Patriots trade for TE Martellus Bennett!

Lets hope it works out. BB has tried many TE's over the yrs who were physical specimens but not all of them panned out

Okay, serious question here.

What is the confidence on this board with the Bennett signing in comparison to last year with the Chandler signing? Although I realize Bennett is more athletic and is objectively "better" than Chandler, I do recall that last year many were thrilled we were getting a real tight end who could catch and block. Chandler was of similar age, experience, and size. His past production levels were lower than Bennett, but many thought it was due to dreadful quarterback play and little other options in the Bills offense. To a less extent there was a lot of excitement about Tim Wright as more of a Hernandez option as a move tight end.

So what I mean to say is, while I am hopeful that Bennett's athleticism and higher ceiling will ultimately prove to be the right fit here, I'll believe it when I see it.

Ice_Ice_Brady said:

Okay, serious question here.

What is the confidence on this board with the Bennett signing in comparison to last year with the Chandler signing? Although I realize Bennett is more athletic and is objectively "better" than Chandler, I do recall that last year many were thrilled we were getting a real tight end who could catch and block. Chandler was of similar age, experience, and size. His past production levels were lower than Bennett, but many thought it was due to dreadful quarterback play and little other options in the Bills offense. To a less extent there was a lot of excitement about Tim Wright as more of a Hernandez option as a move tight end.

So what I mean to say is, while I am hopeful that Bennett's athleticism and higher ceiling will ultimately prove to be the right fit here, I'll believe it when I see it.

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Bennett's a legitimate talent who's shown the ability to get it done for multiple teams. Chandler was a limited player who had nice games against New England but was nothing special outside of that.


And bringing Tim Wright into the conversation is ridiculous.

Ice_Ice_Brady said:

Okay, serious question here.

What is the confidence on this board with the Bennett signing in comparison to last year with the Chandler signing? Although I realize Bennett is more athletic and is objectively "better" than Chandler, I do recall that last year many were thrilled we were getting a real tight end who could catch and block. Chandler was of similar age, experience, and size. His past production levels were lower than Bennett, but many thought it was due to dreadful quarterback play and little other options in the Bills offense. To a less extent there was a lot of excitement about Tim Wright as more of a Hernandez option as a move tight end.

So what I mean to say is, while I am hopeful that Bennett's athleticism and higher ceiling will ultimately prove to be the right fit here, I'll believe it when I see it.

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The difference for me was along the lines of:

With Chandler: "Here's a guy who can provide some catches, be a good red zone target, and provide SOME Gronk insurance."

With Bennett: "Here's a guy who has enough talent to potentially change the way our offense works, in a way that hasn't happened since Hernandez went crazy."

Ice_Ice_Brady said:

Okay, serious question here.

What is the confidence on this board with the Bennett signing in comparison to last year with the Chandler signing? Although I realize Bennett is more athletic and is objectively "better" than Chandler, I do recall that last year many were thrilled we were getting a real tight end who could catch and block. Chandler was of similar age, experience, and size. His past production levels were lower than Bennett, but many thought it was due to dreadful quarterback play and little other options in the Bills offense. To a less extent there was a lot of excitement about Tim Wright as more of a Hernandez option as a move tight end.

So what I mean to say is, while I am hopeful that Bennett's athleticism and higher ceiling will ultimately prove to be the right fit here, I'll believe it when I see it.

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So your argument is why get excited about a TE because he signed TEs before?
Gauging the success or failure of a roster move by the excitement of posters on a message board is your first mistake.

eom said:

dude.....

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I can not understand why everyone wants to reduce this mans payout next year. Bennett is a beast. Seriously. He was with a qb who showed no emotion whether they won or lost. Cutler also smokes like 2 packs a day so awesome to see how much he cares for his body. I mean the one year he blew up everything was right in place. Give this man Brady, a guy that will fight until he dies. A coach that knows how to play to his strengths. An organization that knows a thing or two about winning. and in addition to that, play with with the current best TE in the league!! He's going to blow up next year, im sorry. Bennett is a tough SOB. And youre gonna see him slay next year. Whoever is saying that pats wont pay him 5 mil, what are you smoking? Why not? If that were to happen that would be a one way ticket to him not playing up to his potential. I honestly think some of you fans ask for way too much. Here's a guy who can catch passes, run block, and has no off the field issues but you dont think he's worth 5 mil? Go play in traffic

BTW, a Bennett story from a Bears fan (and for the "pics or it didn't happen" crowd, there are pics, too).

