Now that he's no longer second fiddle to Jason Witten, former Cowboys tight end Martellus Bennett apparently thinks Tony Romo is playing out of tune.
Bennett, who signed with the New York Giants this offseason, had nothing but praise for his new quarterback, Eli Manning, in a recent interview on the Newark Star-Ledger's website, nj.com. But in doing so, he took an indirect shot at Romo and his habit of connecting with Witten.
Asked his thoughts on Manning, Bennett said: "Oh man, I don't think there's a better quarterback than him in the NFL right now. Watching his approach to the game and the way he coaches everybody up and gets everybody involved, I think he's an unselfish quarterback, which is what you want."
Asked to elaborate on what he means by unselfish, and Bennett is clearly talking about how Manning differs from Romo.
"I mean, he's just looking for the open guy," Bennett said. "It doesn't matter who it is or what number you are. If you're open, he's going to hit you."
Witten, a seven-time Pro Bowl tight end, has caught at least 79 passes a year since 2007, the first year Romo began the season as the starter.
Then again, Bennett later agreed that it's rare for a quarterback not to have a favorite target.
"Every quarterback has one or two guys they go to on most teams," Bennett said. "But here, it's not really like that."
And to be fair, Bennett placed some blame for his lack of production in Dallas on himself. In four seasons with the Cowboys, Bennett caught just 85 passes. He was prone to a number of drops.
Bennett hasn't caught a TD pass since catching four in 2008, his rookie season.
"Consistency is my thing right now that I'm working on," Bennett said. "I've made plays here or there in the past, but doing it consistently is what I want to do. In this offense, I think I have a chance to be a consistent playmaker."
Bennett clearly sees this as an opportunity to shine after playing in Witten's shadow. He's already shining as a quote machine for the New York media.
Follow Keith Whitmire on Twitter: @Keith_Whitmire
