DMN Blog (Breer): Amendola will get his shot

[Angus]

Amendola will get his shot
9:35 AM Wed, May 07, 2008 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Albert Breer E-mail News tips

HBO might have negative storylines to follow this summer. But there's no question they'll also be all over the feel-good tale of Danny Amendola, a position Hashmarks took yesterday and one I support.

Superstar columnist Kevin Sherrington agrees (easy on Rashard there, Kevin), because the Wes Welker tie is just too rich to ignore ...

If (Wes) Welker hadn't proved himself, Amendola wouldn't have gotten the chance here. Can he be another Welker? He certainly has the pedigree and the quarterback. Leach tells us that Amendola isn't as quick as Welker, but he's faster.

Bottom line: If Jason Garrett takes advantage of Amendola's special set of skills, he could give the Cowboys a different dimension at receiver.

Here are two more reasons why Amendola will get a fair shake in his quest to make the team -- The experiences of his new head coach, and the experieneces of his offensive coordinator.

Wade Phillips was on the San Diego staff in 2004 that was forced to cut Welker a week into that season, after trading for safety Clinton Hart from Philadelphia. To be fair, Hart has now been a Charger for four years, became a starter last fall, and has been a contributor both defensively and on special teams throughout.

From there, Welker went to Miami, where Jason Garrett became quarterbacks coach in 2005. I remember watching a broadcast last year where Troy Aikman said Garrett's "favorite player", among the guys he'd been around as a coach, was Welker.

So trust that this one won't slip through the cracks. Last week, Tech coach Mike Leach told me that Welker was quicker, while Amendola is faster. What Welker has is an unbelievable ability to move laterally, and I'm not sure that Amendola can make defenders flat-out fall down in the open field the way Welker can.

But you can bet these guys will give him every opportunity to show everything he can do.


http://cowboysblog.***BANNED-URL***/archives/2008/05/amendola-will-get-his-shot.html

 

[Chief]

For what it's worth, Welker and Amendola came to Tech under different circumstances.

Tech was the only big school to offer Welker a scholarship and even got in on him late.

Amendola, on the other hand, was fairly highly recruited. He was on some of the Top 100 lists for Texas recruits.

Doesn't mean much now because lots of people miscalculated Welker's subtle talent. We'll find out how Amendola's skills translate to the NFL.

 

[links18]

If our coaches are so in love with Welker, why not just send NE two #1 picks for him? :laugh2:

 

[TheCount]

I'm as excited about him as anyone else, maybe more so, but are we forgetting that rookie WR's rarely contribute much their first year?

The kid has an uphill battle even if he makes the team, he's never faced competition like he'll see in the NFL, and he's undersized. It will take him some time to learn to play.

 

[theogt]

Let's hope he's slightly more articulate than Wes Welker.

 

[Vintage]

Let's hope he's slightly more articulate than Wes Welker.

Let's hope he can provide us some of the skills Welker provides NE.


We aren't paying him for his public speaking skills

 

[jterrell]

For what it's worth, Welker and Amendola came to Tech under different circumstances.

Tech was the only big school to offer Welker a scholarship and even got in on him late.

Amendola, on the other hand, was fairly highly recruited. He was on some of the Top 100 lists for Texas recruits.

Doesn't mean much now because lots of people miscalculated Welker's subtle talent. We'll find out how Amendola's skills translate to the NFL.

Welker was a running back out of Oklahoma. He performed admirably in college but was so small the Oklahoma teams didn't even consider him.


Amendola was out of the Woodlands a powerhouse 5A Texas school and got plenty of attention as you mention.

Danny and Wes were roommates at the road games while at Tech together and are good friends.

 

[Brandon]

The comparisons are rediculous. They're both white, are receivers and went to TT. Thats really all thats similar.

 

[theogt]

The comparisons are rediculous. They're both white, are receivers and went to TT. Thats really all thats similar.

Short, small, slot receivers that have poor timed speed, but are extremely quick, run precise routes, and have good hands.

School and skin color are just the obvious similarities.

 

[jterrell]

The comparisons are rediculous. They're both white, are receivers and went to TT. Thats really all thats similar.

Not true.

They played the same roles at Tech(slot WR and returners), were roommates, good friends and are both undersized and lack explosive foot speed. They also both have great hands and tun precise routes.

BTW, I was telling he board about Welker when nobody had ever heard of him.

Danny is not as quick or shifty so it may be harder for him to succeed.

 

[big dog cowboy]

I remember watching a broadcast last year where Troy Aikman said Garrett's "favorite player", among the guys he'd been around as a coach, was Welker.

Sounds like Amendola might already have an ace up his sleeve with Red Ball.

 

[TheSkaven]

The comparisons are rediculous. They're both white, are receivers and went to TT. Thats really all thats similar.

And undrafted free agents. Those seem like 4 reasonable comparisons to me, why is it rediculous?

 

[dogberry]

Welker got alot of local news coverage in Oklahoma City while in high school. OU and OSU are committed to recruiting out of state.

 

[Colo]

Welker's quickness is what makes him special. Without that, Amendola is likely to be JAG. Would be nice if he, or any of these UDFA for that matter, turned out to be a player tho...

 

[theogt]

Let's hope he can provide us some of the skills Welker provides NE.


We aren't paying him for his public speaking skills

http://www.dallascowboys.com/asx/DannyAmendola_day2_video_050308_ad.asx

Well, at a minimum, it's fortunate that he doesn't sound like a ****** like Welker.

 

[theogt]

Welker's quickness is what makes him special. Without that, Amendola is likely to be JAG. Would be nice if he, or any of these UDFA for that matter, turned out to be a player tho...

Amendola does look quicker to me in college based on college clips of both players. He also certainly looks faster than Welker in terms of straight-line speed.

 

[bbgun]

http://www.dallascowboys.com/asx/DannyAmendola_day2_video_050308_ad.asx

Well, at a minimum, it's fortunate that he doesn't sound like a ****** like Welker.

I've never heard him speak. Same could be said of Flo and Larry Allen.

 

[Aven8]

Believe me I watched both of these kids throughout there careers and Amendola is NO Welker...but that's ok. I do know one thing..he is as tough as they come and know's how to find the open spot in the zone. That's what Welker does also...there is NO corner in this league that can keep up with these little boogers off the line. Think about last year with NE. Welker caught short 5-7 yd passes, in the zone, or on a slant. He is a chain mover, and that's why he also caught 112 balls. If your looking for either one to outrun anybody, or go for a deep bomb, your not playing to what these guys do best. Tech's offense is all about finding a spot to sit down in the zone..they are masters of it. We need a chain mover outside of Witten. This guy will be good for 5-7 yds everytime and will become Romo's security blanket. That's what changed Eli's game late last season, they decided to keep him from throwing down field and go to the short passing game. Steve Smith was his Welker.

Again, he's NO Welker, Roy Williams, Chad Johnson, etc....but I'll bet you he'll move the chains and be clutch for us, and do everything he is asked to do...we don't need him to be TO..we just need another piece to the puzzle.

 

[Chief]

I've never heard him speak. Same could be said of Flo and Larry Allen.

I can't wait to hear Larry Allen's Hall of Fame speech.

He'll probably walk up there with a dip of snuff in his mouth, grunt, mumble "thanks" and go back and sit down.

 

[trickblue]

I can't wait to hear Larry Allen's Hall of Fame speech.

He'll probably walk up there with a dip of snuff in his mouth, grunt, mumble "thanks" and go back and sit down.

My bet is that he just nods in approval and sits down...

"Thanks" is a little wordy for him...