Martellus Bennett’s media tour of ESPN studios Wednesday included a lengthy sit-down with “First Take” hosts Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith, who tried their hardest to get the former Chicago Bears tight end to bad-mouth his old quarterback, Jay Cutler.
Bennett didn’t take the bait, saying he “(doesn’t) like to talk about the ex-girlfriend too much,” but he did have plenty of praise for his new signal-caller, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
“Playing with Tom has been very exciting because he makes it so much easier for you when you go out there and play,” said Bennett, who was traded from Chicago to New England in March. “He’s always spot on, and his personality is contagious. The way he competes, he makes you rise to another level, because it doesn’t matter if it’s walkthrough — walkthrough you end up going faster, because he’s playing faster. You have to raise the level of play to where Tom’s at.
“I think that’s one of the most inspiring things (about Brady), the way he’s able to raise your play without even saying anything. It’s just the way he does it. ‘OK, I’ve got to match that, because if he’s doing this, this dude’s doing this, then I have to make sure I’m up there, as well.’ ”
Bennett quickly got to work building a rapport with Brady, working one-on-one with the veteran QB last week during the first practice of mandatory Patriots minicamp.
“I think he’s one of the most accurate quarterbacks I’ve been with as far as like ball-placement and not having to think about where this ball’s going to be,” Bennett said. “You can just kind of feel where the throw’s going to be. You expect back-shoulder, it’s there. Over the top, it’s there. You just kind of can feel the game a little bit easier with him.”
Click the video below to watch the full “First Take” interview, which also touched on Bill Belichick’s coaching style, Bennett’s relationship with Rob Gronkowski and his early impressions of New England.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC09w88F3kk
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
