The Patriots lost one of their most dependable receivers this offseason when Danny Amendola signed with the Dolphins.
Speaking to reporters at the NFL coaches breakfast in Orlando on Tuesday, Dolphins coach Adam Gase compared Amendola to one of the best receivers to ever wear a Patriots uniform -- Wes Welker.
Gase coached Welker when he was with the Broncos.
"I remember when we signed Wes in Denver, one of the big things that he did was when our young guys saw Wes in practice, they were shocked," Gase said to reporters. "They couldn't believe how hard he went, how fast he did everything. There was no half speed. No take any play off. He was full speed all the time. We had a lot of young receivers that -- hadn't quite saw it through the eyes of a professional. Wes came in and changed our culture and environment. He was part of the reason we had a big swing there. Danny has a lot of the same personality traits. Ryan [Tannehill] will benefit a lot from being around a guy like that."
Amendola had his best season with the Patriots last year when he finished with 61 catches for 659 yards and two touchdowns.
Gase is happy to have him in Miami.
"Danny fits into this system really well," he said. "Danny does a lot of things. He creates a lot of separation. He is one of those guys that makes the quarterback's job really easy. He doesn't just get a little open. There is a big window there. The quarterback has a large margin for error. He's a winner, played in a lot of big games, won Super Bowls, made plays in huge games, game–changing plays.
"He's going to be a great example for the rest of our locker room. He can be a huge impact in our locker room."
