FOXBORO — Michael Bennett hasn’t been here long, but when we’ve seen him off the field he’s usually been right alongside Tom Brady. They walked and talked at the Hall of Fame in Canton. They’ve walked out to practice together at Gillette Stadium, as they did on Monday.
They make an interesting pair: The ever-polished Brady and the outspoken Bennett.
I asked Bennett on Tuesday what they discuss when they’re spending their time together before taking the fields for work or during their travels as new teammates.
“It’s an opportunity to just talk life,” Bennett said. “I think Tom has a lot of experiences that I haven’t experienced, and I have some experiences that he hasn’t experienced. And I think just being fathers and being husbands and talking about life, I think that’s the greatest thing you can do with your teammate is to learn him as an individual.”
Brady and Bennett have known each other for years, of course. Bennett notched his first-career hit on Brady as a rookie for the Bucs in 2009, according to Pro Football Reference. They squared off in the Super Bowl in February of 2015. Bennett’s brother Martellus was an important piece to New England’s title run in 2016.
Bennett called Brady “the greatest player to play in the NFL,” but explained that connecting with Brady as a person has been the notable part of their discussions — not necessarily the Xs and Os of football.
New England Patriots
“I think Tom does a great job of connecting with his teammates every single day. Personally that’s been good for me. Coming in, having a guy like Tom talking about stories, just having a good time.
“Football takes care of itself. But building that camaraderie with your teammates, that’s the most important thing for me on this team — to earn everybody’s trust, from the top of the organization, from the media staff, from the training staff, just to let them know what type of individual I am and try to do that every single day.
“I think talking to Tom allows me to do that. You never know when you’ll get a chance to talk to guys like that, and just have that type of time, it’s cool. He takes time to get to know me as an individual, and I love that.”
Phil Perry's 53-man Patriots roster projection>>>>>
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.