Martellus Bennett - playing musical chairs with the NFL (3 Viewers)

[massraider]

Miles Austin, DeMarco M urray, and Laurent Robinson say hi.

All vastly vastly outperformed their expectations. You can only say that Dez did because his were so high.

I truly don't know the truth about Martellus. I do know that unless Shutout has some insight the rest of us don't have, he shouldn't patiently explain to Cowboy fans why it was the teams fault he didn't turn into a stud. There is more than enough evidence that young offensive players on that team turn out just fine.

From here, this looks like a one year, gap stop signing to replace two injured players. That's the best deal that Bennett could get? Boy, the Giants better hope he doesn't turn out to be a stud, they will look like idiots for signing him to a one year deal.

Seems to me like the Giants don't think much more of him than Dallas.

 

[Shutout]

Miles Austin, DeMarco M urray, and Laurent Robinson say hi.All vastly vastly outperformed their expectations. You can only say that Dez did because his were so high. I truly don't know the truth about Martellus. I do know that unless Shutout has some insight the rest of us don't have, he shouldn't patiently explain to Cowboy fans why it was the teams fault he didn't turn into a stud. There is more than enough evidence that young offensive players on that team turn out just fine. From here, this looks like a one year, gap stop signing to replace two injured players. That's the best deal that Bennett could get? Boy, the Giants better hope he doesn't turn out to be a stud, they will look like idiots for signing him to a one year deal. Seems to me like the Giants don't think much more of him than Dallas.

I guess this will be my "Let it go" post because you're right; I have put a lot of words into this post trying to give an unbiased assessment and its taken on a feeling that some people just want to draw lines in the sand and defend their teams. The info is out there for people to ponder on it; do as they will.To answer your second part first; I have posted a thought on why this is only a one year deal. In short, its a perfect "prove it" deal on both sides. A team has a short-term need that could be more if the player does well. The player is young and wants to bet on himself, much like Stephen Tulluch and Carlos Rogers did last year in similar situations. It makes sense.It provides a lot of motivation for the player to do well. It provides a lot of security for the team to invest little. reality is what it is, he is a guy the Giants have seen a lot of but know he's not a starter and has some proving to do. That is not an indictment against Bennett; its reality. Its no different than when Arian foster signed short-term and cheap. They said prove it. He said I will. At the time, most people didn't think Foster would make it to the roster. They said he was lazy and immature. He said he had learned and knew this was his last chance. I'm not saying Bennett has a Foster type success but i'm trying to point out that there is a human element in this not to be ignored and a lot of people tend to gloss over that and just remember the stats without looking at the situation.And that situation: Sorry, but anyone who says the Cowboys have not underachieved or think that their young players have developed nicely in the past half-decade are unaware or looking through rose-colored glasses. This team is a ship without a rudder and has been for 5-6 years. Go back and look at their drafts in that time and try to make a case for the young talent that has "developed nicely". Its laughable.In 40 draft picks between 2006-2010, you can count literally about 4 young players that have developed nicely and contribute to that team. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dallas_Cowboys_draft_history#2006_DraftAnd you can see a couple that left the team and did better with their new team. All in all, the best thing we can say is we will see (but what's the fun in that). I just know when the thread was started, I saw it as a really good organization making a signing that could be very good for them. In fantasy, that could also lead to success and its up to owners out there to decide for themselves if they want to pay the small price for him now or a bigger one later and whether that will be a smart thing for them to do.

 

[massraider]

The Cowboys have underacheived, no doubt. As a team.

But it is only obvious because the individual players have done so well, especially offensively. All of them. Well, almost all of them. They pick up Laurent Robinson off the scrap heap, and he turns one year as the #3 WR into a nice free agent contract. And Robinson brings up a good point, players worthy of targets get targets. If Bennett was worth more looks from his QB, he would have gotten them.

Sorry, but one man's 'prove it' deal is another man's scrub filler contract.

 

[Yenrub]

Wow lots of unexpected chatter about Bennett

Fantasy wise the guy is a backup TE with potential. You pick him up late as a bye week TE and hope that the Giants are playing the Cowboys the week you need to start him and hope he has a great game against his old team.

NFL wise as a Giants fan I like the signing because he is cheap, he fills a need, everyone says he is a good blocker (the Giants need help in the running game) and he is a pretty good athlete with the POTENTIAL to be threat in the passing game.

