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Patriots Gridiron News: Martellus Bennett Impressed by Steelers’ Defense

By Tarringo Basile-vaughan

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New England Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett knows he has to play better against an athletic Steelers’ defense.

One of the reasons Martellus Bennett was acquired by the New England Patriots was to provide a sizable replacement in case Rob Gronkowski went down.  Well, the team does not have the services of Gronk, so now it’s time for Bennett to show that he can be a tough matchup for the Pittsburgh Steelers defense.

While there is no replacing a player the caliber of Gronkowski, Bennett’s size and athleticism makes him a viable threat in the passing game…when he’s fully healthy.  After a less than impressive playoff debut against the Houston Texans, Bennett admitted he was tight going into the game.  He can’t afford to be tight entering the AFC championship game, especially since the Steelers’ defense has struggled covering athletic tight ends.

A tough task ahead

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Speaking of that defense, Bennett sees the challenge ahead of him and sounded pretty impressed with them while speaking to the media Thursday afternoon.

"“They move some guys around to different places, and they’ve been playing pretty well. They stick to what they do best,” Bennett said via WEEI. “They won nine in a row; it’s for a reason. All those guys have been playing well. They’ve been mixing and matching different guys on defense, but I think they found the right matchups on defense with the guys playing together. They don’t rotate much — they’ll be 12 to 11 guys we’ll see on defense. Those are the guys who will play the whole game.“[Lawrence] Timmons, [Ryan] Shazier, Bud Dupree. All the guys are playing. [James] Harrison is playing well. He’s almost as old as my pops, and he’s still playing like a beast out there,” Bennett added. “They just have a lot of guys flying around and playing good football. I think they pursue the ball really well. They’re always looking to turn the ball over. Other than that, they’re just a physical front. And [Stephon] Tuitt is just a hell of a player as well. So we’ll have our hands full this week.”"

It does sound like a tough task for Tom Brady and the Patriots’ offense, but if Bennett can find a way to be more of a factor in the passing game, it could translate to another Super Bowl appearance for the New England Patriots.

James Harrison:  Bennett is not the only Patriots player to laud 38-year-old linebacker Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison.  Wide receiver Julian Edelman also offered up praise for the ageless defensive standout.

"“I’ve been a huge fan of him before I got in the league, and just to see and kind of have an idea where he came from, it’s unbelievable to show how hard he’s worked to get to where he’s got,” Edelman said via The Boston Herald.  “He’s a large man that is fast, explosive, and if he’s coming my way, it’s going to be a ‘get down.’”"

Final injury report: The final injury report of the week has Martellus Bennett listed as questionable due to a knee injury suffered in last Saturday’s playoff victory.  Also on that list is Danny Amendola (ankle), Chris Hogan (thigh), Malcolm Mitchell (knee), Dont’a Hightower (shoulder), Jabaal Sheard (knee) and Brandon Bolden (knee).

Next: Beleskey To Return To Game Action

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