Patriots gridiron news: Martellus Bennett alone dispels ‘no fun’ narrative

If it is so horrible to play for the New England Patriots, how come players like Randy Moss and Martellus Bennett were able to strive in Foxborough?

First there was Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Lane Johnson, then there was former New England Patriots defensive end Cassius Marsh.  Each driving across the narrative that playing in Foxborough and winning championships is no fun.

While there are players who have played under Bill Belichick who would back up that narrative, there are players who would quickly dispel the “no fun” Patriot Way just by how they conducted themselves while in New England.

Former Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett instantly comes to mind.

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The outspoken playmaker only played a season and a few games in 2017 under Belichick, but after winning a Super Bowl with the Patriots, Bennett knows exactly what it takes to be successful in New England.  When winning is the reward, there’s a different kind of fun.

In a series of tweets last week, Bennett addressed Marsh’s claim that he hated playing in New England.  With the culture under attack following the team’s Super Bowl LII loss, the former Patriots tight end says he found winning “extremely fun.”

"“After losing for 10 years I found winning extremely fun,” Bennett tweeted last week.  “What it took to become a winner wasn’t fun but the results were and the guys I won with were plenty fun.”"

Martellus Bennett weighed in on Cassius Marsh’s disgruntled breakup with the Patriots with an understanding that fun is relative and that the culture in New England is not for everyone.

The vision of Bennett dancing with Patriots cheerleaders following the team’s 2017 AFC Championship win over the Pittsburgh Steelers is the perfect image of that winning kind of fun.  Bennett was also able to contribute in the system.  A player like Marsh struggled to find his way and that means it just wasn’t for him.

As Lane Johnson continues to state, there are different ways to win, but the way Bill Belichick has run things in New England for two decades, the culture he has created has sustained winning.  When players can’t adjust, the team simply moves on.  When they are able to adjust, they become a part of the culture.  It’s really as simple as that.

Some would say that has a lot to do with Tom Brady, but when players like Randy Moss, Corey Dillon, LeGarrette Blount, Aqib Talib and Bennett can put on a New England Patriots uniform and enjoy it enough to sign extensions and/or return to the team, Belichick can’t be all that bad. 

Reggie Wayne speaks for himself about his time with the Patriots 

Oh, there was another Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman teeing off on how things are run in New England.

Brandon Brooks recently weighed in on the Patriot Way and used former Indianapolis Colts receiver Reggie Wayne as evidence that things are not fun in Foxborough. According to Brooks, Wayne’s brief time with the Patriots in the summer of 2015 led to his retirement from the NFL.

Wayne, speaking for himself while appearing on the NFL Network on Thursday, put that claim to rest.

"“Where are some reports out there that I left New England because I said it was hard,” Wayne said, “Those reports are false.  The fact is, I was done.  It was time for me to retire.  There were other teams that wanted my services but I knew it was done for me.”"

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Reggie Wayne also went on to acknowledge that Bill Belichick is not a party planner, but someone who inspires the best out of his players in the name of winning.  There are five banners hanging high above Gillette Stadium to prove it.