 

[Couch Potato]

One thing is sure. He'll have to prove it to me, because until he does I'll go with what is known about him up until now, and that's not so good. Being a backup to Witten isn't an excuse. Lots of backups have received glowing praise in practices, with their limited chances, etc., and gone on to succeed. Instead, Bennett has earned a negative rep. He has some overcoming to do, some proving to do, and in the meantime I'm assuming more of the same in terms of immaturity and mistakes rather than some big epiphany.

As a Bradshaw owner I'm glad he's in there as a good run blocker. But that's about it.

 

[treat88]

As I mentioned above, I like Bennett's prospects, but I won't pretend to be an expert on his time in Dallas or the extent of his red flags.

One thing I do believe is that the Giants are a strong organization/coaching staff and that if they go into the season relying on him to be their #1 3 down TE, I will bet on their assessments over my own or others.

Of course it might not work out, but that factor, to me, would increase the likelihood that he does contribute meaningfully far more than if he had signed with another organization.

 

[Carter_Can_Fly]

Being a Giants fan and watching that offensive system they have in place at this time many on here are over thinking this.

You don't have to be an all pro TE to be successful and included in the Giants game plan as a TE. You also won't be the featured player game in and game out. I mean look at who has been filtered through at TE during their recent success to gain an understanding of what they are comfortable with at that spot. Ballard, Beckum and Pascoe all served a role for them this year on their SB run. Boss as a rookie played a role in their other SB run.

The Giants are comfortable not needing a Gronkowski type guy to line up for them. They did not invest a ton of cash into signing Bennett and he offers every bit as good of value as the fore mentioned guys. If he does not work out they will plug someone else in and see what they can get. Now, it does not mean they would not love to have an all pro guy, however it is not a major concern for an offense that is coming off a 5,000 yard passing season.

 

[monk]

This is a great signing for the Giants ... I don't even see how this is debateable.

The guy is a better blocker than any of the tight ends they had last year.

He is a better receiver "right now" than any of the guys the had last year.

He is way more athletic and will be tougher to cover and much more dangerous after the catch than anyone they had last year.

He wasn't that expensive ... It's a 1 year deal (extra incentive to do well)

If he reaches or comes even close to his potential ... he could be a top 5-10 all around TE.

Not to mention 2 of the 3 well below average TEs from last year are coming off of major knee injuries and wont be available this year.

So what are the negatives here?

 

[Ack88]

Lifelong Cowboy fan and admitted Bennett critic: the guy squandered his opportunities in Dallas and couldn't catch a cold in Antarctica BUT he does have lots of talent. Perhaps with a culture of accountibility, something that DOES NOT EXIST in Dallas, he may become relevent. At 1 yr and 2.5 million, a low risk signing with some upside.

 

[netnalp]

Lifelong Cowboy fan and admitted Bennett critic: the guy squandered his opportunities in Dallas and couldn't catch a cold in Antarctica BUT he does have lots of talent. Perhaps with a culture of accountibility, something that DOES NOT EXIST in Dallas, he may become relevent. At 1 yr and 2.5 million, a low risk signing with some upside.

Looks even better considering the deal turns out to be for $1.8 million, not the $2.5 originally reported.

 

[bonesman]

Mike Pope is one of if not the best TE coach in football. If Bennett has talent, I firmly believe that Pope will get the most out of him.

They supposedly hit it off at their first meeting too... Martellus called it "love at first sight"

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Two-cent head.

Absolutely. I don't see him ever becoming more than a low end fantasy TE. A better blocker than pass catcher, immature and not focused on football, IMO doesn't and never will "get it" when it comes to understanding what it takes to really be successful.Note that the Giants signed him to a 1-year deal. Seems like a stopgap signing to me, and I wouldn't be surprised if what this really says is that they found something they liked in Ballard and he remains their main guy once recovered from the ACL.

Giants TE Jake Ballard underwent microfracture knee surgery in addition to the standard ACL procedure early this offseason.Ballard felt like he "ripped everything and broke everything" when he went down in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl. The damaged cartilage that required microfracture surgery likely occurred when Ballard went to test the knee on the sidelines after tearing his ACL. Ballard could be facing an additional six weeks on top of the 8-9 month timetable for reconstructive knee surgery. A lock to start the season on the PUP list, Ballard may sit out all 16 games. Odds are against the 2011 breakout starter recapturing pre-injury form in 2013 and beyond.

