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Michael Bennett, left, and brother Martellus will line up against each other on Sunday for the third time in an NFL regular-season game. The siblings met in 2011 (when this photo was shot) and in 2012. They also played in a 2014 preseason game with their current teams. (AP)

Bennett brothers on opposite sides when Seahawks face Bears

Curtis Crabtree Associated Press
RENTON, Wash. — Michael Bennett dislikes playing against his brother Martellus, so much so that he nearly signed with the Chicago Bears in free agency last year to avoid having to face him again. The Bears travel to Seattle on Sunday to face Michael’s Seahawks. It’s just the third time the brothers have had to play against each other in the regular season since the two entered the league — Martellus in 2008 and Michael in 2009. “I don’t like playing against my brother. It’s just hard to make your mindset go against somebody that’s your family,” Michael said. Michael, a defensive end, and Martellus, a tight end, always played on the same team growing up. They played together in high school and again at Texas A&M. It wasn’t until Martellus’ Dallas Cowboys played Michael’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2011 that the two had to line up against each other in a game. “We’ve never been two of those brothers that are super competitive against each other,” Martellus said. “We’ve always been on the same team. So I kind of dread lining up against him, but it’s just one of those things that we have to do.” The two met again the following season when the Buccaneers took on the New York Giants and once more in a preseason game last year between their two current teams. “It’s kind of uncomfortable,” Michael said. “You’re so aggressive up front. My niece is watching the game and how’s she going to listen to her father if I drive him back for a sack? It’s one of those things.” The brothers have a unique sense of humor and aren’t afraid to express their opinions. While most of the players in the league are constantly worried about saying the wrong thing and protecting their image, the Bennetts are perfectly content just being themselves. “I just think we’re two of the most normal people in the NFL, I think everybody else are the weird ones,” Martellus said. The two frequently Facetime each other before games and share tips on what they’ve seen from watching each other play each week. “Just talk about the things that I saw that he should work on, and he tells me the same thing,” Michael said. “But not this week. He can’t tell me any secrets.”