Bears fan here sharing a story about Martellus Bennett's character. • /r/Patriots

Ice_Ice_Brady said:

Okay, serious question here.

What is the confidence on this board with the Bennett signing in comparison to last year with the Chandler signing? Although I realize Bennett is more athletic and is objectively "better" than Chandler, I do recall that last year many were thrilled we were getting a real tight end who could catch and block. Chandler was of similar age, experience, and size. His past production levels were lower than Bennett, but many thought it was due to dreadful quarterback play and little other options in the Bills offense. To a less extent there was a lot of excitement about Tim Wright as more of a Hernandez option as a move tight end.

So what I mean to say is, while I am hopeful that Bennett's athleticism and higher ceiling will ultimately prove to be the right fit here, I'll believe it when I see it.

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Really interested to see what this team does at rb1. Is Gaffney the next guy to step out in the spotlight? A trade high into the 2nd rd? Stay pat and in hopes of a gem? Another vet signing? Blount returns? Lot of intrigue at that position.

Love the signings on offense and I'm really looking forward to see how this team approaches the run this season. It's been pass to set up the run the last couple of seasons for the most part. I know that's not going away anytime soon as long as Brady is at the helm but it will be a welcome change if they become successful at running at will so to speak. Especially when they really need it.

Ice_Ice_Brady said:

Okay, serious question here.

What is the confidence on this board with the Bennett signing in comparison to last year with the Chandler signing? Although I realize Bennett is more athletic and is objectively "better" than Chandler, I do recall that last year many were thrilled we were getting a real tight end who could catch and block. Chandler was of similar age, experience, and size. His past production levels were lower than Bennett, but many thought it was due to dreadful quarterback play and little other options in the Bills offense. To a less extent there was a lot of excitement about Tim Wright as more of a Hernandez option as a move tight end.

So what I mean to say is, while I am hopeful that Bennett's athleticism and higher ceiling will ultimately prove to be the right fit here, I'll believe it when I see it.

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Are you kidding, Bennet is a far bigger upgrade over Chandler with a proven track record of success. If anything, Hogan is a better comparison, since he had a couple of good games against us in Buffalo, but hasn't really done anything else outside of that

SVN said:

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He used to be a regular guest on 670 radio out of Chicago and happened to always be on during my work commute. He's interesting, engaging, a little weird, and hilarious. Teams tend to be rightfully wary of guys that have worn out their welcome in multiple locations. But that matters less when you have strong leadership established, and the Coach/GM doesn't rely on such players as long-term building blocks. So maybe Bennett sticks around post-2016, maybe he doesn't, but even if his primary motivation is to set himself up for another big pay-day I have no doubt he'll be a good soldier this year and will have plenty of opportunity to demonstrate his skills, which are considerable in relation to Chandler. There's at most a handful of teams in the league he wouldn't be at the top of the TE depth chart on.

Patriot Missile said:

Really interested to see what this team does at rb1.

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I know many disagree due to durability but I still think Lewis is our top RB with better depth needed behind him. Visually and statistically he was as good as any RB last year, I still think he should be our "lead" back (lead doesn't mean playing every snap). I'm much more interested in upgrading RB 2,3,4 than upgrading RB1 as he's already on the team.

Chiuba E. Obele said:

Are you kidding, Bennet is a far bigger upgrade over Chandler with a proven track record of success. If anything, Hogan is a better comparison, since he had a couple of good games against us in Buffalo, but hasn't really done anything else outside of that

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Only concern with Bennett is that he's had some issues with drops these past couple of years but I'd question the accuracy of the QB throwing him the ball before I question his hands. He only had a couple last year

Deus Irae said:

Bennett's a legitimate talent who's shown the ability to get it done for multiple teams. Chandler was a limited player who had nice games against New England but was nothing special outside of that.


And bringing Tim Wright into the conversation is ridiculous.

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Sicilian said:

The difference for me was along the lines of:

With Chandler: "Here's a guy who can provide some catches, be a good red zone target, and provide SOME Gronk insurance."

With Bennett: "Here's a guy who has enough talent to potentially change the way our offense works, in a way that hasn't happened since Hernandez went crazy."

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AndyJohnson said:

So your argument is why get excited about a TE because he signed TEs before?
Gauging the success or failure of a roster move by the excitement of posters on a message board is your first mistake.