 

[identikit]

This is Martellus' last best chance IMO.

 

[floods]

McClane mocked Fleener to NYG... I wonder if he creeps up toward the first round if they do take a TE early?

 

[Yenrub]

Jason Witten seems to think that Bennett will fit the Giants system

Link

“He’s a good blocker, he’s a good underneath route runner and he’s big so he can catch the ball. I think, more than anything, getting his confidence back and getting a fresh start will do a lot for his career. Definitely a lot of upside.”

Witten was a bit vague in his assessment of Bennett but it’s clear he was referencing rumblings that have surfaced in the past when he indicated Bennett could benefit from some of the structure the Giants’ coaching staff will provide.

“Ultimately, when I found out he was going to the Giants, I wished him congratulations because I know he kind of fits that power offense and Mike Pope is one of the best tight ends coaches there is,” Witten said. “Anybody who plays the position knows that about him. He does a good job of eliminating distractions and allowing his players to be the best. I think he’s done that for many, many years, going back to (Jeremy) Shockey and taking a guy like (Jake) Ballard who’s undrafted and getting him to play at a high level.

 

[Shutout]

McClane mocked Fleener to NYG... I wonder if he creeps up toward the first round if they do take a TE early?

TE has been mocked there a lot. But so has RB and, to me, that seems like a more pressing need, given they pretty much only have Bradshaw and he doesn't usually make it through the whole season (and the coaches were on the record last years saying they like him better when he doesn't have to try to get all the carries). Unless the Giants get another RB that is left on FA, I think they would be better off taking one of the very good RBs at the end of round 1 than missing on probably all of them by the time they pick again. But, its the Giants...they may draft D-line.

 

[Shutout]

One thing is sure. He'll have to prove it to me, because until he does I'll go with what is known about him up until now, and that's not so good. Being a backup to Witten isn't an excuse. Lots of backups have received glowing praise in practices, with their limited chances, etc., and gone on to succeed. Instead, Bennett has earned a negative rep. He has some overcoming to do, some proving to do, and in the meantime I'm assuming more of the same in terms of immaturity and mistakes rather than some big epiphany.

As a Bradshaw owner I'm glad he's in there as a good run blocker. But that's about it.

By that logic, then Flynn should be ranked very high to you.I don't think all scenarios are the same. A player like Ben Tate being a backup, but yet still being involved...or a guy like Flynn being a backup and hardly being involved, is still different than Bennett. I understand WHY we have a lot of people here saying that they follow the Ocwboys and then sunsequently beat down Bennett but, to Bennett's side, when you play behind Witten, you really DO have almost no chance of doing anything meaningful that is going to catch a fantasy footballer's eyes. Yes, you can play specials and be in here or there and do things that help the real team, but you're not getting a chance to stand out and catch OUR attention.

A lot has happened in Dallas over the years where the team has generally underachieved and there have been a number of young players come through there and not really make much impact. But there WAS a time in his first year where people WERE praising Bennett. But how long can that carry on when you aren't used? I know some will make this black and white and just say well if he isn't playing, there is a reason. Yeah, but sometimes the reason is because the team, not the player, was responsible. We see that all the time. Especially when a change of scenery happens. Its probably not likely that Bennett becomes what a few of us think he might, but its probably not as NOT likely as what some others are saying.

Changes, for whatever reason, took irrelevant guys like Priest Holmes, Jimmy Smith, Laurent robinson, etc and made them stars. It noticeably improved guys like Sproles and even Drew Brees. Sometimes the intangible human element is all it takes. Look at how many people tried to ignore Arian Foster. Foster, himself, says it was all the real life stuff that turned it on for him. He matured as he had life changes. He recognized he was running out of opportunities and responded. He simply matured and ate better. Small things.

If the talent is indeed there (and I think it is), I think, unless the giants just never give the opportunity (draft a TE and just go with him before Bennett gets a chance), that the Giants' revolving door at TE will end this year and they have found a good player.

 

[Yenrub]

McClane mocked Fleener to NYG... I wonder if he creeps up toward the first round if they do take a TE early?

