FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Coach Bill Belichick changed things up a bit Saturday by having his Patriots scrimmage.

The stars of the day? Tom Brady and Danny Amendola.

The quarterback and wide receiver only played what amounted to one series and change. But that’s all they needed, and it almost wasn’t fair to their teammates. Brady and Amendola looked like they had been working together for years, as opposed to months.

Brady first hit his new go-to-guy on a seam route, with Amendola catching the laser on his way into the end zone.

Then, after their side was awarded another drive following the touchdown, Brady, who celebrated his 36th birthday Saturday, connected with Amendola on a fade route, with the receiver extending his arms in the right corner of the end zone to pull in the pass.

It couldn’t get much better. So after that exhibition, both Brady and Amendola were done for the rest of the day.

Advertisement

Amendola, who spent time with Brady in California earlier in the year trying to get timing down after signing with the team as a free agent, has been a constant at the quarterback’s side during training camp to go over plays and routes.

The scrimmage success had to be taken as a sign that all the hard work was paying off.

“We only went one drive today, but it was very productive,” Amendola said.

“Offensively, everyone did well . . . It’s a work in progress. It’s an offense that’s constantly evolving. So, I’m just trying to get better every day.”

On Thursday, Brady and Amendola could be seen on the sideline both down on one knee, drawing up plays in the dirt. The scene was reminiscent of a schoolyard — Amendola said they were just talking football and trying to learn from each other.

Might we have seen one of the plays they drew up at the scrimmage?

Advertisement

“Possibly,” Amendola said with a grin. “It just happened to work in the scrimmage. We’re just trying to get better. That’s all that matters.”

Amendola, familiar with the Pats offense because he worked under offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels with the St. Louis Rams, said he still studies the playbook, “every day, all day. That’s all I do, pretty much.”

It’s one thing for the duo to click against a defense they’re familiar with in an intrasquad scrimmage.

A real opponent will provide a true test, and, although it will only come in joint practices and exhibition play, the Patriots will meet up with the Philadelphia Eagles this week.

“Through time, (our chemistry) will continue to build,” Amendola said.

“Once these preseason games start rolling around and we get reps against other teams, we’ll get a good feel.”

 


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.