a big winner on Tuesday night’s latest Dancing with the Stars.

Amendola and his dance partner, Witney Carson, performed a routine in honor of former college football coach Mike Leach.

Amendola played for Leach at Texas Tech, and it’s evident he wanted to make his former coach proud with this well-received dance routine.

“He told us to dream, that we could pay through hard work and dedication,” Amendola said on the broadcast about Leach. “Being a coach is a very selfless job, and I miss him dearly… This one’s for him.”

To make it even cooler, Amendola stayed in the competition for another week with this touching tribute.

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Former Patriots standout WR inducted into Texas Tech Hall of Fame

Standout Patriots WR is going into the Texas Tech Hall of Fame

Former New England Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola was inducted into the Texas Tech Athletics Hall of Fame this week. He posted the induction announcement on Instagram.

Amendola was a prolific receiver for the Red Raiders. He recorded 2,246 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns in four seasons of play. His best season came in his senior year in 2007. The wideout tallied 109 catches for 1,245 yards and six touchdowns.

“The fearless attitude of the Red Raider family has been lit inside my bones since the second I walked on campus,” Amendola posted. “It taught me that the only thing coming to the rescue is the chip we place firmly on our shoulders. Such an honor to be inducted into the Texas Tech Hall of Fame. Forever grateful. Forever a Red Raider. GUNS UP.”

Amendola was able to translate his collegiate success to the NFL, including his prolific run with the Patriots. He recorded 2,383 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns in five years with the organization.

He also proved to be a big-time playoff performer. The two-time Super Bowl champion wideout recorded 57 catches for 709 yards and six touchdowns in 13 playoff games with New England.

Amendola made a career off of proving people wrong. Whether it was in college or the NFL, he gave it everything he had. A Texas Tech Hall of Fame induction is a deserving award for one of the more underappreciated receivers to step on the field.

Danny Amendola admits he’s still angry over Bill Belichick benching Malcolm Butler in Super Bowl LII

To this day, former Patriots WR Danny Amendola is still angry over Bill Belichick benching Malcolm Butler

New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler’s benching in Super Bowl LII is still a big story over six years later.

The new Patriots documentary “The Dynasty” on Apple TV+ got perspective from some players who were on the field that night.

Former Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola, who recorded a team-high eight receptions and 152 yards in the game, especially was not pleased with Butler’s benching. New England did not adjust to Philadelphia’s offensive attack and lost the game 41-33.

Amendola did not hold back, as transcribed by WEEI’s Mike Kadlick.

“I remember walking off the field that night just really confused,” said Amendola. “That was the biggest game of our lives at the moment, and Malcolm’s not on the field? That [expletive] kinda pisses me off still today. I mean, we played our asses off. Tom threw for 500-plus yards, which in a Super Bowl had never been done. We’re out there literally putting our bodies on the line, our heads on the line, for our, you know for our friends, our family, our teammates, and to not get an explanation like – I felt like we got cheated, and honestly and I don’t feel bad saying that.”

New England’s secondary struggled, and Butler may have been able to help weather the storm. It’s an indelible what-could-have-been for a Patriots dynasty that ultimately ended with six Super Bowl victories.

It was perhaps one of the biggest blunders of the Belichick era.

Former Patriots WR Danny Amendola rips Bill Belichick for Brady exit

This Bill Belichick punchline landed perfectly for Danny Amendola

Former New England Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola did not hold back on Bill Belichick when discussing Tom Brady’s exit from the organization.

Amendola had a successful career in New England. He spent five years with the organization and totaled 2,383 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. He was also able to win two Super Bowls with the organization. He signed a two-year contract with the Miami Dolphins in the 2018 offseason, before playing for the Detroit Lions and Houston Texans to end his career.

It would seem as if Amendola has had an axe to grind with Belichick for quite some time now, particularly when it comes to contract issues in the past.

He spoke in the Apple TV+ docuseries “The Dynasty” about his feelings regarding Tom Brady leaving the Patriots, as transcribed by the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin, via NESN.com’s Sean T. McGuire.