TE has been mocked there a lot. But so has RB and, to me, that seems like a more pressing need, given they pretty much only have Bradshaw and he doesn't usually make it through the whole season (and the coaches were on the record last years saying they like him better when he doesn't have to try to get all the carries). Unless the Giants get another RB that is left on FA, I think they would be better off taking one of the very good RBs at the end of round 1 than missing on probably all of them by the time they pick again. But, its the Giants...they may draft D-line.

I'm a Giants fan and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Giants went D-Line

 

[Dr. Octopus]

McClane mocked Fleener to NYG... I wonder if he creeps up toward the first round if they do take a TE early?

It's possible. Reese follows the "take the BPA" approach and it's certainly possible Fleener could be the top guy on their board when they are up. He has a very interesting skill set.

 

[Shutout]

McClane mocked Fleener to NYG... I wonder if he creeps up toward the first round if they do take a TE early?

TE has been mocked there a lot. But so has RB and, to me, that seems like a more pressing need, given they pretty much only have Bradshaw and he doesn't usually make it through the whole season (and the coaches were on the record last years saying they like him better when he doesn't have to try to get all the carries). Unless the Giants get another RB that is left on FA, I think they would be better off taking one of the very good RBs at the end of round 1 than missing on probably all of them by the time they pick again. But, its the Giants...they may draft D-line.

Well, they DID take the RB. Not a big shock.But they did not take a TE until late. Liking the Bennett prospect for the G-men even more now.Any of the naysayers willing to back off any yet?

 

[Sweet Love]

This is a great signing for the Giants ... I don't even see how this is debateable.The guy is a better blocker than any of the tight ends they had last year.He is a better receiver "right now" than any of the guys the had last year.He is way more athletic and will be tougher to cover and much more dangerous after the catch than anyone they had last year.He wasn't that expensive ... It's a 1 year deal (extra incentive to do well)If he reaches or comes even close to his potential ... he could be a top 5-10 all around TE. Not to mention 2 of the 3 well below average TEs from last year are coming off of major knee injuries and wont be available this year.So what are the negatives here?

Very good post, and I think that is how the Giants looked at it. Especially when you look at your comment about being a top 5-10 "all around" TE...I would go to the 10-12 range, but from an NFL perspective, if you have a guy who can get 600 yards through the air and is a good blocker, it brings up tough decisions for D-Coordinators when assessing short yardage situations (i.e., is this guy gonna squeak a 5 yard reception in, or is he going to block my LB coming in so the RB can get that need 3 yards). I also think there is an aspect people have not thought of; if he fails as a receiver, but blocks well, the G-men can wait for the injured TEs to come back and sign him as a blocker...it really is a win-win for both.

 

[SpineDoc]

So the guys weighs 291 and has a bum hammy? Way to endure yourself to your new team.

 

[lbouchard]

Almost 300 pounds? wowza

 

[werdnoynek]

definitely alarming. he has a great opportunity here and to just let it slip by would be very disappointing. if he does though, you really can't feel sorry for him given the circumstances... he's still young so there's a wee bit of hope left in my book.

 

[LBH]

Adrien Robinson is more interesting to me than Bennett, at least from a dynasty perspective

 

[cstu]

Looks like the large soda ban didn't come soon enough.

 

[werdnoynek]

Looks like the large soda ban didn't come soon enough.

 

[metoo]

Adrien Robinson is more interesting to me than Bennett, at least from a dynasty perspective

This. I've been picking him up off waivers where I can.

 

[Acrobat7]

Dont get too excited. Looking at the guys size and physical tools will get you excited but dont let that fool you.1. The guy is super lazy. He had a problem with that his rookie season- chronicled in the HBO hard knocks show his rookie year.2. The guy is super lazy. He never works hard learning the plays and has to be taken out of the game a lot. 3. The guy is super lazy. He never worked hard developing beyond just physical tools. His head was never in the game. He fumbled at bad times. He dropped passes at bad times. He missed blocks and assignments. Probably one of the most frustrating players on the roster for the past few years. The guy is a bum. The Cowboys NEED a TE. They run a lot of two TE sets. Witten isnt getting any younger. The Cowboys traded Fasano to get this guy. They let him walk without even trying to keep him. That says it all to me.

