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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Tom Brady registered his 200th career victory Sunday night at MetLife Stadium, tying Peyton Manning for first place on the NFL’s all-time wins list.
New England Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett played a relatively minor role in his quarterback’s 200th triumph — he caught three passes for 22 yards in the Patriots’ 22-17 win over the New York Jets — but his take on the milestone was characteristically fantastic.
“I mean, I wasn’t really thinking about (Brady’s win total),” Bennett said. “It’s just a milestone for me. I’d never won nine games in a season before, so I was like, ‘Oh, we’re 9-2! Hell yeah! Let’s go.’ Yeah, it’s 200 wins, but, like, (expletive), I haven’t won 200 games in my whole life. So I was just happy — this was a milestone for me. I don’t think I’ve ever been over .500, really. I’m just happy to be in the position that we’re in with a chance to play for something that matters.”
If that response comes off as a bit self-centered, it should be noted that Bennett later answered a question about rookie wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell’s recent success (three touchdowns in the last two games) with a glowing review that included shoutouts to six of his Patriots teammates.
“I mean, it’s like your little brother,” Bennett said. “All the guys, they always call me the old head, which is kind of weird, because I’m still young. I’ve just been around a long time. I’m super proud of them. I just see them work, and I just talk to them consistently. ‘Don’t be a flash player. Always show up all the time.’ And that’s what they’ve been doing. They’ve been making plays back-to-back.
“James (White) is doing a great job. Malcolm’s doing a great job. I just love to see all my teammates have success. Any time we work together or talk or whatever it is, usually it’s not really about football. It’s really just men, just about growing up and being a man and all the stuff learned from all the mistakes I’ve had so they don’t trip over the same things that I tripped on in their journey through life.
“But overall, I’m just — whether it’s LeGarrette (Blount) making a big play or Marcus Cannon making a good block or David Andrews making the right ‘mike’ call — whoever it is, I’m just super excited when I see them have the success that they deserve, because I see all these guys work hard every single week. And when you have friends or teammates that work hard, you just want to see it show up in big-time moments.
“It’s always exciting, no matter who it is. James Develin made a catch (Sunday), and he doesn’t get the ball that often, so I was like, ‘Hell yeah! That’s what I’m talking about, bro.’ I’m just excited to be a part of this team and this organization. Coaches making the right calls. Even when the coaches game-plan something and the (expletive) works, it’s like, ‘Hell yeah, that was a great call, Coach. You said it was going to work.’
“It’s just exciting to be around a lot of successful people. You don’t surround yourself with guys that are working hard and (not) want them to be successful just as much as you want success for yourself.”
Also, Bennett’s claim of never having won nine games in a season isn’t quite accurate. He was a member of the 2009 Dallas Cowboys squad that went 11-5 and lost in the NFC divisional round, though he hasn’t played in a postseason game since.
Thumbnail photo via Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports Images