Amendola ready to help
Ankle OK after 4-game hiatus
PATRIOTS NOTEBOOK
FOXBORO — If Danny Amendola is needed for Saturday night’s game, the wide receiver indicated yesterday he’d be ready to go.
That’s good news for the Patriots considering it’s never a bad thing to add more clutch players to the offense.
Amendola, who’s missed the past four games with a high-ankle sprain, was used sparingly during the regular season but was a key contributor on third down and in the red zone. He caught four touchdown passes.
“Whatever the coach wants me to do, I’ll be here for that,” Amendola said when asked if he planned on playing in the divisional round playoff game against the Houston Texans.
Amendola, who has been practicing since last week, said he wasn’t hampered in any way and had suffered no setbacks during the recovery process.
“I feel good,” he said. “I feel good today. I’m getting ready for tomorrow.”
Amendola said he’s missed playing with the team and being in the offense.
“Any time you miss time, mentally it’s draining, it’s frustrating. You try to come back as soon as you can,” he said. “I love playing football. That’s what I’m here to do. That’s what I’m working for.”
With the vast arsenal the Patriots have, there was no need to rush with Amendola. Now he can just add to the riches for the postseason.
“It’s a great opportunity for all of us. It’s what we’ve been working for,” Amendola said. “It’s what we love to do, the energy of the crowd, the energy of the games . . . it’s why we play.”
Spread the news
The Patriots do a good job of ignoring the noise in general. That also means ignoring the fact they’re prohibitive 151⁄ point favorites against the Texans. None of the players seemed to realize that was the point spread for the game.
“Football game’s not played in Vegas,” defensive captain Devin McCourty said. “I don’t think any of that matters. I can’t imagine many players in the NFL that check the point spread going into the game. They’re trying to earn the right to be here next week, and we’re trying to do the same.”
Defensive end Trey Flowers agreed the Patriots aren’t paying attention to favorites and underdogs.
“We don’t look into that. We understand that it’s a dominant team on the other side,” he said. “Any time you get this far in the playoffs, you’re going to get a team’s best shot, and there’s a very good team on the other side. We know we’ve got to bring our ‘A’ game. We know the things we’ve got to do to make sure we get a win.”
Flowers said Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler looks more confident now than he did during Houston’s Week 3 loss to the Pats in Foxboro.
“He’s still able to make plays with his arm or also extend some plays with his legs,” Flowers said. “Being able to contain him is still the top priority. He’s got a lot of different guys making plays for him. He’s got confidence in a lot of his receivers. Just being able to make plays and contain him is key.”
Flowers, of course, will be participating in the postseason for the first time. He was injured last year and watched from the sidelines.
“It’s definitely a blessing,” he said. “Just to be able to prepare for this time, prepare for the postseason because this is what we play for . . . I’m looking forward to it.”
Always teaching
Like many people, Bill Belichick was caught up in the final moments of Clemson’s thrilling 35-31 win against Alabama in the national championship game Monday night.
Belichick thought it might serve as a good teaching lesson for his team going forward.
“In the end, the national championship came down to a yard. We’ve been in that situation before, both ways,” he said. “I think that’s the kind of football you see at this time of year whether it be at the national championship level or playoffs. You’ve got a lot of games like that that come down to one play, one yard, and it defines an entire season. You’ve got to be prepared for that.”
Belichick took time out to watch parts of the game given his ties to Alabama coach Nick Saban.
Plus, it’s a gold mine in terms of prospects.
“I remember watching that game last year and watching it probably at least 10 times in the offseason because there are so many players,” Belichick said. . . .
Defensive tackle Alan Branch was the only player missing from practice. The Patriots will file the week’s first injury report today.