“I could’ve gotten the kid from Foxborough High School to tell you that you shouldn’t have let Tom Brady go,” said Amendola.

It’s worth noting that Belichick used to mock players for mistakes by comparing them to teenagers at Foxborough High School. This time, however, it was Amendola who got the last laugh.

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Former Rams WR Danny Amendola gets 1st coaching job with Raiders

Danny Amendola has gotten his first coaching opportunity, joining the Raiders’ coaching staff in Las Vegas

Danny Amendola played his first game in the NFL with the St. Louis Rams 14 years ago, making his debut in 2009 after going undrafted in 2008. He had a long and productive career in the league despite not being drafted, playing 163 games across 13 seasons with five different franchises.

Now, he’s going into the coaching side of things. The Raiders have hired Amendola as a coaching assistant. He’ll also coach the returners, per the team’s official site.

“It’s a valuable guy, if you can find the right one,” Josh McDaniels told ESPN. “He has done it and done it at a high level. He will help our guys.”

Amendola and McDaniels were both with the Rams in 2011 when McDaniels was the offensive coordinator and QBs coach. They reconnected with the Patriots and will now be on the same coaching staff in Las Vegas.

With the Rams, Amendola caught 196 passes for 1,726 yards and scored seven touchdowns in four seasons.

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Former Dolphins WR joins Raiders’ coaching staff

He’ll work with the returners and as a coaching assistant.

As all 32 teams prepare for the 2023 season, coaching hires have been made to complete coaching staffs across the league.

The Miami Dolphins announced their staff last month, but the Las Vegas Raiders made an addition to Josh McDaniel’s group this week, as former Dolphins wide receiver Danny Amendola joined.

Amendola is listed as a coaching assistant and is set to work with the returners.

The 37-year-old spent the 2018 season with Miami, recording 59 receptions for 575 yards and a touchdown in 15 games. He also split time as the team’s punt returner, recording 11 returns behind only Jakeem Grant, who had 14.

Amendola joins a long list of former Dolphins who have jumped to the coaching profession after their playing career.

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Danny Amendola reveals the genius behind Bill Belichick’s Super Bowl XLIX preparation

Danny Amendola recalled Bill Belichick’s genius Super Bowl XLIX preparation.

February’s Super Bowl matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles was met with criticism for its playing surface.

State Farm Stadium in Arizona has had a reputation for having poor traction on the turf, and the New England Patriots had to deal with it firsthand when they faced the Seattle Seahawks in 2014 for Super Bowl XLIX.

Former Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola recalled preparations for the 2014 Super Bowl. Bill Belichick instructed his players to wear detachable, more commonly known as seven-stud, cleats. Molded cleats are often lighter, which made the adjustment for that year’s Super Bowl disappointing for some.

Amendola explained the reasoning behind it during an episode of Chris Long’s “Green Light” podcast, as transcribed by NESN.com’s Zack Cox.

“When you play a night game in AZ, for some reason the grass always gets a little dewy at night, and it’s so slick,” said Amendola. “I’ve worn seven-studs (cleats) on that field numerous times. One Super Bowl we played in, Bill made it a mandatory seven-stud game. We were all bitching and moaning, but we didn’t have too many slips.

“…We watched the film after we played Seattle in that stadium for the Super Bowl, and they had guys on the ground all night. And the fact that we (all had seven-stud cleats), I felt better, and I kind of switched my routes up knowing that they were going to slip. I switched my releases up a little bit and have them kind of get on skates a little bit more, and I felt very comfortable that game with seven-studs.”

Amendola would finish with five catches for 48 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown in the game. The score closed Seattle’s lead to 24-21 at the time and ultimately helped lead to a Patriots victory.

Unfortunately for the Chiefs and Eagles, they probably could have used this advice prior to the Super Bowl. Nevertheless, it serves as a reminder that Bill Belichick is one of the best at game day preparation. The Super Bowl win against the Seahawks holds significance as well, as it was the start of another trio of championships for the Patriots.

