Why no love for Benson?

[Peens 0]

Jacobs > Benson

 

It's a gut feeling.

 

Both will perform as a solid #2 rb. Just a gut feeling.

[Vince44 205]

I am very high on him and think he will be a Top 10-15 FF RB this year. The guy showed flashes last year when he split carries and even when it was a 75/25 in favor of TJ. Benson is going to get loads of carries and all red zone work and I don't see any RBBC if he is healthy.

[ddies23 0]

I am very high on him and think he will be a Top 10-15 FF RB this year. The guy showed flashes last year when he split carries and even when it was a 75/25 in favor of TJ. Benson is going to get loads of carries and all red zone work and I don't see any RBBC if he is healthy.

 

 

Completley agree. All this talk about Adrian Peterson splitting carries is going to prove to be coach's speak. Yes, he has performed well when called upon, but if he were that good that they want to get him more involved to the point of splitting carries, they would have done it years ago. He is nothing more than a very good special teamer and will spell Benson occasionally.

[jaxjag 43]

Someone will take the chance on Mr. Benson... but it won't be me.

 

Yes, he is now a feature back and no longer has to contend with Thomas Jones. You can't argue with his opportunity... and in the RB supply/demand equation, you know he will go early because, after all, he is a RB.

 

But will he step up and produce like a feature back? Maybe... but I don't like what I've seen so far. Little contribution for someone drafted so high. 9 receptions in two years? Still hasn't carried the ball more than 16 times in a game? And an injury history? This is the guy that is going to get 3-6 receptions a game and 20+ carries?

 

The biggest red flag to me is character and attitude. Lacking the respect of your teammates is not good. Is he a "new man"? Maybe. Maybe not. Time will tell. Here is a sampling of the last year's news briefs on Benson. The theme is usually negative. I think this is why "Benson lacks the love".

 

Cedric Benson had shoulder-wrap

The Sun-Times reports Bears RB Cedric Benson "had his left shoulder wrapped Saturday but is not seriously injured." Apparently Benson ran through some holes in 7-on-7's but was held out for contact drills. We get more emails about Benson - "Why is he ranked so low?" - than anyone else. Besides the fact that he seems like he could walk out at any moment, a la Ricky, do you also get the feeling he's like, bird-boned?

Posted on Aug 06, 2007 - 10:15 AM

 

Cedric Benson blabbing again

Bears RB Cedric Benson told the Sun-Times that Thomas Jones punched him in the face before the Oct. 16 game vs. Arizona. "I was able to sit down in my locker and think back on that situation and feel this guy is so intimidated by me, he cannot hold his composure around me," Benson said. "So I left it alone." Man, this kid is totally Ricky-weird, which is ironic because they're both from Texas. First of all, if Thomas Jones punched you why didn't you punch him back? Your teammates already doubt you as a teammate and as a leader. Last summer safety Mike Brown purposely slammed Benson's shoulder and put him a sling. Two weeks later Benson was turned in by his teammates for leaving the sidelines of a preseason game. They defintely miss Thomas Jones and his lunch-pail attitude. Why bring up the punch now?

Posted on Jul 29, 2007 - 1:59 PM

 

Cedric Benson ready for '07

Pro Football Weekly reports: "With Thomas Jones no longer in the picture, Bears RB Cedric Benson is thrilled to be carrying the load and eager to do so. We’re told the team earnestly believes he’s the better player between the two backs." We definitely haven't thrown any man-love Benson's way yet this offseason, giving him a tepid 855 yards & 7 TDs when first opening the MVP Board. It might be his injury history the last three years that bugs us. A sprained right MCL in 2005, the infamous left shoulder injury in 2006 camp, then the sprained left MCL in the Super Bowl. Nothing major, but nothing to ignore either... not when contact-running is his thing. We're convinced rookie gnat-back Garrett Wolfe will be deployed too, possibly in a Leon Washington-type role to tire out defenders. However, the bottom line is Thomas Jones *is* gone... and Benson ain't hurt yet, so we just raised his projections a bit.

