Pats Sign Amendola (5y/27.7m/10g), Talib, Wilson, Arrington (4y/16,/8.5g)

[mcstl25]

Amendola has missed 20 games over the past two seasons. Hurts himself on freak injuries when there isn't even much contact. He'll be a stud if healthy, but I just don't see that happening.

[mcstl25]

He's younger so they can backload his base salary and pro-rate the bonus over a longer contract which will save them money against the cap especially in the two years that Welker is under contract.

Also, he played for McDaniels in St. Louis (although he got hurt early that year) and the boy genius is pretty damn good at locating value talent at WR. He took Brandon Lloyd off of the scrap heap and make him into a legit #1 WR.

Not sure why people keep playing up the McDaniels tie. Amendola played a half game in McDaniel's offense in the lockout year.

[Glenbino]

Not sure why people keep playing up the McDaniels tie. Amendola played a half game in McDaniel's offense in the lockout year.

It's not so much that he was in McDaniels' system but that McDaniels has identified him as being capable of filling Wes Welker's role. Go look at what WRs have done under Josh McDaniels and how many guys have put up the best numbers of their careers in his offense, some that he pulled off the scrap heap (like Lloyd in Denver with Kyle fucking Orton throwing him the ball).

Also remember that both Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker were Josh McDaniels draft picks.. The guy may have done a lot of things wrong with personnel in Denver but he always found WRs.

[DoubleDeuce]

Amendola's made of total glass. I've only seen him play a few times but he does look pretty great. But that's only if he can stop shattering his body

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Amendola is better than Welker?

[jms493]

you cant minus Amendola's health issues in game like football. I dont care how good you play if you only play half the season.

[Len B]

Amendola's injury history being totally blown out of proportion here.

-First two seasons, plays 30 games.
-Has major injury, as did Welker
-Breaks a collarbone on a fluke play where he dives for a pass on turf

He's played at least 11 games in 3 out of his 4 seasons. It's not like the guy is every season.

[stevsta]

I'll go on record and say Welker plays in less games the next three years. Six straight years of being hit over the middle 100+ times is going to take a toll on an older body.

have fun with amendola having 3 awesome games then getting injured

[killgod]

Could have just paid the proven commodity instead of rolling he dice. The guy is never healthy. Brady didnt restructure for that shit.

No he restructured for Vollmer to protect his ass and possibly Talib to ensure he doesn't have to be jesus every week to win a game.

[killgod]

Amendola is better than Welker?

Depends on what's being talked about. Faster? Definitely. More agile/shifty? Could be argued. Hands? Recent memory suggests Welker is slipping a bit.

The durability is becoming a bit overblown for sure. Then again, most people can't recall anything but recent history and he was hurt in recent seasons. First two years of the NFL? College?


In other aspects:
-the contract is much more favourable to New England to have cap space now.
-Wes Welker simply will NOT get better as a player, he's 31 and had his knee rebuilt in his career, you only go down from here. Instead NE has a player of the same mold for 5 more years, something Welker could not have given them. If they passed on Amendola now and stuck with Welker, what happens in 2 years when Welker slips some more and is 33?


This is how you maintain your status on the top in the NFL. NE has willingly shed talent more often at the right time, than hanging on too long for retarded loyalty reasons that other teams seem to hold so dear to. Offering him 10M over 2 years is no insult considering all factors, he wanted more and got it, so be it, but NE doesn't owe it to him to pay him what he wants. If you guys like your team hanging on to aging veterans and overpaying them for nostalgic reasons, don't bitch when your team sucks ass because of it.

[Warner2BruceTD]

Amendola's injury history being totally blown out of proportion here.

-First two seasons, plays 30 games.
-Has major injury, as did Welker
-Breaks a collarbone on a fluke play where he dives for a pass on turf

He's played at least 11 games in 3 out of his 4 seasons. It's not like the guy is every season.

It's not blown out of proportion at all. You are just trying to talk yourself into thinking this is the case.

Forget all of the games he's missed, he also doesn't finish a good portion of the games he starts. He is constantly leaving games injured and is basically listed as "questionable" every week.

I like Amendola, but I knew he wouldn't be back and didn't lose any sleep over it. Rams flat out said they weren't going to pay him because he can't stay on the field. Not only that, Amendola has mediocre hands at best and does not protect the ball. He makes acrobatic catches but drops a lot of easy ones.

