BOSTON -- After undergoing offseason knee and ankle surgeries, Danny Amendola is one of the Patriots players who has not been spotted at any of the team's OTA or minicamp practices open to the media.
Though he says it's been difficult for him to sit out, Amendola has kept up on things by watching tape of the sessions that he has missed. He's also put in time with the new faces of the receiving group, helping them to absorb all the information that's being thrown their way at this point in the offseason.
Amendola's experience makes him a logical tutor. He's going into his fourth season in New England, and he has put in more game-day snaps with Tom Brady than any current Patriots receiver not named Julian Edelman.
"I do all I can to help them in any way, whether it be showing them how to run a route, or a concept of what Tom might be thinking, or just what I've learned over the last couple of years myself," Amendola said before his Celebrity Waiter Night on Monday. "They have a good idea of what to expect, and they've ben doing a great job."
Understanding what Brady might be thinking could be an invlauable resource for newcomers like Chris Hogan, Nate Washington and rookies Malcolm Mitchell and Devin Lucien. Because the Patriots offense is so predicated on Brady and his receivers reading defenses in a similar fashion, understanding Brady's thought process can make or break a wideout's chances with the club.
Despite being hampered by inury during portions of his Patriots career, Amendola has long had a well-established connection with Brady. That was on display last year, Amendola's best in New England, when he caught 72 passes for 705 yards. He also snagged a team-high 79.1 percent of the targets Brady sent his way.
Whenever Amendola is able to be back on the field -- and there is optimism he'll be good to go for training camp -- Brady will have one of his more trusted weapons available to him.