Player Spotlight: Martellus Bennett, TE, Chicago Bears (1 Viewer)

[Jason Wood]

2013 Player Spotlight Series

One of Footballguys best assets is our message board community. The Shark Pool is, in our view, the best place on the internet to discuss, debate and analyze all things fantasy football. In what's become an annual tradition, the Player Spotlight series is a key part of the preseason efforts. As many of you know, we consider the Player Spotlight threads the permanent record for analyzing the fantasy prospects of the player in question. This year, we plan to publish more than 140 offensive spotlights covering the vast majority of expected skill position starters.

As always we will post a list of players to be discussed each week. Those threads will remain open for the entire preseason, and should be a central point to discuss expectations for the player in question. Importantly, analysis done in the first week of posting will be part of the permanent record in two ways. 1) At the end of the week, we will tally the projections into a consensus. 2) We will select a number of pull quotes from forum contributors who make a compelling statement or observation. Both the projections and pull quotes will be part of a published article on the main website.

Thread Topic: Martellus Bennett, TE, Chicago Bears

Player Page Link: Martellus Bennett Player Page

Each article will include:

• Detailed viewpoint from a Footballguys staff member
• Highlighted member commentary from the message board threads
• FBG Projections
• Consensus Member Projections
  

The Rules

In order for this thread to provide maximum value, we ask that you follow a few simple guidelines:

• Focus commentary on the player (or players) in question, and your expectations for said player (or players)
• Back up your expectations in whatever manner you deem appropriate; avoid posts that simply say "I hate him" or "He's the best"
• Avoid redundancies or ... this should be about incremental analysis or debate
  

While not a requirement, we strongly encourage you to provide your own projections for the player (players):

Projections should include:

• For QBs: Attempts, Completions, Passing Yards, Passing TDs, Ints, Rush Attempts, Rush Yards, Rush TDs
• For RBs: Rushes, Rushing Yards, Rush TDs, Receptions, Receiving Yards, Receiving TDs
• For WRs & TEs: Receptions, Receiving Yards, Receiving TDs
  

Now let's get on with the conversation! We look forward to your contributions and let me offer a personal thanks in anticipation of the great debate and analysis.

 

[Eminence]

Marshall and Jefferies should get the majority of RZ targets. Unless you think Cutler throws for 30+ Touchdowns, I would avoid.

I'll take him as my backup.

 

[Wise Old Owl]

Marshall and Jefferies should get the majority of RZ targets. Unless you think Cutler throws for 30+ Touchdowns, I would avoid.I'll take him as my backup.

While I am higher on Jeffery than most, I think this statement is premature

 

[Bdub]

He's done next to nothing for 5 years (last year was ok), and when was the last stud Chicago TE? Would you really want him as your starting TE week 1 this season?

 

[Biabreakable]

I was talking about this in another thread. But this info might be helpful here.

Quote

>New Bears coach Marc Trestman has not yet unveiled detailed plans for his offense. But one thing for sure is that the team needs to get more out of the tight end position in the passing game than it did in 2012.

This past season Bears tight ends combined for only 29 receptions, the fewest in the NFL for the second straight year. Starter Kellen Davis caught just 19 passes while being plagued by drops.

"We need a tight end that can threaten the defense," said new tight ends coach Andy Bischoff, who spent the past five seasons working on Trestman's staff with the CFL's Montreal Alouettes.

"We need a tight end that can create stress in the middle of the field, or wherever we place him, because we're going to line him up next to the tackle, outside the numbers and in the backfield, and we're going to expect the defense to figure it out."

A Bears tight end caught at least 20 passes in 17 straight seasons before the streak was snapped in 2011 when Davis was limited to 18 receptions. Desmond Clark caught 45, 44 and 41 passes from 2006-2008, while Greg Olsen had 39, 54, 60 and 41 receptions from 2007-10.

Mike Martz, who served as offensive coordinator in 2010-11, didn't employ tight ends as down-the-field threats in the passing game. His successor, Mike Tice, made a more concerted effort to incorporate tight ends as receivers in 2012. But Davis struggled throughout the season.

