Danny Amendola Out For Patriots Against Jets Thursday

Tom Brady has lost another throwing Target. Danny Amendola will not play for the Patriots Thursday night against the Jets. The oft-injured wide receiver hurt his groin during New England’s win in Buffalo on Sunday.

Amendola was targeted more by Brady than any other receiver Sunday. He played through the pain and finished the day with 104 receiving yards.

The Patriots signed Danny Amendola to replace Wes Welker. Welker signed a lucrative contract with the Broncos in free agency after he and New England couldn’t agree on his value. With Amendola New Engalnd got a player younger and arguably better than Welker. The problem is keeping him on the field.

With the St. Louis Rams in 2011, Amendola was placed on injured reserve with an an elbow injury. Then in 2012 he dislocated his clavicle and had a foot injury. Over the last two seasons he has played a total of 12 games.

There is no reason to think Amendola’s groin injury is serious though. He was hurt during the first half of Sunday’s game and returned for the second half. He even caught a critical third down pass on the Patriots game winning drive.

It sounds more like New England is just playing it safe on a short game week. They did sign him for $28 million in the offseason after all. If the Patriots played this Sunday instead of Thursday there would be no reason to believe he wouldn’t start.

To show just how versatile Danny Amendola can be when healthy, here is a video of highlights:

The Patriots are making the right move by sitting Amendola against the Jets. As shown by the video above, he is an explosive receiver when healthy. This early in the season it is always better to rest a player for the playoff push then force them to start.

Do you think the Patriots are making the right choice by sitting Danny Amendola on Thursday?