Michael Bennett Appreciating Time With Tom Brady: 'An Opportunity To Just Talk Life'
BOSTON (CBS) -- In his 10-year NFL career, Michael Bennett didn't get to see much of Tom Brady. As a Buccaneer, Bennett faced Brady as a rookie back in 2009, and his only other on-field meeting with Brady came when the Seahawks played the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX.
Bennett registered four hits on Brady that night but couldn't get the quarterback for a sack. Throughout the course of that night, Brady expressed his appreciation for Bennett's style of play.
Now that they're teammates, Bennett has been seen having some lengthy chats with Brady. On Tuesday after the final training camp practice at Gillette Stadium, Bennett shared what he and Brady discuss in such moments.
"I think it's good because Tom is one of the -- is the greatest player to play in the NFL. It's an opportunity to just talk life," Bennett said. "I think Tom has a lot of experiences that I haven't experienced, and I have some experiences that he hasn't experienced. I think just being fathers and being husbands, and talking about life – I think that's the greatest thing you can do with your teammate, is to learn him as an individual. You know, you see people from the outside and you want to get to know them as a person, and I think Tom does a great job of connecting with his teammates every single day.
"Personally, I think that's been good for me, to be able to come in and have a guy like Tom just talking about a story and just having a good time."
Though Bennett's been named to three Pro Bowls, he said that his goal this summer has been to earn the trust of everyone in the Patriots organization.
"Football takes care of itself, but building that camaraderie with your teammates, that's the most important thing for me on this team, is to earn everybody's trust," Bennett said. "From the top of the organization, to the media staff, to the training staff, just to let them know what type of individual I am and try to do that every single day. I think talking to Tom allows me to do that, and I take those days because you never know when you're going to get a chance to talk to guys like that. Just to have that type of time, it's cool. He takes time to get to know me as an individual, and I love that."
While working with Brady is a positive by itself, Bennett -- who said Richard Seymour was one of his favorite football players while growing up -- also expressed delight to be playing on a defense with Dont'a Hightower.
"Oh, man. I love playing with Dont'a Hightower," Bennett said. "I just think he's a very unique person in the NFL, as far as being able to play linebacker and rushing [the passer]. He's just a really good player, so working with him and talking to him, and figuring it out has just been fun. Like I said, as a new guy, I've got the chance to play with some great linebackers, and he's one of the ones I feel like is one of the great ones, so it's a great opportunity to play with him."
The Patriots continue their preseason on Saturday night in Nashville, and WBZ-TV has you covered from start to finish. Tune in Saturday at 7 p.m. to watch the Patriots take on the Titans, and stay tuned after the game for Patriots Fifth Quarter, with live reaction and press conferences from Bill Belichick and the Patriots.
