Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and one of the more outspoken and unapologetic players that the NFL has to offer doesn't seem like it would be the best combination, given the reputation of the legendary coach who has been in charge of New England for two decades. Just ask Cassius Marsh — or don't, says Alex Reimer — who has plenty to say about Belichick and the Patriots in his brief stint there.
But if you ask Martellus Bennett, who was the "outspoken and unapologetic" player I referenced in the first paragraph, his answer may not be what you're expecting. Joining Michael Robinson and Mike Garafolo, who wondered how the two could co-exist without much conflict, Bennett revealed that their relationship actually had no conflict at all.
"We were a match made in heaven. 100 percent," Bennett said on the "NFL Total Access: The Locker Room" podcast. "Me and Bill had no issues whatsoever. In fact, I'm the only person in Bill's offense that talked to him during lunch.
"[We talked] about anything. That dude's smart, bro! I like old people, first of all. I like old people because they have a lot of stories, a lot of information, a lot of wisdom. But me and Bill, like, the Patriots didn't try to control me in any way. They just let me be who I was because the only thing they cared about was, can you play football? And I like that because my entire career, everybody else didn't care about me playing football, they cared about anything else. Here, Bill was like, 'I don't give a f---, just play football and be on time'..."
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Bennett also explained how Belichick and the rest of the organization supported him in his other off-field ventures, including the release of his first children's book — "Hey AJ It's Saturday" — which they featured in the team's ProShop. That year was also capped off by his only Super Bowl victory, in which he played a sizable role with five catches for 62 yards.
His best season came with the Bears in 2014, when he was a Pro Bowler and finished with career highs in receptions (90) and yards (916), but he doesn't speak as glowingly about that stint as he does his Patriots' stint.
"We just had a bunch of b----es on the roster — that's why we didn't win games — and coaches liked the b----es," Bennett said in an E:60 profile (via ESPN's Jeff Dickerson) before continuing on about his quarterback, Jay Cutler. "Some people that you want to be a leader are not the guy that's the leader. And everyone in the locker room knows that this is not the leader, but this is what you want the face of the team to look like."
Can you blame him for preferring Bill Belichick and Tom Brady over Marc Trestman — who Bennett implied tried to be too much of a father figure, whereas he just wanted a coach — and Jay Cutler? I certainly can't.
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