Ryan Pace Disses Martellus Bennett

Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace heaped praise on tight end Zach Miller, while indirectly dissing traded tight end Martellus Bennett.

As Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace talked about re-signing tight end Zach Miller, between the lines it certainly sounded like he was describing exactly the opposite of former Bears tight end Martellus Bennett.

Doing a free agency wrap up chat with ChicagoBears.com, Ryan Pace addressed a number of the Bears signings and a couple of the players they brought back.  Here’s what he said about tight end Zach Miller:

"One of the Bears’ free agents you re-signed was Zach Miller. How valuable is he?“When we talk about the kind of teammates that we want here, Zach embodies that to a tee with his work ethic, his preparation and his attitude. He’s just a pleasure to have in the building, and it’s infectious just being around him. In addition to that, his game elevated last year. Credit him for staying healthy and doing all the little things and being proactive with injury prevention. We expect a big season from Zach. He’s going to excel in this offense and we’re really excited to have him back.”"

That sure sounds like he’s checking all of the boxes for reasons why the Bears traded away Martellus Bennett and a sixth round pick to the New England Patriots for a fourth round selection.  Zach Miller is the kind of teammate you want because Bennett was the type of teammate you don’t.  Work ethic, preparation and attitude?  Those are not the traits Bennett most exhibited during his stint with the Bears.

There’s no questioning Bennett’s production during his time with the Bears, but his attitude and motivation often came into question.  Along with teammate Shea McClellin, they’re both Bill Belichick’s problems now.  Belichick addressed the media at the NFL owner’s meetings and had little to offer about the addition of either former Bears player:

"Former Bears linebacker Shea McClellin signed a three-year, $8.95 deal with the Patriots last week. With a $2.5 million signing bonus plus a fully guaranteed $1 million base salary for 2016, it’d seem McClellin is in line to take on a significant role.Thoughts, Bill?“All the players that we added to our team we felt like could help our team,” Belichick said. “That’s why we added them. So …”And what about Martellus Bennett, also a former Bear who landed in New England via trade last week? What about the big tight end’s skill set had intrigued the Patriots?Pull string.“Again,” Belichick said, “we’re happy to add all of the players that we’ve added to our team. We’ll put him out there. And we’ll see how it goes.”"

While Pace said little more than Belichick, his words spoke volumes about how he felt about Martellus Bennett and why Bennett is a former Bear.