the guy who uploads the new york giants player videos on youtube is back! he was apparently suspended for some time now
anyway he made an excellent video of martellus bennett's 2011 season and every pass the cowboys threw his way. Great tool to evaluate him as opposed to "he said, she said"
martellus bennet 2011 highlights - (
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I miss Ballard already.
duhhhhhh -- you think they're playing for this mismatch?
I think that TE screen can be deadly though with him, and between Bradshaw, Hynoski, and Bennett all being able to run a screen from base offense --- opposing defenses are going to have a really hard time.
I have no clue how the Cowboys TE coach operates with the limited looks they gave Bennett, he doesn't seem to be trusted by the staff to do much more than run screens and quick in routes. He's got speed but he doesn't have a clue how big he is and seems to have no idea how to use that to gain an edge. That's one reason Ballard overcomes his run of the mill athleticism, he uses his size advantage and knows how to turn and run with the ball. Maybe Pope can coach him up more than he has been but I wouldn't expect anything more than average TE play.
Maybe the guy's ceiling is overrated
This was a TE2 in their system. Didn't see much, if anything in the seam, where I think he would matchup better with LBs. Hope he shines with the Giants.
If Bennett can equal what Ballard did last season, I'll be happy. Then, next spring, we can talk about what we're doing at that position.
Fleener @ 32....PLEASE!
Positive: Speed. Can out run defenders going across the middle. Also, he looks to get a decent sized 4-8 yards on screen passes, which Ballard and Boss couldnt do. He would be a great check-down option if the play breaks down.
I think he is an improvement over what we had last year. Havent seen much of his blocking but he was a great run blocker and helped Dallas get rushing yards with mediocre RBs (when Murray was out and was not starting).
Another thing, I didn't see the HBO special with the Cowboys training camp but from what I hear, he really didn't respect his coach. It seems like he already has a love affair with Pope. Maybe he is mature enough to say the right things now but that is half the battle.
As for Beckum and Pope. I'm not sure how much time Pope spent with him. Beckum really wasn't viewed as a tight end here so I'm not sure who really coached him.
After watching the video I can see that his hands aren't what scouts may have seen coming out of college. Pope can teACH a TE to improve their blocking and route running etc but having good hands is something you have or something you don't. You are just good at catching a football or not. Stilght but not significant improvement can be made but not major leaps. Having said that... Perhaps as underutilized as he was maybe he was just rusty.
But that doesnt take away from the fact that he was too slow. He ran good routes but couldnt find the separation to be a good #1.
No doubt Bennett has work to do but Eli is better than Romo and that will help.
I don't think if Ballard had Romo throwing to him Ballard would have been as good.
He is among the best blocking TEs in the game and looks like he can catch the ball.
Add Fleener or a top 2 round WR and we could have a sick offense (again).
He's an outstanding blocker.. he's athletic and we'll be able to utilize him in ways that Dallas didn't. I think he's more talented than a guy like Ballard and probably Boss as well.. he just hasn't tapped his potential because of the situation he was in. I think Pope will do wonders for him and I think he will have a really solid year here.
I wonder how this guy will matchup when they throw a DE over him?