Martellus Bennett's newest nickname: Clutch

Animated tight end comes through in a big way in opener

September 09, 2013|By Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune reporter
(Brian Cassella/Tribune photo)

The Bears opted to send tight end Martellus Bennett to the Halas Hall lectern Monday, the offensive representative chosen to provide the day-after breakdown of their 24-21 victory over the Bengals. And when Martellus Bennett has a stage, you best listen up.

Heck, Bennett doesn't need a crowd to uncork his vivacious side, complete with punch lines and catchy analogies and plenty of unique introspection. But when he has an audience, he's thrilled.

Asked Monday about his ebullience, Bennett shrugged.

"I can't help it," he said. "This is just who I am. At my vacation Bible school, when I was like 9, they said Jesus told good parables and we should try to be more like Jesus.

"I took it literally. I tried to start talking in parables all the time because that's how Jesus talked. That's how I got stuck doing that."

Jesus, of course, never labeled himself "The Black Unicorn" as Bennett did during training camp with the Giants last season, touting his speed and grace on the run. Bennett has other nicknames as well, some obvious, some not so much.

Marty. Telly. TBU.


Joe Gryffindor? That's a Harry Potter shout-out.

Orange Dino? Who knows?

"Sometimes people call me and I forget they're talking to me. Because I have so many names," Bennett said.

Here's a new suggestion: Clutch McGee.

After all, Bennett's three catches Sunday all came in critical moments. His most important, he said, was the 11-yard grab he made on third-and-8 with 5 minutes, 10 seconds left. That prolonged the game's final drive, a series during which the Bears ran 11 plays to drain the final 6:38 off the clock.

Bennett also had a 30-yard gain two possessions earlier on an ad-libbed dump-off from Jay Cutler that came with the quarterback scrambling so close to the line of scrimmage that cornerback Adam Jones left Bennett and charged up.

"I didn't know if Jay saw me at first," Bennett said. "Then he used a little Chris Paul pass and I just turned it up on the sideline."

The highlight reels also captured Bennett's first grab as a Bear, the 8-yard touchdown catch made in the back of the end zone with safety George Iloka providing a big hit, then clawing and yanking at the ball for so long that a mini-melee broke out and spoiled Bennett's chance to celebrate.

"I was trying to make it rain, and he's holding on to the ball," Bennett said. "Now they're reviewing the play. I'm like, 'Should I celebrate after the review? Or is that too late?'"

Bennett was asked why he didn't use his superior size to shake Iloka with a wrestling move.

"I grew up watching Triple H and The Rock," he said. "I know a lot of those moves. There were a lot of holes in the wall growing up from (us) body-slamming each other. Nothing like the People's Elbow."

Most significant about Bennett's touchdown catch was the savvy he used to get open, reading the Bengals' coverage and altering his route in a way that, in coach Marc Trestman's words, he "made himself skinny" between linebacker Rey Maualuga and Iloka.

That opened up a back-shoulder lane for Cutler.

Most gratifying: Trestman had watched Bennett and Cutler working on that improvisation on their own during practice Friday.

"That's really red-zone football," Trestman said. "That's a contested throw. It was well-located by Jay where it really was going to be Martellus' ball or nobody's ball."

As Iloka found out.

Trestman chuckled when asked about Bennett's jovial side but chose to praise his tight end for his studious side, labeling Bennett one of the most voracious note takers he has coached.

"He writes down everything," Trestman said. "Every coaching point, everything we say in team meetings, he writes it all down. So I think you see the colorful end of it from your end, but there's also a very serious, football-oriented guy."

On Sunday, it showed.

Twitter @danwiederer