FOXBORO - The Patriots leader in playing time at linebacker on Sunday? Wasn't Dont'a Hightower. Wasn't Kyle Van Noy. Wasn't Elandon Roberts.
It was fifth-round rookie Ja'Whaun Bentley out of Purdue. One draft weekend, he was a self-proclaimed thumper. He was listed at 260 pounds. He looked like a first and second-down player. One linebacker-needy NFL team had Bentley entirely off its board because Bentley wasn't perceived as athletic enough to contribute to their scheme.
Then he goes out and leads all front-seven players in snaps in the Patriots season-opener.
Bill Belichick said in a conference call on Monday that Bentley's maturity level has helped him acclimate quickly to the pro game.
"Absolutely . . . I think that's the player," he said. "You can go back to DeMatha High School and see that. Purdue. Started as a freshman at Purdue. Kid's been productive at almost every program he's been almost as soon as he's been in the program. I mean, I don't see it as a big shock."
Bentley has flashed a surprising ability to play the pass going all the way back to OTAs. That continued into training camp and preseason play. It looked a little awkward at times, but he was consistently around the ball, and even if he allowed a catch, he wasn't too far behind to make a tackle.
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Hovering in the middle of the field, crashing down against the run, and finishing off plays (seven tackles, one for a loss), Bentley saw twice as much time as Roberts and worked well in tandem with Hightower when it came to the defensive communication side of things.
New England Patriots
As impressive as Bentley was this summer, I wondered if he might not dress for the season opener. He wasn't a first-team special-teamer in the preseason. (He did play on kick-return and punt against the Texans.) And I thought there was a chance he was still really only a two-down player, almost in the mold of David Harris had last season: Important in short-yardage and goal-line situations, but a niche guy.
I didn't trust what I'd seen from Bentley in the passing game before the season, and I should have. I couldn't have been more wrong.
Niche guy? He's only one week into his pro career, but it looks like he's carved out a niche all right . . . as an every-down linebacker.