Backup Matt Spaeth delivered one of the top plays of the year with a diving 13-yard touchdown catch against the Vikings, but the 6-7, 260-pounder is a more of a natural blocker than receiver.

"Absolutely we need a tight end that can catch the ball," Bischoff said. "The days of the tight end that blocked and ran flat routes in this league are coming to an end. The guys that just run three-yard flat routes, that is not going to do anything for you."

New Bears offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer arrives from New Orleans, where he worked with a Saints offense that featured star tight end Jimmy Graham. An athletic former college basketball player, Graham has 184 receptions for 2,292 yards and 20 touchdowns the past two seasons.

"We've utilized the tight end in this offense quite often," Kromer said. "We'd surely like to be able to throw the football to them. We'd like them to be able to block somewhat in the running game. They're not going to be an offensive lineman blocking, but definitely the more weapons you have the better off you are." http://www.chicagobe...c9-83ba835bdb47

So the coaching does suggest that a TE could have a much bigger role in the Bears offense in 2013 if Bennett is that guy I could see something like 80 targets. I am not quite seeing Bennett being the guy who will take targets away from Marshall, Jeffrey and Forte.

The offense will still feature the best Bears personel. I could see Bennett getting more targets than Jeffrey perhaps but I am just not seeing him being so talented that the Bears will give him over 100 targets with the other options available.

Marquess Wilson was added as a rookie. I do not see the other TE getting a lot of targets either. Trestman did seem to have a passing offense that goes to the inside players a bit more than the outside guys, but his main receivers were more big WR like Marshall, Jeffrey, Wilson, Rucker rather than a bigger player like Bennett. So while I see a very good opportunity situation for Bennett I do not necessarily think it is so good that I would expect Bennett to perform as a TE1 in 2013. While I could see that happening I do not have enough reasons to think that it will despite some of the coaching decisions pointing towards that being a strong possibility. I think that Forte will be more involved in the passing game as well.

I think a big part of why the Bears TE performance has been so poor is in part because their offensive line has been so bad at the tackle positions that they often need the TE to help them in pass protection. I think with improved LT play from Bushrod that will allow them to get Bennett or other receivers out in patterns more than they have the last couple years. I still am not that excited about Bennett in 2013 or moving forward. i am open to reasons why I should be.

Forte on the new offense- http://www.chicagobe...40-4ec6e7472958

I am not ready for projections yet as I am still gathering information. But I am guessing I expect Bennett to get somewhere between 60-120 targets. I will try to come back with a projection later on.

eta- Bennett has a career catch percentage of 58% I am willing to give him 60-120 targets in this offense so that means 35-70 catches. Bennett has a career YPC of 10.5 so that would be 368-735 yards 3-6td a TE 2.

 

[Jason Wood]

He's done next to nothing for 5 years (last year was ok), and when was the last stud Chicago TE? Would you really want him as your starting TE week 1 this season?

I think we need to be careful about that kind of analysis. There's an entirely new coaching staff in Chicago, with their own distinct offensive beliefs. Whether the Bears have enjoyed a productive TE in recent years is moot.

 

[Shutout]

I think people are majorily falling asleep on Bennett but that does not surprise me a bit. Last year when he signed with New York I remember there were about 3 of us that said we thought he would have a good season coming from Dallas to New York. I can't put my finger on what it is that people DON'T see with Bennett but he is aligning very well in this new Chicago system.

He can block terrifically and we know they are emphasizing that. He can be dynamic as a receiver and should have everything in the world open to him underneath as Marshall, Forte and the speedy receivers draw everything wide and up.

I won't say I want him over a guy like, say Witten, but I know the list is short enough to where he should be counted on two hands.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

One thing to remember when looking at Bennett's 2012 to project his 2013 is that he suffered a knee injury in week 5 and his lull in TD production directly coincided with the stretch of time when he was limited with the injury. Something like 65/800/7 - mid to low TE1 numbers is not out of the question if Trestman follows through on his desire to have a TE who can "stress the middle of the field" with Bennett's usage in the passing game.

