Seattle Seahawks: Just Another Average Day for Michael Bennett

Michael Bennett has another typical Sunday for the Seattle Seahawks, as he calls Johnny Hekker a coward and claims Todd Gurley is an average running back.

Life is usually entertaining when it comes to Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett. Whether it’s providing another amusing quote or causing some shenanigans on the field, he’s always up to something.

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Classic examples of his quotes include telling the police to put an APB out on Mark Sanchez for trying to impersonate a good quarterback and saying winning the 2015 NFC Championship felt like making love for the first time. Actually, talking of last year’s title game, that was also the scene for Bennett to ‘steal’ a policeman’s bike and take a victory lap around the field, after beating the Green Bay Packers.

In that respect, Sunday’s game against St. Louis was just another average day at the office for the 2015 Pro Bowler. First of all, he attempted to get involved in Cliff Avril‘s ‘beef’ with Rams punter Johnny Hekker.

Certainly, the whole sequence of events represented some of the more light-hearted moments of the 23-17 loss. For those who haven’t seen what happened, or just want to watch it again, here’s the highlights:

It didn’t stop there, as Bennett took Hekker to task after the game, when speaking to Brady Henderson of 710 ESPN Seattle: “He ain’t nothing. He’s soft in my eyes.

“Anybody who hits somebody when they’re not looking – and then he’s in a protected position and he wants to hit somebody when they’re not looking. So to me, he’s just a coward.”

Bennett saved his best comment until last, when asked about Hekker’s reaction as he went to the deck to avoid being hit: “Yeah, he’s scared. He squealed like a little girl.”

Dec 27, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; St. Louis Rams running back Tre Mason (27) is tackled by Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett (72) during the first quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

However, the fun didn’t stop there, as the Seahawks leading sacker also had something to say about Todd Gurely. The Rams running back is the NFL’s third leading rusher, despite missing two games.

Gurely continued his good form against Seattle, rushing for 85 yards and the game-clinching touchdown on 19 carries. However, Bennett was not particularly impressed by the feats of the rookie runner.

Speaking to the media, including ESPN, Bennett said: “He’s average to me, personally. I’ve seen better running backs. He’s no Marshawn Lynch.”

Now, you could argue that by definition, Gurely is average by Seattle’s standards. The Seahawks give up 85.3 yards per game on the ground, which is third-best in the NFL.

However, that figure is for opposing teams’ as a whole, rather than just individuals. Furthermore, if Gurley’s averaged Sunday’s output over the course of the season, he would finish with an impressive total of 1,360 rushing yards.

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Now of course, no one – including myself – would take my opinion over that of someone who’s actually playing the game. However, it’s possibly Bennett was just frustrated (and rightly so) after being swept by the Rams.

Regardless, the Avondale, Louisiana native did what he always does on Sundays’ and provided everyone with several highlight moments. Seahawks fans will now be hoping he can continue to do this for another five weeks, right through to Super Bowl 50.