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Julian Benbow says Daniel Fells is more than happy to trade Tebowmania for the Patriot Way.
"It was a circus," he said of playing with polarizing quarterback Tim Tebow, who has since moved on to the Jets. "But just like any circus, there’s good and there’s bad. So it’s just something you took it in stride."
"The media frenzy all day, every day," Fells said. "That can be somewhat of a distraction sometimes. But [Tebow is] the type of person who just takes everything in stride, and he’s a truly genuine person. So he just kind of almost brushed it off. He didn’t let it get to his head."
"This is a championship organization," said Fells, who caught three touchdowns last year. "So I didn’t really know what to expect. It’s something that I saw and welcomed the open challenge to go to an organization like this and see how things are done right in this league.
"They do things right. From an offensive standpoint, they go out there and put up points. They find the open man. It’s not about just one player. You have two good tight ends. There’s not a lot of teams that use both tight ends and get them all kinds of catches. There’s always just one guy that stands out, [but] you have a bunch of guys that stand out on this offense."
"It was definitely something that every week you turn the TV on and you’re see something new," Fells said. "Just the things they were doing, it is revolutionary. I know that Bill is the type of guy who he finds different ways to keep defenses on their toes, or keep them back on their heels. They don’t really know what to expect. They don’t really know what’s going on. So he’s an innovator in that sense."
TEAM TALK
- Andy Hart tackles the Ask PFW mailbag: Spring of hope, competition.
- Conference Call transcripts: Troy Brown and Fred Marion.
- Patriots Today - Meet TE Daniel Fells. (3.21 min. video)
- Patriots Today - Wish granted for Cole. (2.16 min. video)
- PFW in Progress - The PFW crew discusses the latest Patriots and NFL news. Patriots TE Daniel Fells joins them. (2 hour program)
LOCAL LINKS
- Field Yates notes Patriots TE Daniel Fells sees the value in joining a NE offense quarterbacked by To Brady and is anxious to work with him.
- Paul Kenyon writes about the new dimension Daniel Fells brings to the tight-end combo, besides his age and his wisdom.
- CSNNE reports Matt Lights says spygate was blown out of proportion "unless you're a Jet fan or somebody that truly has a hatred for New England..."
- Jeff Howe thinks Matt Light may have an outside chance to reach Canton and 19 other Patriots thoughts.
- Field Yates reports Troy Brown would like to be remembered as a football player, who 'could do a little bit of everything well.'
- Mike Reiss reports that Fred Marion still wears the Patriots colors proudly, and wishes he could have played for the team under Kraft's ownership.
- Mike Reiss debates the chances of Brian Waters, Gerard Warren, Bobby Carpenter and Nate Ebner making the 53-man roster.
- Karen Guregian catches up with Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman at a charity event - Their remembrance of rookie minicamp brought pained expressions to both.
- Mike Reiss takes a closer look at veteran DL Gerard Warren's one-year contract, and what it might mean for the Patriots.
- Mike Reiss answers his weekly reader mailbag: How the new guys will fit in.
- Tom Layman Patriots Notebook: TE Daniel Fells met with the media for the first time yesterday, excited about joining the league's top TE group; Fred Marion was speechless when the organization called to tell him he was one of the nominees for the Pats Hall of Fame; Troy Brown says he was lucky to get a call back after being cut early in his career.
- The Herald Inside Track caught Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman delivering hundreds of roses to the teachers at the Franciscan Hospital for Children.
NATIONAL NEWS
- Mike Chappell (Indy Star) Colts should have brought Joe Addai back; now he's a Patriot.
- James Walker (ESPN) Ranking AFC East running backs.
- Matt Bowen (Nat'l Football Post) Breaking down the Patriots 'Joker' personnel: A look at the 'Smash-7' with Gronkowski and Hernandez.
- Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) Power Rankings: While Peyton wins offseason, Eli's Giants still favorite. Patriots 4th (behind Giants, Packers & Texans)
- Don Banks (SI) Plenty of position battles to keep an eye on as minicamps progress.
- Pat Kirwan (CBS Sports) Third-down sacks: Seeking biggest stops a defense can get.
- Peter King (SI) MMQB Tuesday Edition and mail.
- Gary Mihoces (USA Today) Another lockout for NFL? Refs deal expires at end of month.
- Jeffri Chadiha (ESPN) Players are Goodell's toughest critics.
- Jemele Hill (ESPN) Football's do-good side.
- Anna McDonald (ESPN) Bulger: Concussions part of the game.
- Clifton Brown (Sporting News) NFL concussion conundrum: Can safety, violence co-exist?
- Mike Freeman (CBS Sports) Study: NFL players living longer than general population.
- Rick Reilly (ESPN) Vilma's options not appealing.
- Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Cris Carter admits to using bounties during his career.