One minute, Bennett claims to be the best dancer in Dallas. He showed off the "D-Town Boogy" after scoring against the 49ers. He did the "Stanky Leg" after a touchdown catch Thursday against the Seahawks.

In the locker room, everyone's a target. Bennett ragged on receiver Roy Williams and called him a Martian. He thinks Leonard Davis talks too slowly. As for Tony Romo, "We're the same. We're both goofy."

Its doubtful Romo gets his dog's toenails painted. Jupiter, Bennett's Great Dane, has maroon nails. Mozart, a Siberian husky, doesn't get such lavish treatment.

"They do what I do; they're lazy," Bennett said. "All they want is to have their head rubbed every once in a while."

His life's creed: "I don't sell drugs. I don't smoke weed. I just love women."

The HBO series Hard Knocks portrayed Bennett as a goofy character who couldn't care less about the Cowboys or being a professional Football player. Oh, they nailed the goofy part. But when Bennett turns serious, it's clear he cares deeply about the franchise and playing well.

Getting the rookie tight end to be serious, even for a moment, is the hard part.

"He's young. It's pure and simple," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. "He's just like my dad told me one time, 'If you'd quit trying to be so funny, you might get something done. Get serious with me, will ya?' My dad told me that, because I needed to quit screwing around."

Does Jones tell Bennett that?

"Yes, he gets told that quite a bit," the owner said with a smile.

Bennett has come a long way since training camp, when tight ends coach John Garrett harped on Bennett to hold the ball "high and tight." Bennett has developed into a solid run blocker and caught touchdown passes in three straight games.

"Three-peat like the Lakers, without Shaq," Bennett said.

Texas A&M fans know all about Bennett's chicanery. On Internet message boards, they called him Tellus, because he'd "tell us" all about it.

The Houston native will comment on anything. But Bennett also lashed out at his teammates after A&M lost to Missouri last season. He challenged the Aggies to play harder at the start of games.

There is a competitive fire burning deep within his tattooed 6-6 frame.

"I think people look at me the wrong way and probably still do," Bennett said. "That's part of life. I'm 21, I'm a millionaire and playing Football for the Dallas Cowboys - my favorite team growing up. I'm just living the life. I'm doing it the right way and have fun doing it.

"Most people look at me like I'm 70 years old and talk about how this is a chance of a lifetime. I've never messed up my chance at anything. I've been the same way since college."

Earlier this season, Bennett said he thought Jason Witten hated him for his lackadaisical approach. The two may never form any special bond, but the relationship appears to be improving.

"Yeah, I think Martellus is definitely growing up," Witten said. "He doesn't need any extra coaching. He's got a lot of confidence in what he can do. If I say something or talk to him on most of our combos that we're together on, I think he does a good job of listening."

If Bennett keeps producing, he could go down as one of the most colorful characters in Cowboys history. If not, the team will cut all ties and he'll be forgotten in a snap.

Bennett knows it's all up to him.

"I'm kind of cocky when it comes to playing on the field," he said. "I don't think anyone on this team has expectations any higher than the ones I set for myself."

IN THE KNOW Martellus Bennett

AGE: 21 (Born March 10, 1987)

HT., WT.: 6-6, 252

Cowboys: Tight end has 15 catches for 242 yards and four touchdowns. Also two special teams tackles.

HIGH SCHOOL: Consensus high school All-American and first-team all-state at Alief (Texas) Taylor after catching 42 passes for 487 yards and six touchdowns as a senior.

TEXAS A&M: Started 23 of 36 games in three seasons. Caught 105 passes for 1,246 yards and 10 touchdowns. Left school after his junior year to go into the NFL draft.

FAMILY: Son of Pennie and Michael Bennett of Houston. His older brother, Michael, is a senior defensive lineman at Texas A&M.

Next Sunday, 3:15 p.m. (Ch. 4)