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Reese: Martellus Bennett is a blocking TE
Jul 29, 2012 9:36 AM
By Dan Graziano
ALBANY, N.Y. -- I have lots of stuff still in the notebook from my time at New York Giants training camp. Our "Camp Confidential" on the Giants should roll out at some point today, and I have more stories and notes planned on the Giants for the early part of this week, even while I'm at Eagles and Redskins camp. But a lot of people -- Giants fans as well as Dallas Cowboys fans -- are asking about tight end Martellus Bennett, the former Cowboy who signed with the Giants at the start of free agency. So I thought a post on him was in order. This is what Giants GM Jerry Reese told me Saturday afternoon when I asked him about Bennett:
"I think he's going to really help our run game, because he's a tremendous blocker. We think he could be a good receiver, but what he gives us as a receiver is going to be a bonus. We think he can really help us get our run game going, because he's the blocking tight end that we haven't had. Jake [Ballard] was an okay blocker, Bear [Pascoe] has been an okay blocker. But Martellus could be a dominating blocker, and that's what we haven't had, really for a while. We haven't had a dominating guy since, like, Howard Cross."
Bennett's problem in Dallas was running his routes and holding onto the ball, but he always graded out as an excellent blocker. So it sounds as though the Giants did their homework here. And as Reese pointed out, it's not as though the Giants have been relying on their tight end as a huge part of the passing game the past few years anyway:
"We've had some young guys really do good jobs for us. Kevin Boss caught like 35, 45 balls. Then you get Jake in, he catches 35, 45 balls. Somebody else will do that. That's not a staple in our offense, the tight end. I think our offense is more receiver-oriented and back-oriented. Henry Hynoski caught a bunch of passes last year out of the backfield, our fullback. So there's different ways to skin a cat."
So now you know why the Giants signed Bennett and what they expect of him. As I said, much more to come.
Jul 29, 2012 9:36 AM
By Dan Graziano
ALBANY, N.Y. -- I have lots of stuff still in the notebook from my time at New York Giants training camp. Our "Camp Confidential" on the Giants should roll out at some point today, and I have more stories and notes planned on the Giants for the early part of this week, even while I'm at Eagles and Redskins camp. But a lot of people -- Giants fans as well as Dallas Cowboys fans -- are asking about tight end Martellus Bennett, the former Cowboy who signed with the Giants at the start of free agency. So I thought a post on him was in order. This is what Giants GM Jerry Reese told me Saturday afternoon when I asked him about Bennett:
"I think he's going to really help our run game, because he's a tremendous blocker. We think he could be a good receiver, but what he gives us as a receiver is going to be a bonus. We think he can really help us get our run game going, because he's the blocking tight end that we haven't had. Jake [Ballard] was an okay blocker, Bear [Pascoe] has been an okay blocker. But Martellus could be a dominating blocker, and that's what we haven't had, really for a while. We haven't had a dominating guy since, like, Howard Cross."
Bennett's problem in Dallas was running his routes and holding onto the ball, but he always graded out as an excellent blocker. So it sounds as though the Giants did their homework here. And as Reese pointed out, it's not as though the Giants have been relying on their tight end as a huge part of the passing game the past few years anyway:
"We've had some young guys really do good jobs for us. Kevin Boss caught like 35, 45 balls. Then you get Jake in, he catches 35, 45 balls. Somebody else will do that. That's not a staple in our offense, the tight end. I think our offense is more receiver-oriented and back-oriented. Henry Hynoski caught a bunch of passes last year out of the backfield, our fullback. So there's different ways to skin a cat."
So now you know why the Giants signed Bennett and what they expect of him. As I said, much more to come.
