Michael Bennett Delivers Screaming Message To Cowboys Teammates After Thanksgiving Dud Vs. Bills

By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) -- Not long ago, Michael Bennett was a member of the best defense in football, playing for an undefeated Patriots team. Bennett, though, wasn't particularly pleased with the way the coaching staff was employing him, so the veteran managed to find his way off the team.

A month later, Bennett is learning that the grass is not always greener on the other side.

One week after returning to Foxboro and losing, Bennett was part of the Cowboys' Thanksgiving Day dud, a 26-15 loss to Buffalo that dropped the Cowboys to 6-6 on the season. They're still in first place in the NFC East, but after losing three of their last four, the team appears to be in disarray.

And interestingly enough, when the Cowboys returned to their locker room after that loss on Thursday, it wasn't a longtime member of the Cowboys who stood up and delivered an impassioned message in the locker room. Instead, it was the newcomer.

After a couple of lackluster showings, Bennett implored his new teammates to find a way to simply be better.

"Because it's important that we understand that it's a small window that we have," Bennett explained, according to Michael Gelhken of The Dallas News. "We've got all the great players. The only thing we've got to do is execute in adversity. The enemy against greatness is the unwillingness to change. We've got to be able to change some of the things that we've been doing to demand more from ourselves and become the people we want to be.

"Every opportunity is in front of us, but it's just on us to capitalize. To win, you've got to sacrifice a lot. It's going to hurt. It's painful. You play through injury, but you do it because you have to. To win that championship, to win that Lombardi, there's no feeling like that. And that takes a lot."

Bennett's credibility comes from his Super Bowl victory as a member of the Seattle Seahawks, who stifled Peyton Manning's offense in a 43-8 victory in Super Bowl XLVIII. Bennett would have two Super Bowls to his name, if not for the exploits of Malcolm Butler (and the decisions of Darrell Bevell/Pete Carroll.)

"The champions are the people that get remembered," Bennett told Gelhken. "They don't remember who got the biggest contract. A whole bunch of great players got great contracts, but they don't get remembered as champions. Champions are the ones who get the gold plates and the jackets and they understand what it takes to win. That's just a certain mind-set. That's just a certain ability to play tough in adverse moments."

Thus far this season, the Cowboys haven't been able to handle much adversity. Their six wins have come against teams that are a combined 16-50-1. Their six losses have come against five teams that currently hold playoff sport, plus the Jets.

Instead of talking about champions and championships, Bennett and the Cowboys might want to start a little bit simpler. Perhaps setting their sights on winning one game against a team that's actually good, or maybe completing a simple pass on fourth-and-goal, or maybe having a head coach with a firmer grasp on the game -- any of that would be a fair place for the Cowboys to start.

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• New England Patriots
• Dallas Cowboys