FOXBORO, Mass. — Moments before Danny Amendola met with the media Monday afternoon, he had a little sit-down with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
“I was just with him,” the New England Patriots wide receiver said. “We were eating some cereal.”
While that’s not exactly stop-the-presses news, any update regarding Garoppolo’s condition is noteworthy after the 24-year-old signal-caller left Sunday’s win over the Miami Dolphins with an injury to his throwing shoulder.
It remains to be seen whether Garoppolo will be healthy enough to start Thursday against the Houston Texans. If he is not, the Patriots likely will turn to rookie Jacoby Brissett, who made his NFL debut Sunday after Garoppolo went down.
“(Garoppolo) is a competitor,” said Amendola, who caught two touchdown passes from Garoppolo in the 31-24 win, “so he’ll do whatever he can around the clock to get ready for this week and whenever he’s going to play next.”
Because he missed all of training camp and the entire preseason, Amendola has worked only sparingly with Brissett, whom the Patriots drafted in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Brissett did not throw Amendola’s way on any of his nine pass attempts Sunday.
“The more experience with anyone else you get, it’s helpful, and we’ve got a few days now to prepare,” Amendola said. “I don’t know what the coaches are going to do, who’s going to be healthy or who’s going to be ready, so we’ll see.”
Would Amendola be surprised to see Garoppolo back on the field Thursday night?
“He’s a tough kid, and he’s Italian, so I don’t count him out,” the wideout said.
Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
