Here's how former Patriot Danny Amendola has helped undrafted rookie Efton Chism in his attempt to make the team

Boston Globe

a day ago

On a visit to New England this summer, Amendola sought out the rookie out of Eastern Washington. In a few moments, Amendola tried to share as much as he could.
'I grabbed him and I said I noticed his film, and the buzz around his game,' said Amendola. 'We talked pretty quickly; I tried to keep it moving.
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'I tried to remind him that you need to run every rep, whether it's a pass play or you're blocking, or special teams, as fast and as hard as you can. If you're running routes vs. air in drills or in preseason games, you need to go hard every time. Do everything full speed, 100 percent of the time. He said 'Yes, sir.' I kept it short and sweet. I just wanted to let him know we're all watching.'
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The 5-foot-10-inch, 195-pound Chism finished with 346 catches for 3,852 yards and 37 touchdowns in five years at Eastern Washington, the school that produced receivers Kendrick Bourne and Cooper Kupp. This spring and summer, Chism has done plenty to impress at the back end of a crowded wide receiver depth chart, showing the quickness, size, playing style, and knack for contributing on special teams that the 5-10, 185-pound Amendola showed while with the Patriots.
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It's been a tradition in New England for assistant coaches to show video of former standouts to younger players in hopes of helping create a blueprint. That's why
'I'm going through and watching that right now. So, trying to just kind of see how he ran through his offense with McDaniels when he was here, and I learn everything I can through that,' Chism said.
'He's super twitchy. He knows how to release. If the guy's playing off, the guy's playing press, he knows how to sit in zones, but he also knows how to win versus man. I don't think a lot of people — at least me, like before becoming a Patriot — I didn't watch a lot of him. But now I'm watching it and he can really win versus man, too, not just a zone catcher.'
'Efton is a guy who went to two All-Star Games,' said Eliot Wolf, the Patriots' executive vice president of player personnel. 'He went to the Hula Bowl and then the East-West, and no one really guarded him there, either. That's when he came on my radar a little bit.
'Our scouts obviously liked him, as well, but I didn't watch him until after those All-Star Games, and definitely thought he was a draftable talent. Maybe didn't have the 40-yard dash that was applicable to get him drafted, but you know, the game is played between the white lines and he's been a phenomenal worker.'
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Amendola, who made his way in the NFL as an undrafted free agent (with the Cowboys in 2008 out of Texas Tech), was asked what stood out the most about Chism's game.
'His suddenness. His quickness,' he said. 'I love that ability to attack the ball, and show the ball skills. His ability to go get the ball, and how he uses his hands. Also, it feels like he's tough. He seems like he has a good feel for the game, and the speed of the game isn't too much for him.
'The biggest step for a young receiver is understanding overages. But from what I can see, he has a pretty good handle on things.'
Amendola played in New England from 2013-17, and was a part of two Super Bowl-winning teams. In that stretch, he had 230 catches for 2,383 yards and 12 touchdowns. Amendola spent a lot of time watching Wes Welker and Julian Edelman video when he first arrived in Foxborough, as McDaniels was hoping to have him follow the same path.
Amendola said he's honored to help provide a template for a prospect such as Chism.
'It makes me happy,' Amendola said. 'Josh and I spent a lot of time together, and we share a lot of the same mentalities in terms of how to play offense, being dependable, and being tough. It can be just as good if you're consistent and making plays, maybe more than if you had a good 40 time or could jump high at the combine.'
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Christopher Price can be reached at