Michael Bennett recalled how Bill Belichick treated Tom Brady as harshly as other Patriots
"They never really called out Russell on certain things, but Bill would call Tom out on everything," Bennett said, comparing the Seahawks and Patriots in the 2010s.
Michael Bennett recalled Bill Belichick’s treatment of Tom Brady: One of the qualities that defined the classic “Patriot Way” was Bill Belichick’s equal treatment of all players in an effort to maintain accountability.
Belichick was unafraid to offer critiques of any player, even Tom Brady.
This was recently highlighted in an anecdote from former Patriots pass rusher Michael Bennett. Now retired, Bennett — a three-time Pro Bowler during his 11-year career — was a recent guest on Julian Edelman’s “Games With Names” podcast.
Given his five years of experience in Seattle, Bennett compared Belichick’s treatment of Brady with how Seahawks coach Pete Carroll coached Russell Wilson.
“Seattle, they never really called out Russell on certain things, but Bill would call Tom out on everything,” Bennett told Edelman.
“‘How’s a guy who’s been MVP four times, has won the championship six times, throw this f****** route right here?'” Bennett jokingly recalled in an apparent impression of Belichick’s film study with Brady and the rest of the team.
“And you’re just back there like, ‘Damn, he’s going off on Tom Brady right now?'”
Edelman, who played his entire career under Belichick, noted that this was simply a standard practice of the longtime New England coach.
“Lets you know that everyone’s on limit,” the former Patriots receiver said.
Bennett, who only featured for New England in six games during the 2019 season before he was traded to the Cowboys, also discussed how Belichick rattled off his impressive resume at the start of the season.
“It was all the stats of all the things,” Bennett remembered. “[Belichick] was like, ‘So I know what I’m talking about,’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, he does. That’s it right there.'”
That Bennett only played with the Patriots for less than half a season was also likely not a reflection of a falling out that he had with team management. At the time, Bennett — then not in a starting role — admitted that “you always want to play more and make some more plays.” Still, he noted that winning was “the most important thing for me as a teammate.”
New England traded Bennett to the Cowboys for a sixth-round pick. After the trade, Belichick praised the veteran pass rusher but alluded to salary cap constraints as a reason for the deal.
“In the end, I think Mike’s a good player,” Belichick said in 2019. “We brought him here, and he helped our team. I think he would help us, but there are certain things we’ve got to work with and work around, and that’s what we’ve got to do.”
Scores and schedules:
The Bruins lost to the Maple Leafs 4-0 on Tuesday.
Tonight, the Celtics host the Warriors at TD Garden at 7:30 p.m.
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Book club: This month, the Boston.com Book Club pick is Boston Globe columnist Chad Finn’s latest.
“The Boston Globe Story of the Celtics” chronicles the history of the NBA’s most successful team, featuring classic Globe Celtics articles from Finn, Bob Ryan, Jackie MacMullan, Leigh Montville, Dan Shaughnessy, Baxter Holmes, Gary Washburn, and Adam Himmelsbach (among others).
If you have questions for Chad that you think would be interesting for the club’s discussion (happening this Friday), feel free to reach out ([email protected]).
On this day: In 1974, the Celtics defeated the Trail Blazers 128-110. John Havlicek led Boston with 40 points, while Jo Jo White added 20 points (along with 10 assists and five rebounds).
Daily highlight: Hannah Johnson delivered an inch-perfect assist to Aitana Martinez-Montoya for the winning goal in double overtime as Mississippi State defeated Tennessee to advance to the SEC Tournament semifinal.
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