After a slow start, Rams receiver takes advantage of opportunities
Danny Amendola's fast start to the season is leading directly to fellow Rams wide receiver Brandon Gibson's fast finish.
Amendola was among the NFL leaders after piling up 33 catches in the first five games, then increasing his total to 60 after 10 contests. But teams caught on, and Amendola recently has been getting increased attention from defenses, sometimes with safeties shadowing his side of the field and other times with full-blown double-teams.
In the last three games, Amendola has caught just eight passes. "I think people, after what Danny did early in the season, are really starting to key on him,"
quarterback Sam Bradford said, "which is giving us a lot of one-on-ones with Gibby right now."
And when a wideout sees one-on-one coverage, his eyes light up.
During the last six games, Gibson has been targeted 45 times, has caught 32 passes and picked up 331 yards. In the same span, Amendola has been targeted 37 times, has 29 catches and 216 yards.
Amendola said Gibson "got the opportunity and really stepped up. He's done a great job."
Heading into Sunday's home game against Kansas City, Amendola for the season has 68 receptions, 24 more than Gibson. But Gibson is closing in on yards: Amendola has 567 to Gibson's 492. Laurent Robinson is a distant third among the wideouts, with 27 catches and 297 yards.
Both the catch and yardage totals are career highs for Gibson, a second-year pro out of Washington State. They're more impressive when considering that Gibson was among the Rams' inactives for the first two games of the year.
Word around Rams Park was that Gibson was grounded because he was less than impressive — and enthusiastic — on special teams. Gibson acknowledged that he'd heard that, too. But he said he never was given a direct explanation.
"I wasn't necessarily frustrated,"
said Gibson, 23. "I guess I just wanted to know why."
Working with Bradford
By Week 3, though, the 6-foot, 210-pound Gibson was back in good graces and back in uniform. He's had at least one catch in every game since then, including a personal-best eight Nov. 14 at San Francisco. Plus, he's a backup on all four special-teams units.
"He worked at some things that he needed to, to his credit,"
coach Steve Spagnuolo said. "He kind of scratched and worked his way back to a position where he's being effective for us."
Gibson has been spending extra time after practice with Bradford, and the two have jelled gradually.
