DAIYLY REPORT: The former New England Patriots wide receiver recently declared his apparent retirement from coaching during an appearance on…
The former New England Patriots wide receiver recently declared his apparent retirement from coaching during an appearance on “The Dan and Ninko Show.” Danny Amendola is stepping away from his assistant role with the Las Vegas Raiders, where he was focused on working with returners.
In his announcement, Amendola stated, “I think I’m good on the coaching thing for a little bit. I wanted to get in and kind of see what it was all about. I’m really glad I did it. I think I retired my whistle for now.”
During his single season overseeing the Raiders’ return game, led by DeAndre Carter, the team achieved respectable rankings of 10th in average punts (9.96) and 11th in kickoffs (23.82). However, these coaching accomplishments fell short of matching the thrill and excitement of Amendola’s illustrious 13-year playing career, which included five seasons with the New England Patriots, culminating in two Super Bowl victories.
Amendola reflected on his coaching experience, expressing, “I wanted to go in and feel if I felt any of that competitive juice on game day. It was there, but it’s so hard to replace actually playing in the game. A lot of it felt like work… it’s just hard to replace that feeling you get of that competitive nature when you’re not playing.”
During the initial part of Amendola’s brief coaching tenure, he worked under former New England collaborator Josh McDaniels, who was relieved of his duties after eight games. The interim head coach, Antonio Pierce, has since been appointed to the full-time role.
Amendola, known for his contributions during his time with the Patriots, accumulated 2,383 yards and 12 touchdowns (with an additional six in 13 playoff appearances). Notably, in the 2015 season, he led qualified returners with an average of 12 yards on 23 punt runbacks. His earlier breakout year with the St. Louis Rams in 2009 saw him securing a league-best 1,618 total kick return yards.
