DANNY DOES IT: Rams receiver Danny Amendola — a dead ringer for the Patriots’ Wes Welker in size and style — eludes the 49ers’ NaVorro Bowman during last week’s 24-24 tie in San Francisco. Amendola and St. Louis play host to the Jets tomorrow. (UPI)
EARTH CITY, Mo. — The Jets are facing Danny Amendola for the first time tomorrow, but at the same time, they really aren’t.
That’s because the similarities between the Rams’ tireless receiver and the Jets’ nemesis, Wes Welker of the Patriots, are so numerous the two could almost be twins.
Not only is Amendola roughly the same size as the 5-foot-10, 190-pound Welker, but they both made it to the NFL as undrafted free agents, play the same position in the same fearless way and spent their college years under the same coach (Mike Leach) at the same school (Texas Tech). Heck, they even talk on the phone and occasionally hang out together in the offseason.
No wonder Amendola embraces the comparisons to Welker instead of considering them a nuisance.
“[Welker is] a great player who’s had a lot of success in the NFL and been to a lot of Pro Bowls and a couple of Super Bowls, so to be compared to him is an honor,” Amendola said yesterday as the Rams (3-5-1) prepared to face the Jets (3-6) tomorrow at the Edward Jones Dome.
Like Welker with the Patriots, Amendola is the tireless motor that makes both the Rams’ offense and return game go.
How badly St. Louis missed him during a recent three-game absence due to a clavicle injury was obvious last week in a 24-24 road tie with the 49ers when Amendola hauled in 11 passes for 102 yards. And that didn’t include an 80-yard catch in overtime or a 62-yard punt return that were each nullified by a teammate’s penalty.
“I don’t think you really stop [Amendola] because he’s such a feature in what they do and they get him the football in a lot of creative ways,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said. “He’s very similar to Wes Welker. You have to have a game plan for him specifically. But again, it’s easier said than done trying to stop this guy.”
Rams coach Jeff Fisher has been beaming all week whenever asked about having Amendola back.
“It’s great,” Fisher said. “The guys rally around him, they know that he’s got a chance to break a big one, and you can do a lot of different things with him. He’s just a tough guy that’s a great receiver, but also a huge part of our special teams.”
But like Welker, Amendola’s small size and pinball style also make it difficult to stay healthy. After big years in 2009 and 2010 (he led the NFL in all-purpose yardage in 2010), Amendola missed all but one game last year after dislocating his elbow in the opener.
The injury this year, suffered in a Week 5 home win over the Cardinals, was especially harrowing. Amendola fractured his clavicle inward, an extremely rare occurrence that nearly caused it to puncture his heart, leaving the Rams to wonder if he would play again this season.
Amendola missed only a month, though, a testament to his toughness and desire.
“It’s frustrating after missing a whole year last year having to miss any time this year,” he said. “It was tough, but I’m back now.”
But for how long? Amendola can be an unrestricted free agent after this season because the Rams have yet to lock him up (in part because of concerns about his durability). The team appears likely to use its franchise-player designation, and Amendola — who was passed over after tryouts by both the Eagles and Cowboys — sounds as if he would be just fine with that.
“I love this place, although I also understand that sometimes business takes you elsewhere,” he said. “But hopefully I can stay a St. Louis Ram forever. That would be great.”
As long as Amendola stays out of the AFC East, the Jets would be in favor of that. Facing one Wes Welker at least twice a year is enough.