Sounds of the Game: Martellus Bennett
The Bears are a week away from their exhibition opener and trying to squeeze the most out of their remaining stay at training camp. On a somewhat eventful Wednesday at Olivet Nazarene University, here"s what we learned.
1. Martellus Bennett is still talking about Jay Cutler. Brandon Marshall is too.
Cutler"s reaction? Just plain amused.
Here"s the background: Bennett"s verbal swipes at Cutler came within a lengthy ESPN Magazine profile published this week in which the loquacious tight end and his equally opinionated brother, Michael, were asked to riff about several players and hot-button topics around the NFL. When the discussion shifted to Cutler, Michael Bennett, a defensive end for the Seahawks, called the longtime Bear the "worst quarterback in the NFL."
Martellus Bennett, who played with Cutler for three seasons before being traded to the Patriots in March, piled on: "I"d be open and he"d throw into double coverage," he said.
Marshall, whose fractured relationship with Cutler is beyond repair after his tempestuous 2014 season, spent part of his Tuesday visit on ESPN"s "First Take" offering optimism about his former quarterback. Said Marshall, entering his second season with the Jets: "I truly believe if Alshon Jeffery stays healthy and then you have Kevin White if this rookie can come in and catch 55-plus b***s, Jay Cutler can be an MVP this year."
Cutler was asked about the thoughts of both former teammates and simply laughed.
"Most receivers and tight ends (think they) are always open," Cutler said of Bennett"s claims. "Hopefully Tom (Brady) can do a better job of finding him than I did."
And what of Marshall again offering high praise rather than sharp criticism of Cutler?
"You can"t please everybody. We"re at both ends of the spectrum here," Cutler quipped. "We wish both those guys good luck. I had fun playing with them here, and that"s just kind of how it goes."
Asked later why his name keeps coming up with former teammates, Cutler knew better than to continue any easily sensationalized jibber-jabber.
"I could say something clever and smart," Cutler said, "but I"ll just pass."
Long story short: The Bears pushed to trade Bennett and Marshall to minimize melodrama. Given both players" track records with the Bears and their talkative personalities, their comments this week need to be kept in proper perspective: exaggerated opinions at best, hollow gibberish at worst.
Cutler"s taking the right approach and won"t lose sleep knowing both players are no longer his concern.
2. Kyle Long"s return to practice Wednesday came with plenty of eagerness.
Long was limited, but after missing four full practices with a calf strain he was simply glad to be back in the mix.
He suffered the injury during the first practice last week. Per his recap, he was "trying to chase Danny Trevathan for the dozenth time at a practice" when the injury occurred.
Long hates missing practice time and, by his own admission, still hasn"t figured out how to harness his restlessness when injured.
"It gets boring," he said. "I"m here to play football, and when I"m not playing football, I feel like I"m doing something wrong and feel kind of guilty about it."
The Bears appreciate Long"s drive but have made clear they intend to be cautious as they blend him back in. Coach John Fox said he"s keeping the Sept. 11 opener against the Texans in focus regarding Long rather than being concerned about the right guard"s availability for next week"s exhibition against the Broncos.
3. The roster churn continues.
The Bears signed cornerback Joel Ross and are expected to sign veteran fullback Darrel Young as they continue to shape the bottom of the roster during the camp grind.
Recently signed cornerback Brandon Boykin was placed on injured reserve; he tweeted Wednesday night that he had been playing with a torn pectoral muscle for five days without realizing it. The other corresponding roster move is not known.
dwiederer@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @danwiederer
Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/ct-jay-cutler-martellus-bennett-what-we-learned-spt-0804-20160803-story.html
