Martellus Bennett hasn't been on a team that finished with a winning record in three seasons. In his previous eight seasons, he's suffered a 62-66 record, finishing over .500 three times, earning more than nine wins once. Bennett hasn't experienced back-to-back winning seasons since the first two years of his career.
While he hasn't won a ton, the tight end has put up some good stats. Entering 2016, Bennett compiled 3,586 yards on 348 catches with 23 touchdowns. His past three years in Chicago he averaged 10 yards per reception and in 2014 compiled 916 yards, 90 catches and six TDs.
After joining the New England Patriots, the talkative tight end said he's ready to do whatever it takes to win more.
"Lots of people, they equate how well you've done in a game for fantasy football or how many points you scored, but there's so many intangible things that go on during the game that most people overlook -- except your teammates," Bennett said, via CSN New England. "When you go out there and try to do every single thing that I can possibly do to get a win on the football field and in the real column and not in the fantasy football column, I'm not really worried about it.
"Whether it's blocking, pass protection, catching the ball, getting a big first down, whatever it may be, that's what I'm here for. I'm not really here to catch 1,000 balls. I've caught 90 balls and lost a bunch of games. It's not that fun. Whatever it takes to win, that's what I'm here for."
With Rob Gronkowski and left tackle Nate Solder out with injuries in Sunday night's opening week victory, Bennett was asked to block a lot more than he has been in the past.
Bennett caught three passes on five targets for 14 yards in his first game as a Patriot. He wasn't concerned about the meager production.
"Winning is contagious," he said. "Losing's contagious. You start losing, next thing you know you lose your car, you lose your house, you lose your job. If you're winning, your daughter's a winner, she grows up to be a winner, I don't want my daughter to be a loser. I'm just trying to win as much as possible in life so the winning can rub off on her as well."
Ahhhh, New England. The place where perennially the heretofore selfish stat-stuffer morphs into the greatest teammate on the planet and buys into everything the coaching staff preaches. What a magical place, New England.
