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Katherine Smith, The Tampa Tribune, published 31 December 2007
Michael Bennett helped make history Sunday. Not bad for a guy who has spent most of his time with Tampa Bay pacing the sideline.
Bennett capped a 98-yard scoring drive, the longest in Bucs history, by catching a 23-yard screen pass for a touchdown. A drive that began on the 2-yard line ended with the Bucs running back celebrating in the end zone.
That distance served as a testament to how far Bennett has come this season. "Just to get out there and get in the huddle with the offensive line, get in there with the quarterback and joke around, you really kind of miss that stuff," Bennett said. "To be able to get in there and make some plays definitely felt good."
After the Bucs acquired Bennett on Oct. 16 via a trade with Kansas City, the seven-year veteran bided his time by learning the extensive playbook. He showed off his knowledge on Sunday against Carolina when he had a team-high 15 carries for 39 yards.
On the history-making scoring drive, Bennett began the series with three consecutive carries, including an 11-yard run. Though Bennett credited the offensive line for key blocks on the screen pass, center John Wade credited Bennett's speed for the TD.
"We know he has tremendous speed and I think he's been doing a great job understanding our system and picking up the blitz and stuff like that," Wade said. "He's displayed several times this year the kind of explosive plays he can make when he gets on the field. Michael Bennett is a great asset to this offense and we're going to need him down the stretch."
Getting his most extensive action as a Buccaneer, Bennett hopes Sunday's performance leads to playing time in the postseason. "I think anytime I get the ball, I just want to show something whether it's in practice or in a game," Bennett said. "I just want to go out and play football. My thing is to continue to get better and to show Coach that by me making plays on the field, he can have confidence in putting me in. I think I did a pretty decent job of that today."
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