 

[FF Ninja]

I agree with all of the last 3 posts. The looking at historic stats of Bears TEs is downright foolish. Martz was the OC for a while and he doesn't use the TE, last year Kellen Davis had the least reliable hands in the NFL, and now we've got a completely new staff with a new player. The 2013 Bears do not resemble the 2009 Bears at all. And I'm with Shutout. I took Bennett late as my upside backup TE last year in a lot of leagues. Always believed in his talent, but almost anyone else would've been buried behind Witten and not producing. He got a chance last year and looked really, really good before the injury Bloom mentioned. Even though he finished TE14, I feel good about the pick last year and feel even better about his prospects this year since he showed he was both motivated and capable last year.

If Bennett had been brought in last year, I'd have been worried that his top notch blocking skills would keep him in to help out the atrocious offensive line, but they've made a concerted effort to improve the line this year. I think Bennett's versatility will keep him on the field for a lot of plays and I think the improved o-line will allow him to run a lot of routes to help out this relatively thin receiving corps.

He's currently being drafted as the 15th TE which makes him a steal in my book. I'm more than happy to wait on a TE1 with some risks and grab my TE2 a bit earlier than most to secure Bennett as my high upside TE2.

The Bears ranked 27th in passing attempts. With a declining defense, an above average QB, and a new coaching staff, I think it is safe to assume we see more passes from this offense. I don't expect Marshall to see the insane amount of targets he saw last year, so there should be plenty of passes to go around. I really think Bennett has a good chance of 100 targets or more on this offense.

100 targets x 64% = 64 rec x 12 ypr = 768 yds 7 TDs

 

[loose circuits]

He's done next to nothing for 5 years (last year was ok), and when was the last stud Chicago TE? Would you really want him as your starting TE week 1 this season?

what does it matter when the last stud TE was in Chicago? This is a different system. Kromer did ok with a guy named Jimmy Graham.

Last year was the only year he got a full complement of snaps and he played on one leg for half the season.

The beauty about it is you can pay a cheap price because there are still so many haters. Bottom line is the black unicorn is an athletic freak who will give Cutler a dimension this offense that he did not have under Mike Martz. He connected fairly well with Scheffler in the Denver years.

 

[Vector]

He's done next to nothing for 5 years (last year was ok), and when was the last stud Chicago TE? Would you really want him as your starting TE week 1 this season?

what does it matter when the last stud TE was in Chicago? This is a different system. Kromer did ok with a guy named Jimmy Graham.

Last year was the only year he got a full complement of snaps and he played on one leg for half the season.

The beauty about it is you can pay a cheap price because there are still so many haters. Bottom line is the black unicorn is an athletic freak who will give Cutler a dimension this offense that he did not have under Mike Martz. He connected fairly well with Scheffler in the Denver years.

Most excellent

 

[nirad3]

Wouldn't draft him as my TE1, but if you can get him for the right price, get him as your TE2... wouldn't be shocked if he put up big numbers. But then again, wouldn't be shocked if he put up pedestrian ones either.

 

[Lord Fantasy]

I play in a league that has a TE slot but where the scoring system deemphasizes the position. I love the idea of picking up Bennett way late in the draft and using those middle rounds to pick WRs and RBs with upside while the other owners are fighting over the likes of Dennis Pitta and Kyle Rudolph.

60/700/6

 

[Mr. Irrelevant]

There's a general consensus (with which I agree) that there's very little difference for FF purposes between TE5 and, say, TE14 this year. There's a great big group that includes Olsen, Pitta, Rudolph, Gonzo, Daniels, Davis, etc. that are likely to cluster around 60 rec / 700 yds / 6 TD's, give or take 100 and 2.

The question for Bennett's purposes is: should he be considered part of that group, or not? And I'd argue he absolutely should.

