Michael Bennett's time with the New England Patriots may not have gone as expected, as the defensive lineman played in six games with the club and saw limited snaps until eventually being traded to the Dallas Cowboys last month.

This Sunday, Bennett will face the Patriots as an opponent, as the Cowboys will host New England in a pivotal Week 12 matchup.

But instead of criticizing his now-former organization, Bennett had high praise for Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, calling him a “savant”:

“I learned a lot of football in New England,” Bennett said, according to Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. “As a player, you go into the situation, and you think you know football. Then, you meet somebody who’s above you and knows everything about the game. For me, I learned a lot about football in that situation, learning how to execute at a high level, learning what it takes to develop players. I learned what it feels like to break down a game plan from a different perspective, and I think it was good for me as a player. If I ever want to be a coach, it would be a good situation to take into that.”

In three games with the Cowboys, Bennett has seen an uptick in playing time, and his production has increased as a result, as he has logged eight tackles and three sacks with the club thus far.

Bennett isn't sure why things didn't work out with the Pats, saying “I'm not the coach,” but it also seems clear that he doesn't harbor a whole lot of ill will toward the team that evidently did not feel he was up to the challenge of consistently playing week in and week out.

Dallas is 6-4 on the season.