New England Patriots

Martellus Bennett: The introspective, intellectual entertainer

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Martellus Bennett is an animated man.

Through two weeks of the NFL season, Bennett has been playing without Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski in New England. From an outside perspective, any team without Brady and Gronkowski has a much bleaker canvas. But Bennett, a tight end who signed with New England in the offseason after a Pro Bowl 2015, saw the absence of the Patriots’ cornerstones the way he sees everything else in his life: an opportunity to create.

And so, create he has. On Sunday Night Football in Week 1, Bennett only had 14 yards receiving, but if you watched the game, you saw Bennett blocking with reckless abandon. He did his part, and he did it exceptionally. He is a flamboyant entertainer who knows when to turn off the spotlight and dedicate to the minuscule details that also play a part in painting a pretty picture.

Flash forward one week, and Bennett was a headliner. On Sunday, Bennett caught one touchdown and 114 total yards in a win over Miami. After the game, he told Boston.com, “For me that’s all it’s really about. Just going out and doing the things I love to do – and have fun doing it.

“I haven’t had this much fun in a long time in the NFL,” he continued, “and I think it’s making a big difference for me. When it’s fun, it’s much easier to go out there and play.”