He's the best athlete the Bears will have had at TE in ages. He's versatile, has good hands, he can block, and he's got a rookie coach who's not married to past Bears philosophies and who's going to lean on his best offensive weapons early and often. Finally, Brandon Marshall was as close to a one-man show as I've ever seen from an NFL passing offense last year, and his targets as a % of Cutler's PA are likely to go down if for no other reason than reversion to the mean. Offsetting all that, he's got only one year of solid production on his resume and he'll almost certainly be the #3 option in that offense (though I'm not nearly sold on Jeffery yet).

I see him as an ideal member of a TEBC paired with whomever from the "other 10" falls into the TE13-14 range in your draft, with a slightly lower floor and slightly higher ceiling than most of them. At TE16-17, he's a steal.

My projection: 56 rec., 670 yds, 6 TD, but I wouldn't be surprised by significant upside from there.

 

[Biabreakable]

Marc Trestman history in the NFL as a QB coach of OC

1995-97 OC of 49ers Bert Jones had 60,33 and 29 catches in Trestman offense. These were some of the best years of the 49ers dynasty and RB saw a lot of catches in the offense.

1997 QB coach Lions TE had 29 and 17 catches 2 receivers had over 80, which was a lot back then.

1998 QB coach and OC Cardinals TE had 26 and 22 catches however Larry Centers had 69 catches that was a pretty good season for Jake Plummer throwing 3737 yards

2001 QB coach Raiders Roland Williams 33catch next Te had 12 catches. Charlie Garner had 72.

2002 OC Raiders team added Doug Jolley who had 32 catches while WIlliams had 27. Charlie Garner gets 91.

2004 qb coach McMichael lead the team with 73 catches in the wake of Ricky Williams (the main weapon of their offense) early retiring.

From what I have read about his offenses in Canada (which is of course very different) it did not seem like his inside receivers were large mismatch type players. A bit larger than the outside receivers yes but not 6-7 giants.

I am just not seeing evidence of Trestmans track record being so great for the TE position, and not as good as the WR and RB involvement in the passing game.

 

[fightingillini]

I really like Bennett's prospects in CHI. Sure, the Bears are going to run a lot and Forte catches a lot of passes, but someone else besides Marshall has to step up in the passing game. Plus, the Bears D isn't going to be as good as in the past, and with playing the Packers and Lions 4 times, CHI is going to need to pass the ball a lot to win. A lot of people may think the Bears don't use the TE, well when you have Kellen Davis as the TE, that may explain it a bit.....he was terrible. And Martz never used the TE much.

So I can see Bennett slipping under the radar, and you can get a TE1 for a TE2 price.

67 rec, 825 yds, 6 TD

 

[Chad Parsons]

Another call for projections as the Player Spotlight article is put together.

 

[moderated]

70 rec, 833 yds, 7 TD

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

He's done next to nothing for 5 years (last year was ok), and when was the last stud Chicago TE? Would you really want him as your starting TE week 1 this season?

what does it matter when the last stud TE was in Chicago? This is a different system. Kromer did ok with a guy named Jimmy Graham.

Last year was the only year he got a full complement of snaps and he played on one leg for half the season.

The beauty about it is you can pay a cheap price because there are still so many haters. Bottom line is the black unicorn is an athletic freak who will give Cutler a dimension this offense that he did not have under Mike Martz. He connected fairly well with Scheffler in the Denver years.

LOL at calling Martellus Bennett an "athletic freak".

If he was any good the Giants wouldn't have let him walk when they are starving for a TE.

 

[TheMathNinja]

I'm of the opinion that the Bears O-line will be better this year, but still far from "Fixed" as they work out all the kinks of having an entirely new unit work together. But, oddly enough, I actually think this is to Bennett's benefit. Jay Cutler threw an inordinate amount of passes Brandon Marshall's way not because he was downfield and wide-open, but because he's huge, strong, and has great hands, and for a QB who has 6 nanoseconds to release the ball before a DE gives him a concussion, you need a huge target.

Olsen put up decent numbers in Chicago, but he was more of a WR/TE hybrid; he didn't have Bennett's size. I think Jay Cutler is going to be absolutely in love with a second big, strong target he can throw to when he doesn't have time, and I think he surpasses Olsen's numbers, become Chicago's #2 man in receiving yards, and taking short targets away from Brandon Marshall (yes, I said it.).