Other than the Hard knocks, your 1, 2, 3 could be describing Dez bryant.

So Bennett reports at 300 pounds and Dez has a body fat of 3.1%...

 

[Tackling Dummies]

Adrien Robinson is more interesting to me than Bennett, at least from a dynasty perspective

shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

[netnalp]

Dont get too excited. Looking at the guys size and physical tools will get you excited but dont let that fool you.1. The guy is super lazy. He had a problem with that his rookie season- chronicled in the HBO hard knocks show his rookie year.2. The guy is super lazy. He never works hard learning the plays and has to be taken out of the game a lot. 3. The guy is super lazy. He never worked hard developing beyond just physical tools. His head was never in the game. He fumbled at bad times. He dropped passes at bad times. He missed blocks and assignments. Probably one of the most frustrating players on the roster for the past few years. The guy is a bum. The Cowboys NEED a TE. They run a lot of two TE sets. Witten isnt getting any younger. The Cowboys traded Fasano to get this guy. They let him walk without even trying to keep him. That says it all to me.

Other than the Hard knocks, your 1, 2, 3 could be describing Dez bryant.

So Bennett reports at 300 pounds and Dez has a body fat of 3.1%...

He looked like he could use some extra weight when he was 265 anyway. Ballard was 285 so it's not like a large TE isn't something Pope can work with. I'm not worried. OTA's have just started, he hasn't had time to unlearn his bad habits.

 

[menobrown]

Assumption by all seems to be that he got fat but do we know if he did not bulk up on purpose to prep to be an everydown TE and just over did it? Got to keep in mind he did not just land some lucrative long term deal. He got a one year deal and a shot at being a starter. One would think if he was going to blow off an off-season this would not be the one to do it.

 

[BeTheMatch]

Assumption by all seems to be that he got fat but do we know if he did not bulk up on purpose to prep to be an everydown TE and just over did it? Got to keep in mind he did not just land some lucrative long term deal. He got a one year deal and a shot at being a starter. One would think if he was going to blow off an off-season this would not be the one to do it.

If it was on purpose, why would the coaching staff be upset about it? It obviously wasn't at their direction.

 

[netnalp]

Assumption by all seems to be that he got fat but do we know if he did not bulk up on purpose to prep to be an everydown TE and just over did it? Got to keep in mind he did not just land some lucrative long term deal. He got a one year deal and a shot at being a starter. One would think if he was going to blow off an off-season this would not be the one to do it.

If it was on purpose, why would the coaching staff be upset about it? It obviously wasn't at their direction.

“Other than the hamstring injury, he is making progress,” Pope said of Bennett, who is also making the transition to a new team and offense. “He catches on. He weighed in at 291 pounds last week. So I think that is probably a little too big for his legs to carry. We run a lot more than he might have been accustomed to.”“Plus we are in the middle of a weight program and the combination of those two things has caused him, especially, to have some problems with his hamstrings,” Pope added. “He can’t afford to miss time, either. Because he needs every possible rep he can take.” -------------------------------------What a scathing rant Pope gave.

 

[Eminence]

It sounds like the NYG want him to be their guy. His weight will definitely be an interesting factor to watch as the season approaches.

 

[BeTheMatch]

Assumption by all seems to be that he got fat but do we know if he did not bulk up on purpose to prep to be an everydown TE and just over did it? Got to keep in mind he did not just land some lucrative long term deal. He got a one year deal and a shot at being a starter. One would think if he was going to blow off an off-season this would not be the one to do it.

If it was on purpose, why would the coaching staff be upset about it? It obviously wasn't at their direction.

“Other than the hamstring injury, he is making progress,” Pope said of Bennett, who is also making the transition to a new team and offense. “He catches on. He weighed in at 291 pounds last week. So I think that is probably a little too big for his legs to carry. We run a lot more than he might have been accustomed to.”“Plus we are in the middle of a weight program and the combination of those two things has caused him, especially, to have some problems with his hamstrings,” Pope added. “He can’t afford to miss time, either. Because he needs every possible rep he can take.” -------------------------------------What a scathing rant Pope gave.

Right. This is actually good news. Obviously. Carry on.

 

[wiscstlatlmia]

I'm really contemplating waiting the whole way at TE in redraft and picking up the combo of Martellus Bennett and Jared Cook at the end of the draft. One of them is blowing up this year, right?

