HOUSTON – Behind a large partition, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady were answering questions, their disembodied voices sounding faint and distorted.
Martellus Bennett, the first player other than Brady to arrive, pulled back a curtain and squealed "To-om!'' like a groupie, then made his way to the middle of the main conference room of the New England Patriots' hotel in Houston.
Bennett arrived at a table bearing two nameplates: His and Michael Floyd's.
Bennett found a dozen people waiting for him, four behind cameras. He wore gold chains and a large smile. He talked about Chance The Rapper and his favorite restaurants. He told jokes as if preparing for his next career, and he was in the middle of a punch line when Floyd sat down in the only empty seat at the table.
Floyd is trying to become the third alum of Cretin-Derham Hall High to win a Super Bowl in the last five seasons, along with Ravens center Matt Birk and Broncos tackle Ryan Harris. Floyd plays receiver for the Patriots and — who knows? — could become one of the uncelebrated players who makes a big play in the big game, could become a footnote in the history of the Patriots' sporadic dynasty.
But there were reasons Bennett commanded so much attention and Floyd did not and those reasons did not all have to do with gregariousness.
In 2013, Floyd's career took a leap forward. He caught 65 passes for 1,041 yards in his second season with the Arizona Cardinals. With fellow Twin Cities native Larry Fitzgerald supposedly nearing retirement and the Cardinals seemingly on the rise, stardom seemed a possibility.
Fitzgerald didn't fade but Floyd did. Two mediocre seasons led to 2016, when he caught just 33 passes for 446 yards in the first 13 games.