75/810/7

 

[CR69]

Bennett is a great blocker, and is very gifted athletically. The problem is his maturity and work ethic. Look up his videos on YouTube of the black Olympics or any of the other videos he shot with his brother for proof. The guy just doesn't seem to get it, maybe going to his 3rd team will be the wake up call he needs.

I'm expecting quite a bit out of Marshall, Forte, Jeffrey, and even Wilson could eat into his targets. I'd temper expectations here.

55/650/5

 

[Kree]

He's done next to nothing for 5 years (last year was ok), and when was the last stud Chicago TE? Would you really want him as your starting TE week 1 this season?

what does it matter when the last stud TE was in Chicago? This is a different system. Kromer did ok with a guy named Jimmy Graham.

Last year was the only year he got a full complement of snaps and he played on one leg for half the season.

The beauty about it is you can pay a cheap price because there are still so many haters. Bottom line is the black unicorn is an athletic freak who will give Cutler a dimension this offense that he did not have under Mike Martz. He connected fairly well with Scheffler in the Denver years.

LOL at calling Martellus Bennett an "athletic freak".

If he was any good the Giants wouldn't have let him walk when they are starving for a TE.

The Giants would have if they have any sort of viable cap situation to work with.

At the same time though, they know they play the TE position plug-and-play. Boss, Ballard, Bennett. That isn't an indictment on Bennett, who was having a good year pre-injury, that's just the nature of the team.

He's a good blocker as well as being athletic, so he will be on the field plenty.

72/782/6 if Cutler stays on field.

 

[cstu]

Bennett is a great blocker, and is very gifted athletically. The problem is his maturity and work ethic. Look up his videos on YouTube of the black Olympics or any of the other videos he shot with his brother for proof. The guy just doesn't seem to get it, maybe going to his 3rd team will be the wake up call he needs.

I'm expecting quite a bit out of Marshall, Forte, Jeffrey, and even Wilson could eat into his targets. I'd temper expectations here.

55/650/5

Not working hard seems to be working for him since he got paid a lot to go to Chicago.

 

[loose circuits]

He's done next to nothing for 5 years (last year was ok), and when was the last stud Chicago TE? Would you really want him as your starting TE week 1 this season?

what does it matter when the last stud TE was in Chicago? This is a different system. Kromer did ok with a guy named Jimmy Graham. Last year was the only year he got a full complement of snaps and he played on one leg for half the season. The beauty about it is you can pay a cheap price because there are still so many haters. Bottom line is the black unicorn is an athletic freak who will give Cutler a dimension this offense that he did not have under Mike Martz. He connected fairly well with Scheffler in the Denver years.

LOL at calling Martellus Bennett an "athletic freak". If he was any good the Giants wouldn't have let him walk when they are starving for a TE.

Look at the contract the Black Unicorn signed. The Giants didn't "let" him walk. He got paid more elsewhere. This happens a lot in modern times especially with a team that is trying to lock up its top 2 WR who are unhappy with their current deals. Are you implying that any free agent that signs with a different team should be immediately discounted because their previous team "let" them walk? Seems like a fairly ignorant comment to make....Bennett's athletic profile speaks for itself. Look up his combine #'s. Hes a huge guy that can move and jump...

 

[loose circuits]

Bennett is a great blocker, and is very gifted athletically. The problem is his maturity and work ethic. Look up his videos on YouTube of the black Olympics or any of the other videos he shot with his brother for proof. The guy just doesn't seem to get it, maybe going to his 3rd team will be the wake up call he needs. I'm expecting quite a bit out of Marshall, Forte, Jeffrey, and even Wilson could eat into his targets. I'd temper expectations here. 55/650/5

Not working hard seems to be working for him since he got paid a lot to go to Chicago.

rather than some joking around youtube videos, I would rather see evidence of complaints from teammates or coaches in either Chicago or New York because from what I've seen the exact.opposite is being said...