The Pats basically signed the poor man's Welker, and could have just spent slightly more to keep the better & far more durable version. Honestly, I don't get it.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Depends on what's being talked about. Faster? Definitely. More agile/shifty? Could be argued. Hands? Recent memory suggests Welker is slipping a bit.

The durability is becoming a bit overblown for sure. Then again, most people can't recall anything but recent history and he was hurt in recent seasons. First two years of the NFL? College?


In other aspects:
-the contract is much more favourable to New England to have cap space now.
-Wes Welker simply will NOT get better as a player, he's 31 and had his knee rebuilt in his career, you only go down from here. Instead NE has a player of the same mold for 5 more years, something Welker could not have given them. If they passed on Amendola now and stuck with Welker, what happens in 2 years when Welker slips some more and is 33?


This is how you maintain your status on the top in the NFL. NE has willingly shed talent more often at the right time, than hanging on too long for retarded loyalty reasons that other teams seem to hold so dear to. Offering him 10M over 2 years is no insult considering all factors, he wanted more and got it, so be it, but NE doesn't owe it to him to pay him what he wants. If you guys like your team hanging on to aging veterans and overpaying them for nostalgic reasons, don't bitch when your team sucks ass because of it.

A rebuttle.

What is being talked about is that Welker is a superior player...there is nothing you could actually point to that would suggest otherwise. Speed is negligible...besides, the type of player needed in New England to play the Y spot doesn't need speed. Welker ran a low 4.6, Edelman runs a low 4.5, Amendola runs somewhere in the 4.5s.

More agile or shifty? Welker is the best in the business at working the slot...its more than agility and shiftiness, its about knowing the game of football...how to find the soft spot in the zone, coming out of breaks...considering Welker's unique role, he's proven a mastery of his craft. No one, not at the X, Z, or Welker's Y spot, has rivaled his production league wide...that tells me all I need to know about his skill set as it relates to his position.

AS for hands...funny you mention that...while you may look at his 15 drops on the season (a league high) and suggest his hands are "slipping"...I laugh at that, because Welker is still among the leagues best receivers in the league statistically...he still rates in the Top 10 in regards to catch percentage while being among the league leaders in not only catches but targets...the volume of drops (for reference, Brandon Marshall and Calvin Johnson came in 2nd and 3rd in the same category) is a by product of the sheer amount of balls thrown his way.

Comparing the deals...essentially the same deal. The difference between the two is negligible.

As for Wes Welker getting better...LOL, you realize he is the greatest Y receiver in the history of the game...there is no getting better.

New England is not a flawless team...sure, they have shown moxie by dropping ever-bums like David Givens and Deion Branch...however, they also let go the likes of Richard Seymour and Asante Samuel when they still had a ton left in the tank and have succeed elsewhere all the while New England has continued to try and address the positions that were left void by players like that. New England stays competitive because they have Tom Brady. FIN. Everything else is a by product of having one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time, and lets not forget, that New England hasn't actually done anything worth a damn since Spygate.

I have no doubt that Amendola can fill the role in some capacity left void by Wes Welker, but he's not better, he won't reproduce Welker's greatness no matter how white each guy is. But, he will produce, but lets not play it off like this is even close to a push. If New England re-signs Welker, he comes back, catches another 110 balls. We'll see how Amendola does.

[Argath]

He's younger so they can backload his base salary and pro-rate the bonus over a longer contract which will save them money against the cap especially in the two years that Welker is under contract.

Also, he played for McDaniels in St. Louis (although he got hurt early that year) and the boy genius is pretty damn good at locating value talent at WR. He took Brandon Lloyd off of the scrap heap and make him into a legit #1 WR.

Isn't this basically the same shit the redskins are paying $18 mill in cap penalties for?

[Glenbino]

Isn't this basically the same shit the redskins are paying $18 mill in cap penalties for?

I thought that was because they went over the cap in the uncapped season despite the other owners making a "gentlemen's agreement" to not do so...

Basically the Cowboys and Redskins are being punished for being the only teams not to participate in a league-wide collusion effort on the part of the other 30 owners in the league. At least that's the way I understand those penalties.

[dave]

I take Welker for $12M over 2 years vs. Amendola on that $31M over 5 years every day and twice on Sunday. Brady had a guy he relied on and a guy who was a proven performer. If anyone should have offered Amendola that contract, it was St. Louis.

All that said, Welker is Welker, Amendola is Welker Jr.