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Training camp is just over a week away, but new Detroit Lions receiver Danny Amendola isn’t going to wait until then to work on his chemistry with his new quarterback.
Amendola posted to Instagram a series of photos that showed him working alongside Matthew Stafford:
This should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed Amendola’s career. He has a deep reputation of being an incredibly hard worker, and that has already been noticed by some Lions players.
“His work ethic is crazy through the roof,” fellow Lions receiver Kenny Golladay said of Amendola back in April. “And he wants to push everyone. When you’ve got a guy like that, a vet guy like that—a savvy vet—you really just want to follow up under him. I’m not going to let him go out there and outrun me, but at the same time, he’s going to try to get the best out of everybody. And, especially, I know he wants to get the best out of all the receivers, so I appreciate it.”
After seeing Amendola work one-on-one with Stafford during minicamp and OTAs, I think it’s fair to say that his role in this offense may be bigger than some are expecting. Amendola is coming off a down year, pulling in just 59 catches for 575 yards and one touchdown.
Expecting a 90-catch, 1,000-yard season that Lions fans became accustomed to under Golden Tate is certainly a bit much, but Amendola could very well have a bounce-back year and thrive under a coaching staff who knows what he’s capable of and a quarterback who can match his work ethic.