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JMC00 said:

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Chiuba E. Obele said:

Are you kidding, Bennet is a far bigger upgrade over Chandler with a proven track record of success. If anything, Hogan is a better comparison, since he had a couple of good games against us in Buffalo, but hasn't really done anything else outside of that

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Okay, got it. So, he is significantly better than Chandler. I guess I was just more concerned about, beyond the physical talent and proven past production, a lot of guys have come in here and failed due to a lack of chemistry with Brady or inability to learn the offense. I mean, I agree the expectations were lower for Chandler, but not many of us expected him to be that useless. I hope you are all correct.

Ice_Ice_Brady said:

Okay, got it. So, he is significantly better than Chandler. I guess I was just more concerned about, beyond the physical talent and proven past production, a lot of guys have come in here and failed due to a lack of chemistry with Brady or inability to learn the offense.

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That's absolutely a valid concern, and he's also a whiner/potential clubhouse issue. I like the move, but I can certainly see where it might blow up in the team's face.

Henroc said:

I can not understand why everyone wants to reduce this mans payout next year. Bennett is a beast. Seriously. He was with a qb who showed no emotion whether they won or lost. Cutler also smokes like 2 packs a day so awesome to see how much he cares for his body. I mean the one year he blew up everything was right in place. Give this man Brady, a guy that will fight until he dies. A coach that knows how to play to his strengths. An organization that knows a thing or two about winning. and in addition to that, play with with the current best TE in the league!! He's going to blow up next year, im sorry. Bennett is a tough SOB. And youre gonna see him slay next year. Whoever is saying that pats wont pay him 5 mil, what are you smoking? Why not? If that were to happen that would be a one way ticket to him not playing up to his potential. I honestly think some of you fans ask for way too much. Here's a guy who can catch passes, run block, and has no off the field issues but you dont think he's worth 5 mil? Go play in traffic

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Why would the team not want to lower his cap number and at the same time, the player gets a portion of the $5m that not one cent is guaranteed now guaranteed?

Its a win-win and something teams do all the time. Patriots do it frequently.

My 2 cents:

I really like this trade for a lot of reasons, the least of which is that it will be an interesting test of the "Patriot Way". As many (I have only read the last 4 pages) have pointed out, Bennett, on the surface, seems like the "anti-Patriot" as far as some of his locker room and media dealings have gone in the past. So I look forward to seeing how he "fits in" over the next several months.

On the football field his talents are unquestioned. BB finally got what he's wanted for a long time, which is a team with two #1 caliber TE's. The trade for the Bears was much like the Jones trade was for us (except we got much better value) The Bears added some cap space and dealt a talented player "a year too early" rather getting nothing next year. They also got rid of guy who was a locker room problem in with their staff. The Pats get another TE who can block and catch. It will give them a huge advantage lining up in 2 TE's, which should be a subject of a completely different thread. It also, FINALLY, ends the offense's utter dependence on Rob Gronkowski's health to be effective

It looks to me like a one year rental, because it will be very difficult to pay 2 TE's top money to go along with all the other people we will have to sign. But on the other hand, what a year it looks to be

AndyJohnson said:

Can you explain why you think he will be asked to block more here than in Chicago or anywhere else? I don't understand. TEs block on running plays and run pass patterns on 95% of pass plays here, there and everywhere.
You sound like he got traded from a passing team to a running team. I just don't understand why you think he would block more here.
Don't mean to be repetitive but this has been the primary point of each of my posts to you and you have not addressed it.

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I've explained several times that it's obviously possible that he'll be expected to do some things differently in more of a "team" oriented offense, both in practice and on Sundays.

I don't know how else to say it? If you don't see reason to take that into account, fine, but don't pretend like CHI and NE are exactly the same in what they ask out of their schemes. Bennett was a focal point in Chicago. He'll be further down on the list of options and could be expected to block more in a 2 TE set where we take advantage of specific matchup mismatches with the running game and other receiving targets--or at least that was the concern that was brought up.

You've made it crystal clear several times over that you do not see any concerns, so thank you for your opinion, and let's move on...

Brady_to_Moss said:

WOW...Seeing him and Gronk together could be a very dangerous combo for other teams to defend..

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It will be the most murderous one in four years.....never mind.

TommyBrady12 said:

Bears TE Martellus Bennett unfollows teammate on Twitter, chaos ensues

Bennett got into a twitter fight with his former teammate.

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It's stupid **** like this that adds to the perception that he just can't grow up, but the talent is there enough to risk a one year flier simply for moving down 50 spots in the draft.