 

[Faust]

Martellus Bennett weighs in at whopping 291 pounds

By Gregg Rosenthal

Around The League editor

When thinking about names for our "Under Pressure" post on the New York Giants, tight end Martellus Bennett popped up.

After four disappointing seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, Bennett was a big free-agent signing for New York. He's expected to step right in as a starting tight end to replace Jake Ballard, who tore his ACL in the Super Bowl.

This will probably not come as a surprise to Cowboys fans, but Bennett isn't living up to expectations in the offseason. Listed at 265 pounds, Bennett weighed in at 291 pounds to start OTAs, according to ESPNNewYork.com.

"That's probably a little too big for his legs to carry," tight ends coach Mike Pope said.

Two hundred and ninety one pounds is enough to play guard or tackle. The Giants want Bennett to be a receiving threat. Instead, he's hurt his hamstring after putting on all the weight.

"We run a lot more than he might have been accustomed to," Pope said.

Running more sounds like a good idea.

The intro to this article on the front page of NFL.com is as follows:

Incredible bulge? Giants' new TE weighs 291 pounds

Martellus Bennett played his way out of Dallas following four frustrating seasons. Is he now close to eating himself out of the league altogether?

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

I'm really contemplating waiting the whole way at TE in redraft and picking up the combo of Martellus Bennett and Jared Cook at the end of the draft. One of them is blowing up this year, right?

Take the trio of Bennett, Cook and Kellen Davis and quickly dump the one that's not seeing targets you'd have something IMO.

 

[Cipherchris]

I'm really contemplating waiting the whole way at TE in redraft and picking up the combo of Martellus Bennett and Jared Cook at the end of the draft. One of them is blowing up this year, right?

Take the trio of Bennett, Cook and Kellen Davis and quickly dump the one that's not seeing targets you'd have something IMO.

Thats a lot of slots reserved for TEs

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

I'm really contemplating waiting the whole way at TE in redraft and picking up the combo of Martellus Bennett and Jared Cook at the end of the draft. One of them is blowing up this year, right?

Take the trio of Bennett, Cook and Kellen Davis and quickly dump the one that's not seeing targets you'd have something IMO.

Thats a lot of slots reserved for TEs

Yeah... could be. I mostly play deep roster dynasties, so my valuation of a roster spot is probably off.Either way, you're dropping one of them after Week 1 or Week 2. So you'd have to weigh the benefits of ignoring TE until lateish in the draft against the temporary loss of a roster spot.

 

[ZWK]

I'm really contemplating waiting the whole way at TE in redraft and picking up the combo of Martellus Bennett and Jared Cook at the end of the draft. One of them is blowing up this year, right?

Take the trio of Bennett, Cook and Kellen Davis and quickly dump the one that's not seeing targets you'd have something IMO.

Bennett and Davis won't even be rostered in a lot of leagues. TE is really deep this year. There are about 20 potential starters, with those 3 and Gresham, Daniels, Celek, Olsen, and Keller all going outside the top 12 on Fantasy Football Calculator.

 

[SpineDoc]

Assumption by all seems to be that he got fat but do we know if he did not bulk up on purpose to prep to be an everydown TE and just over did it? Got to keep in mind he did not just land some lucrative long term deal. He got a one year deal and a shot at being a starter. One would think if he was going to blow off an off-season this would not be the one to do it.

One would think.....true. But this is not a smart, hard working athlete to begin with. Still an idiot as far as I am concerned.

 

[menobrown]

Assumption by all seems to be that he got fat but do we know if he did not bulk up on purpose to prep to be an everydown TE and just over did it? Got to keep in mind he did not just land some lucrative long term deal. He got a one year deal and a shot at being a starter. One would think if he was going to blow off an off-season this would not be the one to do it.

If it was on purpose, why would the coaching staff be upset about it? It obviously wasn't at their direction.

As I suspected the weight gain was not the result of being lazy: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/06/04/martellus-bennett-im-291-because-i-rocked-out-in-the-weight-room/

 

[griff321]

Assumption by all seems to be that he got fat but do we know if he did not bulk up on purpose to prep to be an everydown TE and just over did it? Got to keep in mind he did not just land some lucrative long term deal. He got a one year deal and a shot at being a starter. One would think if he was going to blow off an off-season this would not be the one to do it.

