How Patriots Captain Following In Legends’ Footsteps This Season

Ja'Whaun Bentley has been a Patriots captain and a defensive stalwart for years, so he's used to having a full plate of responsibilities.

And as we learned after New England's season-opening win in Cincinnati, the veteran linebacker was assigned another new role ahead of his seventh campaign with the storied organization.

Bentley broke down the Patriots huddle in the visitors' locker room at Paycor Stadium on Sunday, asking teammates how they felt about "taking over" enemy territory in Week 1. New England players responded with a resounding, "Awwww, yeah!" which has been a postgame rallying cry since the first phase of the franchise's dynasty in the early 2000s.

The tradition was started by Tedy Bruschi over two decades ago and was carried on by fellow Patriots legends like Matt Light, Randy Moss and Tom Brady. The job most recently belonged to Matthew Slater, who passed the baton to Bentley after the special teams icon retired following the 2023 season.

It remains to be seen how many times Bentley will galvanize the good vibes in New England's locker room this season. But as Patriots players made clear after their upset of the Bengals, they believe they're bound for more success than most are expecting.