Danny Amendola – September 26, 2018
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Wednesday, September 26, 2018
WR Danny Amendola
(What are your thoughts on going back to Gillette Stadium this Sunday?) – “I’m going to be on the other side of the field. That’s it.”
(Is it a little strange?) – “I’ve played there before so I’ve had a lot of experience playing there. I’m excited to get back up there.”
(In the last decade, only two AFC East teams have won there – the Bills – over the last 10 years, that’s it. What makes it, besides the talent on the team, so difficult for division teams to go up there and emerge victorious?) – “It’s all about football, really. Just good football players and they’re well-coached. They have good players and they fly around. It’s not going to be any different this weekend. We’ve got to do a lot of things well in order to win.”
(Have the coaches here been picking your brain?) – “They’re smart.”
(Is that a yes?) – “No, they’re smart. (laughter)”
(Do you think there’ll be any emotions seeing your brothers on the other side, guys you fought with for five years out there?) – “Emotions … I play with a lot of emotion every game. I have a lot of friends on every team, so this won’t be really much different. I’m familiar with a lot of people in the organization. I’m excited to get up there.”
(Are you surprised at the struggles the Patriots have had? 1-2, you don’t often see that from a New England team.) – “They have a bunch of good football players. It’s early in the season and everybody in the whole league is trying to figure some things out and trying to get moving, including us. We’re going to get up there, give it our best shot and look at the scoreboard after the game and hopefully we come out on top.”
(How tough is it for your offensive coaches to figure out who’s getting the ball?) – “Just the open guy. Ryan (Tannehill) does a good job of getting the ball to playmakers and we have some playmakers on this team. It’s really good to see. We’re all hungry. We all want to make plays to help this team win. That’s why we’re here.”
(Before the season, we asked you about national expectations for this team and you said, this team is just going to come out fighting. Have you guys done that the first three games?) – “Definitely. There’s a lot of room for improvement, too. We’ve noticed that on film. (We’re) studying ourselves and trying to get better here today, tomorrow and the rest of the week to play better next week. That’s our mind set.”
(What could a win do for you guys? Another win?) – “One game a week. That’s what we’re focused on. We want to win every one we play. This week is no different. It’s an away game. It’s a division game. It’s an important game. We’re all excited to get up there.”
(How would you describe the lessons that you learned about what it takes to win during your time in New England?) – “It takes a lot of preparation. It takes a lot of film study. It takes a lot of experience, knowing what to do, knowing what not to do, situational football. Some of the things I learned there I’ll carry with me forever. What I’ve learned most is how to prepare for a game, what goes into the weekly routine leading into a game and sticking with that mold. I’m just using my preparation skills against them now. (laughter)”
(Anything else besides that you learned and two rings that’s going to be dear to your heart a little bit from your time there?) – “Maybe I’ll look at all that stuff after I’m done playing, but right now it’s just all about preparation and getting ready for the game, getting ready for a good opponent, an opponent that plays really hard. They’re well coached. I’m just going to continue to prepare this week.”
(What was your relationship like with the fans up there, and what kind of welcome are you expecting?) – “Well, we’ll see. (laughter)”
(Did you talk to Rob this week?) – “Who’s that?”
(TE Rob Gronkowski is the question.) – “I haven’t talked to him this week, no.”
(What will it be like facing TE Rob Gronkowski? Obviously you won’t see him on the field, but you’ll see him before the game and all that. You were his teammate for so many years and now you’re going to try to beat him.) – “Oh yeah, for sure. He’s a great player. I’m not guarding him. It’s no news flash. We’ll see what happens.”
(Will you share an embrace with QB Tom Brady before the game?) – “Before or after. I mean, he’s got a lot of things to do to get ready for the game as well. Through the whole organization, they have a lot of great people there. I can’t sit down and talk to all of them, but I’m going to just focus on the game and whoever I get to hit or handshake, that’s fine with me.”
(Are you surprised at the Patriots’ start and their struggles so far?) – “I’m not really focused on that really, honestly. I’m just focused on this team and what I can do help this team win. I’ve watched all the film and seen all the plays, but … They’re a good football team. We’ve got to play good to beat them, that’s for sure.”
(If I had told you before the season started that if you win in New England, you’d be three games up on the Patriots four games into the season, you would have thought what?) – “It’s still early. It’s still early. We’re just trying to get a win this week, that’s it.”
(You mentioned you don’t have to go against TE Rob Gronkowski but there are some DBs on the other side that were there when you were there. Do you expect there to be some trash talk with you and the DBs?) – “Not really. It’s all about what happens from whistle to whistle and that’s what we focus on. I know that’s what they’re going to focus on. At the end of the day, at the end of the game, it’s all about who’s scoring the most points, who’s up and who’s winning. Everything else is just kind of noise really.”
(Are there things that you remember from practicing in your years there that you can take into your individual matchups?) – “Yeah, for sure. I’ve been against a lot of their DBs. (They have) a lot of good players, a lot of fast players, and they know my moves too. It’s going to be a tough task, for sure.”
(Were you okay with how your time in New England ended?) – “Of course. I don’t have any regrets in my career. I’m really happy to be here. I’m really happy to be with these guys, with this group, with these coaches, with my teammates and this organization. It’s a dream come true to me.”
(What would you say is unique? What do you appreciate and what do you like about this particular organization – your organization now – along with Head Coach Adam Gase?) – “I like the way we respond to the early part of the season. I like the way we’ve prepared in the early part of the season. I like the attitude that Coach Gase brings to the facility every day and into the game, offensively, on Sunday. That keeps me going every day. I just really like the attitude that everybody in the building brings.”
(On the coaching staff being detail-oriented) – “Yes. A bunch of football minds in the same room trying to win games. There’s a lot of details that go into that. Every single thing is professional football. Every single split, every single depth on every route, every throw, is calculated to the best minds we have. A lot of experience goes into those decisions and a lot of film study. It’s our job, as players, to buy into that. I’ve bought in.”
