“He’s A Freak Of An Athlete”
August 24th, 2010
Michael Bennett, No. 71, is in the mix on the Bucs' D-line.
Joe’s not hiding that one of his favorite players is defensive end Michael Bennett. The guy is a mad talent, and Joe was very impressed and surprised at his inside rush on Saturday.
JoeBucsFan.com analyst Steve White, a former Bucs defensive end, also had big praise for Bennett out of Saturday’s game in his can’t-miss Bull Rush column.
He had one play when he was really physical with the tight end and destroyed him on a base block that was just impressive as hell to me. He also looks a lot more comfortable rushing inside than I thought he would at his size.
Bennett stands out from the other left ends in one important respect. He appears to be able to speed rush from the left side, which none of the rest of them seem to do well on a consistent basis.
In a recent feature by Tom Balog, of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Bucs’ D-line coach Todd Wash had an awful lot of good things to say about Bennett.
At 6-foot-4, Bennett has the ability to play all over the line, and the Bucs have moved him from inside tackle to even some linebacker.
What Tampa Bay wants to see is more consistency from the 24-year-old from Texas A&M.
“To be honest with you, he’s a freak of an athlete,” defensive line coach Todd Wash said. “He can make plays that other guys can’t make. I can see the potential he has, he just has to get the whole playbook and get a grasp of it. Once he does that, he’s going to continue to make his splash plays as well as the plays he’s supposed to make.”
Joe recommends you read the whole piece. Bennett, who was undrafted last year, talked about how he thought he was a first-round material, among other stuff.
At 24-years-old, Bennett’s not the kind of talent the Bucs can afford to toss aside.
August 24th, 2010 at 1:40 pm
I’ve heard a lot of good things about Bennett. He sounds like a very big, strong, and fast defensive lineman. Everything you like to see out of a DE.
Hopefully he keeps it up, so we can see him kill people on Sundays.
Good article Joe.
August 24th, 2010 at 6:12 pm
It is exciting to watch the formation of the next….” Bucs”
August 24th, 2010 at 6:27 pm
I saw several sites who projected Bennett as a 5th rounder. One said he could turn out to be a steal in the 5th. He’ll be a real steal if he works out. The future may be looking bright. Next years free agent market is supposed to be huge. If we pick up a few key pieces we very well may have a lasting contender. Go Bucs.
August 24th, 2010 at 7:27 pm
Maybe a big line bacher light Pittsburgs???
August 24th, 2010 at 8:38 pm
Next years free agent market will also be filled with Buccaneers free agents.
You gotta re-sign your own first.
And besides, didn’t the Glazers say that they weren’t going to venture down the dark path of free agency? They were going to methodically build through the draft.
HOWEVER, for that to work they need to re-sign players that they originally drafted!
Nah, don’t let that little annoying detail of re-signing free agents from within get in the way of the grand plan.
So long as there is hope.
I tell you what, if Raheem Morris is still the coach come next season, then there is no way in hell anyone worth a damn will want to sign with this losing organization with Raheem at the helm.
We need a real coach in order to attract free agents.
August 24th, 2010 at 8:38 pm
Man there are more alleged “steals” on this team than you can shake a stick at.
Can they win a football game?
August 24th, 2010 at 9:46 pm
AND HE IS IN BETTER SHAPE THAN HAYNESWORTH !!!!!!
August 24th, 2010 at 11:00 pm
My wife told me I was a freak of an athlete. I can do 12 oz curls for hours at a time, and she says my 6 pack is the real deal. Red & White.
August 24th, 2010 at 11:13 pm
Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out Javier. If I were you I would probably start my search for a different team right now since the entire staff at One Buc sucks, from the owners all the way down to the groundskeepers.