 

[netnalp]

Bennett is a great blocker, and is very gifted athletically. The problem is his maturity and work ethic. Look up his videos on YouTube of the black Olympics or any of the other videos he shot with his brother for proof. The guy just doesn't seem to get it, maybe going to his 3rd team will be the wake up call he needs. I'm expecting quite a bit out of Marshall, Forte, Jeffrey, and even Wilson could eat into his targets. I'd temper expectations here. 55/650/5

Not working hard seems to be working for him since he got paid a lot to go to Chicago.

rather than some joking around youtube videos, I would rather see evidence of complaints from teammates or coaches in either Chicago or New York because from what I've seen the exact.opposite is being said...

The only recent knocks on his off the field behavior would be his twitter comments the first few weeks of FA before he signed with the Bears, that he must not be that important to the Giants. It would have been a sign of maturity and professionalism if he abstained from that. Not a big deal, he just came off a bit childish with that. On the field last season, the only issues would be him cutting some routes off or alligator arming some passes. That led to a few picks. A couple were on Eli, putting it where Bennett would have gotten killed. Others were on Bennett, but that could be due to his newness to the system and not making the same reads as Eli. So the only knock I'd take from that is he didn't have a sacrifice the body mentality. His work ethic has improved since Dallas but it wouldn't be a shock if he were to just maintain his effort form last year or regress. I don't think he'd developed that hardcore work effort of the elite NFL talents. I think he'll put up numbers around what he did last year.

 

[loose circuits]

Bennett is a great blocker, and is very gifted athletically. The problem is his maturity and work ethic. Look up his videos on YouTube of the black Olympics or any of the other videos he shot with his brother for proof. The guy just doesn't seem to get it, maybe going to his 3rd team will be the wake up call he needs. I'm expecting quite a bit out of Marshall, Forte, Jeffrey, and even Wilson could eat into his targets. I'd temper expectations here. 55/650/5

Not working hard seems to be working for him since he got paid a lot to go to Chicago.

rather than some joking around youtube videos, I would rather see evidence of complaints from teammates or coaches in either Chicago or New York because from what I've seen the exact.opposite is being said...

The only recent knocks on his off the field behavior would be his twitter comments the first few weeks of FA before he signed with the Bears, that he must not be that important to the Giants. It would have been a sign of maturity and professionalism if he abstained from that. Not a big deal, he just came off a bit childish with that. On the field last season, the only issues would be him cutting some routes off or alligator arming some passes. That led to a few picks. A couple were on Eli, putting it where Bennett would have gotten killed. Others were on Bennett, but that could be due to his newness to the system and not making the same reads as Eli. So the only knock I'd take from that is he didn't have a sacrifice the body mentality. His work ethic has improved since Dallas but it wouldn't be a shock if he were to just maintain his effort form last year or regress. I don't think he'd developed that hardcore work effort of the elite NFL talents. I think he'll put up numbers around what he did last year.

did you see the knee injury he came back from? I'm not sure that falls under the "not willing to sacrifice his body" I admittedly didn't see all his targets so I don't know what you are referring to in terms of alligator arms, but I guess it happened. To me it seems like there is a fixed opinion on Marty B based off his Dallas experience, but he was young and immature. By all accounts Ive read he is not that guy anymore

 

[netnalp]

loose circuits, on 27 May 2013 - 17:53, said:

loose circuits, on 27 May 2013 - 17:53, said:

netnalp, on 27 May 2013 - 11:51, said:

netnalp, on 27 May 2013 - 11:51, said:

did you see the knee injury he came back from? I'm not sure that falls under the "not willing to sacrifice his body" I admittedly didn't see all his targets so I don't know what you are referring to in terms of alligator arms, but I guess it happened. To me it seems like there is a fixed opinion on Marty B based off his Dallas experience, but he was young and immature. By all accounts Ive read he is not that guy anymore

