The term "good football player" isn't in any standard dictionary, but it holds great meaning to New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who used it to describe one player in particular after Sunday's AFC Championship victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The comeback was capped by a remarkable Tom Brady-led drive, and arguably no other offensive player had a bigger role than Danny Amendola.
"Danny's such a good football player," Belichick said, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN. "When you look up 'good football player' in the dictionary, his picture is right there beside it."
The praise was particularly colorful for the notoriously stoic Belichick, but Amendola earned it with his production in Sunday's win. After tight end Rob Gronkowski was knocked out of the game with a concussion in the second quarter, he stepped up to make five of his seven catches in the fourth, totaling 84 yards with two crucial touchdowns.
Brady was also complimentary of Amendola's performance.
"He's made so many big plays for us, and that was huge," he said postgame, referring to Amendola's second touchdown. "Without that, we don't win. It was an incredible play."