If it was on purpose, why would the coaching staff be upset about it? It obviously wasn't at their direction.

As I suspected the weight gain was not the result of being lazy: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/06/04/martellus-bennett-im-291-because-i-rocked-out-in-the-weight-room/

Glad to see he's on the Bonds diet now.

 

[menobrown]

Assumption by all seems to be that he got fat but do we know if he did not bulk up on purpose to prep to be an everydown TE and just over did it? Got to keep in mind he did not just land some lucrative long term deal. He got a one year deal and a shot at being a starter. One would think if he was going to blow off an off-season this would not be the one to do it.

If it was on purpose, why would the coaching staff be upset about it? It obviously wasn't at their direction.

As I suspected the weight gain was not the result of being lazy: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/06/04/martellus-bennett-im-291-because-i-rocked-out-in-the-weight-room/

Glad to see he's on the Bonds diet now.

Season ended 5 months ago and we don't even know if he was actually 265 when it ended. Either way looks like he overdid it and needs to adjust his routine but I think it's a major difference between him letting himself go and being 291 versus a worked out 291.

Like I said in an earlier post he's on a one year prove it deal. I know it's easy to call him an idiot but you've got to be an idiot of the extreme nature to blow off a season when he's finally getting the chance he's always wanted and chance to earn a lucrative multi-year deal.

 

[werdnoynek]

good to hear it isn't laziness... still a bit concerning he's having issues, but i guess it's to be expected given the change.

from CBS's Rapid reports -

1:03 PM (57 minutes ago) Bennett going from weightlifting to cardio

from NFL RapidReports

TE Martellus Bennettbut he's been limited by hamstring soreness during OTAs, which he admitted may have been caused by the extra muscle his body is carrying. “I do think my legs got a little too bulky,” he said, adding that this is the heaviest (291 pounds) he has ever been. Bennett will do more cardio and less weight lifting going forward and expects to be fine by minicamp.

1:03 PM (57 minutes ago) Bennett adds three inches to biceps

from NFL RapidReports

TE Martellus Bennett told reporters he's gone up to 291 pounds because he's been power lifting since Jan. 1. While being fitted for a suit recently he found out his biceps are three inches bigger. He also said that his body fat is at just 13 percent and he expects that to go down to nine percent during training camp. “I'm looking like Atlas, not Professor Klump,” Bennett said.

^

1:03 PM (57 minutes ago) Bennett has made a huge transformation

from NFL RapidReports

Last week TE coach Mike Pope suggested TE Martellus Bennett was having hamstring issues because he was playing at 291 pounds. Bennett took offense: “Every conditioning test we've had, I aced. Everything we've been doing. Routes, I've been running smoother, more explosive out of all my cuts. Just been beasting out all summer. What you all should be writing is how much of a freak Martellus turned himself into.”

^ gotta like the confidenceETA: this is yet another lesson in not drawing conclusions until we know the full story. with news these days coming from the likes of twitter where the information provided is limited to 140 characters it's easy to get carried away without knowing the whole story.

 

[Boone22]

Giants TE Martellus Bennett insists his recent weight gain was by design in an effort to bulk up, and that his "pants size has gone down."

By "recent weight gain," we are referring to Bennett ballooning from 265 to 291 pounds. Nevertheless, Bennett conducted an interview shirtless to show off his "6 1/2 pack" abs, and claimed he was "one of the top five strongest guys on this team right now." No word yet on what kind of unicorns Bennett has been working out with this offseason. Giants TEs coach Mike Pope is on the record as saying that Bennett is "probably a little too big for his legs to carry," though coach Tom Coughlin emphasized Monday he's not overly concerned with the weight gain.

 

[bonesman]

No word yet on what kind of unicorns Bennett has been working out with this offseason.

WTF rotoworld?

Bennett took offense: “Every conditioning test we've had, I aced. Everything we've been doing. Routes, I've been running smoother, more explosive out of all my cuts. Just been beasting out all summer. What you all should be writing is how much of a freak Martellus turned himself into.”

I like it

 

[Kleck]

Bennett = the TE version of David Boston

If he doesn't work at TE, maybe he can play RT.