So far after watching the video link I'm not seeing where he stopped on his route. Could be I'm misplacing blame on Bennett for an errant Eli pass or something. All I see thus far is a few drops but nothing I can really bash him for. I don't plan on re-watching the whole season to see what plays I'm thinking of, so I have to admit I can't support that argument with video evidence.
I'm not the only Giant fan with the thought that Bennett cut some routes short. Perhaps it is group think. It comes up several times in threads with Bennett on BBI, a link to one such thread. http://corner.bigblueinteractive.com/index.php?mode=2&thread=467612&show_all=1

 

[Bri]

This is Anthony Fasano part II

 

[candymanvandyfan]

45/500/3

He's a schizophrenic narcissist who lollygags on the simplest routes, contributes to an air of sloppiness on the field, and spawns crazy ridiculousness wherever he goes. There's a reason he's been on this number of teams, and that reason is the guy is scooters. There is another reason he continues to get chances, and that's because he is a physical beast who runs around with tremendous fluidity for a man his size. He can really run block when he wants to and he really seems to like that part of the game. I'll give him that.

I predict Jay will fall in hate with this guy and will have thrown Marty B and Martellus Bennett against the locker at least once each before training camp is out. Jay will refer to him as a "different kind of guy."

I also think there will be a suspension of some kind in there.

You never know. Maybe the team doctor will get Marty B the right blends of meds and Marty B can talk Martellus into taking them. If so, both of them (and the team doctor) could go to the Pro Bowl. Chicago has nothing behind him at TE worth mentioning and he's a clear upgrade over those other part-timing JV clowns the Bears ran out at tight end last year.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

45/500/3

He's a schizophrenic narcissist who lollygags on the simplest routes, contributes to an air of sloppiness on the field, and spawns crazy ridiculousness wherever he goes. There's a reason he's been on this number of teams, and that reason is the guy is scooters. There is another reason he continues to get chances, and that's because he is a physical beast who runs around with tremendous fluidity for a man his size. He can really run block when he wants to and he really seems to like that part of the game. I'll give him that.

I predict Jay will fall in hate with this guy and will have thrown Marty B and Martellus Bennett against the locker at least once each before training camp is out. Jay will refer to him as a "different kind of guy."

I also think there will be a suspension of some kind in there.

You never know. Maybe the team doctor will get Marty B the right blends of meds and Marty B can talk Martellus into taking them. If so, both of them (and the team doctor) could go to the Pro Bowl. Chicago has nothing behind him at TE worth mentioning and he's a clear upgrade over those other part-timing JV clowns the Bears ran out at tight end last year.

Well done.

 

[Chad Parsons]

Finishing up message board projections and commentary from this thread in the next few days.

One final bump for the Black Unicorn.

 

[HoTnickZ]

Mirage or overlooked?

 

[Bigboy10182000]

Mirage or overlooked?

It's hard to say.

I havent watched any of him before this year but he looks pretty athletic from what I can see this year and with Marshall getting a lot of coverage he should still get decent oppertunities

 

[NajehHejan]

He had a great interview yesterday on NFLN basically saying he loves the coaching staff, they're letting him be him and go out and make plays, instead of being someone else he's not. He said Marshall told him "we need you" to step up for us. No mention of the shoulder injury. I'm buying the fact that he'll continue to be a big part of the O. His TD rate may not be sustainable but he should continue to rack up catches and yards.

 

[saintfool]

He had a great interview yesterday on NFLN basically saying he loves the coaching staff, they're letting him be him and go out and make plays, instead of being someone else he's not. He said Marshall told him "we need you" to step up for us. No mention of the shoulder injury. I'm buying the fact that he'll continue to be a big part of the O. His TD rate may not be sustainable but he should continue to rack up catches and yards.

I heard him on Monday here on local Chicago sports radio. Cutler was *very* complimentary of him, which considering how much of a d-bag Cutler is telling. Marty seems pretty smart and picking up on the offense pretty easily. He said that the big thing for him and Jay was trust. The budding bond between he and Jay means he can become a real complement to Marshall and Forte in targets.

