New York Giants TE Martellus Bennett thinks playing with Eli Manning will give him more opportunities
After moving from Dallas Cowboys to New York Giants, tight end Martellus Bennett was hoping to get a chance of putting in good scores.
Bennett was playing as a number two tight end to Jason Witten for Cowboys. He played four seasons for Cowboys where he was playing alongside quarterback Tony Romo.
In his time with Cowboys, Bennett was getting fewer balls from Romo. He was targeted for 130 times overall in his four seasons. At the same time, Witten was averaging 122.5 targets per season.
Last season, he got his career-lowest 26 targets. Now at Giants, Bennett is feeling right at home and adjusting with the offensive system very well.
Bennett desires to receive good number of targets from quarterback Eli Manning. While talking to Mike Garafolo of The Star-Ledger, Bennett was asked how he feels about playing with Manning. He said:
“I don’t think there’s a better quarterback than him in the NFL right now. Watching his approach to the game and the way he coaches everybody up and gets everybody involved, I think he’s an unselfish quarterback, which is what you want.”
Manning has been phenomenal for the Giants. Last season, he won his second Super Bowl title with the Giants. He has been a powerhouse in the Giants’ offence, lifting his and his teammates’ performance.
Talking about Manning’s unselfishness, Bennett said:
“He’s just looking for the open guy. It doesn’t matter who it is or what number you are. If you’re open, he’s going to hit you. You have to be ready. That’s what makes it so fun playing in this offense because anytime you beat your guy,
you know you could get the ball.”
Giants tight end coach Mike Pope has shown concerns about Bennett being too fat and overweight. Currently, Bennett is weighted at 291 pounds.
Bennett has been focusing on his fitness during offseason. Although he is currently the heaviest he has ever been, he is also faster than ever.
He is working on reducing his fat percentage while maintaining his status of being a big guy.
Bennett admits that every quarterback has one or two players which they think are the ones who carry the ball much further.
Yet when Bennett analyses the situation in Giants camp, he thinks Manning is quite open to give ball to anybody.
With the size and mass in his favour, Bennett hopes to be spotted consistently on the field by Manning.
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