Danny Amendola is making quite an impression with his new team.
Dolphins head coach Adam Gase pointed out last week that Amendola already was impacting Miami’s locker room through his hard work and leading by example, but the veteran wide receiver took things to another level Wednesday during organized team activities.
Amendola was spotted throwing his helmet and cursing at himself at the Dolphins’ second session of OTAs, according to reports from members of the Miami media.
Here’s how Omar Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel described the scene, in which Amendola reportedly took out his frustration on his helmet on two separate occasions:
Amendola was stripped by linebacker Terence Garvin after catching a first-down reception from Ryan Tannehill, and the defense recovered the fumble. Immediately after the fumble, Amendola could be heard yelling obscenities at himself and then threw his helmet along the gate while on the sidelines.
A couple minutes later, after a Tannehill pass was nearly picked off by nickel cornerback Bobby McCain, who clearly jumped the route, Amendola was seen again cursing himself out and turning his helmet into a projective, throwing it around the sidelines.
Amendola also had a good rapport with quarterback Ryan Tannehill during Wednesday’s practice, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, suggesting the 32-year-old could be poised for a big first season with the Dolphins after spending the past five seasons with the New England Patriots.
“Danny is a grinder and I’m excited to play with him,” Tannehill said Wednesday after practice, per Kelly. “The first thing that impressed me is how hard he works. He just keeps going and going.”
Amendola, who signed a two-year, $12 million contract this offseason, caught 61 passes for 659 yards with two touchdowns last season. His best work came in the postseason, though, with Amendola emerging as a go-to target for Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, especially in clutch situations.
“He’s a competitor. A perfectionist,” Gase said, according to Kelly. “He’s going to compete whether it’s Day Two of OTAs, or Phase Two in the weight room.
“That’s just how he’s been. He’s the guy that beat the odds because he was told he’d never play in the NFL.”