 

[Biabreakable]

I was wrong about this guy based mostly on his past and not being sure how much Trestman would utilize him. Of course the Vikings are not good at covering TE (or RB, yet doing ok vs WR) either. But Bennett looked very good.

During the pre-season there was an article by Mark Sessler talking about Bennett who was saying that he is a huge targets and wears big white gloves, how can Cutler not see him out there? He is like a giant Mickey Mouse.

I thought this was really funny of course, but I had heard him say the same thing in pre-season when he was with Dallas too. So I took it as just that, a funny story.

After seeing the Vikings scorched by this guy last week I am not exactly laughing anymore. That big rat wore black gloves not white though. Maybe that was the issue all along?

By Michael C. Wright | ESPN.com

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- There are no golden tickets, chocolate rivers or fizzy lifting drinks to be found at the Chicago Bears' practice facilities, but that didn't stop tight end Martellus Bennett from drawing a parallel between coach Marc Trestman and Willy Wonka.

Speaking during ESPN 1000's The Jay Cutler Show on Tuesday, Bennett expressed his appreciation for Chicago's new coach.

"I think me and Coach Trestman are probably the only two people who understand each other," Bennett said. "I always say Coach Trestman reminds me of the first Willy Wonka. Not the Johnny Depp one. The Johnny Depp one was really cool, but the first one before that, the 1943 version."

Actually, the adaptation Bennett referred to is the 1971 film "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" starring Gene Wilder. Depp starred in another adaptation of the movie in 2005.

"He's a genius," Bennett said of Trestman. "A lot of times when you're around really, really smart people, you don't really understand them.

"I thought Willy Wonka was brilliant. He had all kinds of candy. Who doesn't like chocolate and candies? Everybody wanted a Gobstopper. I just think he's brilliant."

Trestman found Bennett's characterization amusing, saying, "I did hear it."

"I wouldn't know who Willy Wonka is, quite frankly," Trestman said, laughing. "I would bet it's ... umm ... Martellus is from a different place."

Told that "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" is a popular movie, Trestman mentioned the newest adaptation of the film.

"Johnny Depp, I know that one," Trestman said. "But I don't have any comment. That's just Martellus being Martellus, right? I'm just happy he's here. He's been just a joy to work with. He's been great in our locker room. He loves football and he wants to get better every day, and who could ask for more?"

Through two games, Bennett has caught 10 passes for 125 yards and three touchdowns, which ties him for the most among NFL tight ends and is the second-most touchdown receptions in the league. Bennett is the fourth player in Bears history to catch a touchdown in each of his first two games with the team and the first tight end since 1972 (Earl Thomas) to catch a TD in each of his first two games.

http://espn.go.com/chicago/nfl/story/_/id/9693715/martellus-bennett-likens-chicago-bears-coach-marc-trestman-willy-wonka

 

[Raider Nation]

Expecting/hoping for a big night out of Marty. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 6/90/1 would be nice. I don't think the Bears will have much success on the ground, Jeffrey has disappointed and Ike figures to maybe slow down Marshall a little bit. That leaves plenty of action for Bennett.

 

[candymanvandyfan]

He's a schizophrenic narcissist who lollygags on the simplest routes, contributes to an air of sloppiness on the field, and spawns crazy ridiculousness wherever he goes. There's a reason he's been on this number of teams, and that reason is the guy is scooters. There is another reason he continues to get chances, and that's because he is a physical beast who runs around with tremendous fluidity for a man his size. He can really run block when he wants to and he really seems to like that part of the game. I'll give him that.

I predict Jay will fall in hate with this guy and will have thrown Marty B and Martellus Bennett against the locker at least once each before training camp is out. Jay will refer to him as a "different kind of guy."

I also think there will be a suspension of some kind in there.

You never know. Maybe the team doctor will get Marty B the right blends of meds and Marty B can talk Martellus into taking them. If so, both of them (and the team doctor) could go to the Pro Bowl. Chicago has nothing behind him at TE worth mentioning and he's a clear upgrade over those other part-timing JV clowns the Bears ran out at tight end last year.

A year too early.