When Giants tight ends coach Mike Pope revealed that Martellus Bennett’s weight had ballooned to 291 pounds this offseason, Pope said Bennett was “too big for his legs to carry.” But Bennett talked to reporters shirtless today and told them he’s 291 pounds of solid muscle.
Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News reports that Bennett stood in front of the media in just shorts and asked, “Do I look fat?” (Vacchiano does not supply his answer.)
Bennett added that he reached to 291 pounds (up from his lifted weight of 265) because he “rocked out” in the weight room and turned himself into “a physical freak.”
“I’m one of the top 5 strongest guys on this team right now,” Bennett said.
That statement may not speak well to the Giants’ offensive and defensive linemen, but if Bennett has been working as hard in the weight room as he claims, good for him. Still, the fact that his position coach thinks he’s too big for his legs to carry is a concern, because the Giants are counting on Bennett’s legs to be fresh into the fourth quarter this season.