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          Patriots TE Martellus Bennett really likes bacon

          • Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff WriterDec 29, 2016, 07:25 PM
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              Mike Reiss is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the New England Patriots. Reiss has covered the Patriots since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2009. In 2019, he was named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. You can follow Reiss on Twitter at @MikeReiss.
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          FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett talked to reporters Thursday about how rewarding it is to strike gold with hard work leading to a successful football play. Then his thoughts veered far off course to his love of bacon.

          It all started when Bennett was asked how he overcomes frustration and adversity during a season in which he doesn't strike gold.

          "I just take my metal detector and look somewhere else and dig again," he said. "Hopefully, I find gold there. If I don't find gold there, I find another spot and I start digging. That's life. I never really get frustrated without finding gold. You don't hit gold every time you dig. Otherwise, everybody would have stayed out West when they went for the gold rush. A lot of people went back."

          When Bennett was told that some went to Canada, he played along.

          "I know, I bet they wish they didn't do that," he said, laughing. "No one likes Canadian bacon."

          And from there, here's the Q&A:

          Question: It's not even bacon.

          Bennett: It's not. It's like a different form of ham. I prefer crispy bacon. American bacon. Good American bacon. The grease. The kind that crunches when you chew it. You don't even chew it, you just bite it. Crunchy bacon. Bacon is delicious. I haven't met too many people that don't; my wife doesn't even like pork and she eats bacon. Bacon doesn't even count; it's like in its own food category. Bacon is bacon. There's, like, everything else and then bacon is over here. I like bacon.

          Question: It's so good, they wrap it around other food to make that food better.

          Bennett: Yeah! You put bacon around scallops and bacon around other things. Bacon on a burger. Bacon on a pizza. Bacon at anytime is good.

          Question: Even on a salad.

          Bennett: Salad is good. Bacon bits! Real bacon, though. Bacon is good. I like bacon. I said that a couple times, but bacon is good. My dog eats bacon. Who doesn't like bacon?