Fellow Pro Bowlers can't believe Seahawks' Bennett is playing in game for 1st time

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett is recognized as one of the best players at his position, but his play had never earned him a Pro Bowl berth before this season, a fact that many of his fellow Pro Bowlers couldn't believe.

"This isn't his first one?" San Francisco 49ers left tackle Joe Staley said, according to John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site. "You mean like the first he came to, right?"

"No way," Staley said when he was informed that Bennett, who has been an instrumental part of the Seahawks' recent success, was indeed invited to the Pro Bowl for the first time. "That's very surprising. I thought he just hadn’t come because of Super Bowls.

"He's, in my opinion, probably the top defensive end in the NFL," Staley added.

Green Bay Packers guard Josh Sitton was equally shocked when he heard Bennett had been so consistently overlooked.

"This is his first one?" Sitton said. "That's crazy. That's nuts. He's hard to block, man."

Bennett finally gained the recognition from his peers and coaches around the league after racking up a career-high 10 sacks in 2015, for which he expressed his gratitude.

"Finally getting a chance to be here, probably makes me a little more thankful for the opportunity," Bennett said. "I feel like I should have been here sooner, but it's just cool to get a chance to finally come out here."

Bennett also got the chance to spend time with some of his former Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammates at the Pro Bowl, but couldn't resist throwing some shade their way.

"It's always fun to see those guys," Bennett said. "A lot of us came in at the same time. They're Pro Bowlers, I’m a Pro Bowler; I'm a Super Bowl champion, they're not. No, it’s cool to see those guys. I still have a good relationship with them. I still talk to Gerald (McCoy) all the time during the season, we’re good friends, Lavonte (David), all those guys."