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Retired WR Danny Amendola reminisces about career with epic video on Twitter

Danny Amendola called it a career on Monday.

New England Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola announced his retirement on Monday and wrapped up a career that saw him record some of his best seasons while with the Patriots.

He posted an epic tweet showcasing his career as he looks towards retirement. He pulled out all the highlights in this one, from his beginning days with the St. Louis Rams to his time in Detroit. There were New England highlights in the video, including one memorable playoff moment in particular.

He caught 230 passes for 2,383 yards and 12 touchdowns in five years with New England. He also proved to be an extremely valuable weapon in the playoffs with the Patriots. He caught 57 passes for 709 yards and six touchdowns.

Amendola certainly has memorable moments to look back to throughout the course of his career. He will always have a place in Patriots history, especially due to the fact that he always seemed to step up in big moments.

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Former Patriots WR Danny Amendola announces his retirement

The longtime Patriots receiver announced his retirement today after 13 years in the NFL

Former New England Patriots wide receiver and two-time Super Bowl champion Danny Amendola announced his retirement today after 13 seasons, NFL insider Adam Schefter announced in a tweet on Monday afternoon.

Amendola spent his career playing for five different NFL teams, most notably the St. Louis Rams from 2009 to 2012 and the Patriots from 2013 to 2017. Amendola finished his career with the Houston Texans.

Amendola left his mark on New England during his five seasons with the team, notably as a clutch performer in the playoffs. In his 13 career playoff games (all with the Patriots), Amendola tallied 709 yards and six touchdowns. He also had two fantastic playoff games when New England was without top slot receiver Julian Edelman in the 2017-2018 postseason, in which he racked up 112 receiving yards against the Tennesee Titans and 152 receiving yards against the Philadelphia Eagles. In the AFC Championship following the 2017 season, Amendola caught both touchdown passes that capped New England’s seven-point four-quarter comeback against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Amendola’s postseason success isn’t limited to that run, however. He was also on the receiving end of Edelman’s touchdown pass in a divisional-round game against the Baltimore Ravens after the 2014 season. And, of course, Amendola converted multiple clutch third downs in New England’s legendary Super Bowl LI comeback against the Atlanta Falcons and scored the 2-point conversion that tied the game at the end of the fourth quarter.

While he was never the focal point of the offense for either of his Super Bowl victories with the Patriots, his late-game heroics in Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks as well as the Falcons in Super Bowl LI made him an integral cog in New England’s offense for both titles.

Amendola may have finished his playing career but he intends to explore a career in NFL broadcasting, according to ESPN.

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Former Rams’ WR Danny Amendola retires after 13 seasons in the NFL

Danny Amendola is retiring from the NFL after spending the first four years of his 13-year career with the Rams.

Danny Amendola enjoyed a nice career in the NFL, but he’s deciding to retire after 13 seasons in the league. The former wide receiver of the Los Angeles Rams announced his retirement from the NFL on Monday despite receiving interest from multiple teams.

Amendola began his career with the Rams back in 2009 when the team was still located in St. Louis. As an undrafted wideout out of Texas Tech, Amendola would proceed to total 196 receptions, 1,726 receiving yards, and seven receiving touchdowns in his four seasons with the Rams, including two years where he eclipsed 60-plus receptions and 660-plus receiving yards.

Following his four-year tenure with the Rams, Amendola signed a multi-year deal with the New England Patriots, becoming a favorite target for Tom Brady. Amendola didn’t have a chance to play in a postseason game with the Rams, but in his five years with the Patriots, he racked up 57 catches, 709 receiving yards, and four touchdowns in 13 playoff games.

Above all, Amendola won two Super Bowls with the Patriots before spending the final four years of his career with the Miami Dolphins, the Detroit Lions, and the Houston Texans. Even though he wasn’t the flashiest wide receiver, Amendola had himself quite the career with his ability to be a sure-handed weapon out of the slot.