MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Martellus Bennett only has been to the playoffs one other time in his NFL career, but he’s getting accustomed to this whole winning thing.
The 2016 New England Patriots went 14-2 and clinched a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs with a 35-14 win over the Miami Dolphins. Bennett only has been on four winning teams in his nine-year career, and the Bears went 11-21 in the tight end’s last two years in Chicago.
“It’s cool. I’m kind of getting used to winning now,” Bennett said Sunday. “Know what I’m saying? At first it’s like, ‘Yeah!’ It’s like the first time having sex. Then the second time, then your third time, it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, it’s pretty cool. I’m getting better at it.’ It’s just really fun. I enjoy playing with these guys and giving everything I got every single game. I’m ready to do everything they ask of me.”
Bennett finished the season with 55 receptions for 701 yards with seven touchdowns, which is a new career high. He was happy to hit the 700-yard mark with a three-catch, 33-yard, one-touchdown performance Sunday.
“It’s been cool. I just go out there, and I don’t get too many of the balls, but when I do I try to catch them all,” Bennett said. “That was one of my goals coming into the game, I was like, ‘I need to get at least 32 yards.’ I got 33, and I was like, ‘All right. Y’all can continue to throw the ball wherever y’all want to.’ You set goals as you get closer — 650 yards doesn’t sound as good. It’s like, ‘700, oh yeah, that was a good year.’ That was cool.
“Every yard counts, especially when you get to the end of the road. It’s cool. It’s Year 9, the season’s over now besides playoffs, but I’m going into my 10th year, and I’m still able to make strides in different numbers and different things as a player.”
Thumbnail photo via Scott R. Galvin/USA TODAY Sports Images
