The Seattle Seahawks continue to circle the wagons following an ESPN report that pitted the offense versus the defense.
On Wednesday, defensive end Michael Bennett defended Russell Wilson during an interview on KIRO-AM, noting the Seahawks wouldn't be Super Bowl contenders without Wilson.
"On a team with competitive people, there's going to be issues that are going to happen," Bennett said, via MyNorthWest.com. "There's just a lot of alpha males running around. But everybody supports Russell Wilson. We cannot win a game without Russell Wilson. Russell Wilson is a top-five quarterback in the NFL. We cannot win a game without a guy like that."
Bennett's comments follow fellow teammatesDoug Baldwin and Richard Sherman dismissing any locker-room issues.
Part of the ESPN report revolved around how some defensive players viewed a difference between how Wilson and the offense were treated compared to the defense.
"We fight for one another just like I'm fighting for the other 52 guys out there. I'm fighting for him and he's fighting for us," Sherman told reporters Wednesday. "We have great appreciation for how tough our quarterback is and what he's playing through. You know, last year he played through a number of injuries.... He's doing that for the guys next to him, and we appreciate that."
Bennett said Wednesday that it's nothing new for quarterbacks, at every level, are treated differently.
"Everybody knows quarterbacks are treated different," he said. "Even when I was a quarterback when I was like 7 or 6, I was treated good. I used to get more snack boxes, I used to get more Capri Suns than the other players."
Continued Bennett: "But back then I used to get treated better than the rest of the players. I got more Lunchables than the next guy. But that's just the story. Quarterbacks are treated better in the NFL simply because they are the organization. If you go on a team and another player, if the receiver is the highest player on your organization, you're not a winning team. If the quarterback is the best player, the most predominant player that everybody knows, most likely you're a playoff team."
One thing is certain: We could all use more Capri Suns.