They absolutely have tried using him that way and it's been incredibly ineffective. He's a terrible route runner, doesn't have the hands, isn't good catching in traffic.
And apparently you are under the impression that Amendola has been significantly more productive in NE than he was with the Rams. That bears no ressemblance to the truth either. He's used the same way in NE he was in StL and despite having a far superior QB in NE, the results have actually been quite similar.