Posted on Jul 10, 2007 - 1:21 AM

 

Bears draft RB in 3rd round

The Chicago Tribune reports: "In the third round the Bears pulled a surprise by taking Northern Illinois RB Garrett Wolfe with the first of back-to-back selections. Wolfe was a superproductive college player but doesn't appear to have the size to survive in the NFL as an every-down player. Greg Gabriel, the Bears' director of college scouting, compared him to former Giant Dave Meggett, but offensive coordinator Ron Turner thought of another name. 'He reminds me of Warrick Dunn more than anybody,' Turner said of the Atlanta Falcons star who was drafted by Tampa Bay back when Jerry Angelo was their draft guru. 'He has the same kind of burst, the same kind of quickness and acceleration to get through the hole.' Turner added that Wolfe could come in for "12 plays" to spell Cedric Benson.

Posted on Apr 30, 2007 - 1:33 PM

 

Cedric Benson's knee should be OK

Bears RB Cedric Benson's MRI on his left knee was negative. It's being called a sprained MCL which should heal with a couple months' rest. Benson, who twisted the knee on his 2nd carry in the Super Bowl, is demonstrating quite the injury risk: He sprained his right MCL in 2005 and missed 6 games. Last year he busted up his shoulder in an intrasquad scrimmage.

Posted on Feb 14, 2007 - 10:33 AM

 

ESPN: Thomas Jones update

ESPN's Ron Jaworski said: "Thomas Jones has tender ribs so with the playoff home-field already clinched I expect to Cedric Benson to get the touches."

Posted on Dec 24, 2006 - 11:47 AM

 

Bears will trade Cedric Benson?

Bill Williamson of the Denver Post reports the Chicago Bears might consider trading Cedric Benson to the Broncos after the season. His speculative theory is based on the fact that Benson's base salaries going forward on that rookie contract are cheap. We like Williamson a lot -- he puts up with our constant calls & e-mails about the Broncos RB carousel -- but he's way off on this one. Benson was their 4th overall draft pick just two years ago and they gave him $16 million up front to sign the deal. He hasn't even had a 20-carry game yet. If anyone's going to get traded it's Thomas Jones, because he's 4 years older and the cap hit would be manageable. We will say this: Never count out the Denver Broncos on any wild trade rumor that pops up...

Posted on Dec 20, 2006 - 11:19 AM

 

Cedric Benson will get more carries

Thomas Jones had treatment on his ankle Wednesday and is listed as questionable. "Hopefully, he'll be OK," Lovie Smith said. It looks like Cedric Benson will get even more carries this Sunday, especially if the Bucs wilt in the 2nd half for mop-up action.

Posted on Dec 14, 2006 - 11:40 AM

 

Bears OC on RB rotation

Bears OC Ron Turner said that RB Cedric Benson will see more carries vs. San Francisco. "He needs to be in more," Turner said. "Thomas [Jones] is a very good player and we're going to get Thomas his carries, but we believe Cedric is, too, and we've got to get him in." It won't be hard to give Benson more carries considering he only had 1 carry in his last game (vs. Arizona). We wouldn't expect more than 10 carries, mostly in 2nd half clock-grinding mode, but Benson is becoming an intriguing flex player in TD leagues.

Posted on Oct 26, 2006 - 10:58 AM

 

Benson grumbling about role

The Daily Herald reports Chicago Bears RB Cedric Benson says he needs more carries to get into a rhythm rather than spelling Thomas Jones for a series or two. "I'll probably never really get there unless I get into the starting role," Benson said. "It'll be hard for me to get there coming into the game for a series and then sit for three or four series and then coming back in for a couple series. I'll never really get into a groove. I'm going to try real hard to find it, though, on my couple of series." Meanwhile, to his credit, Jones hasn't said a word about losing TDs yet. The coaches did find out he was short of 100 yards last week and let him go back in late to top the mark.

Posted on Oct 12, 2006 - 2:03 PM

 

Benson not ready yet

Bears HC Lovie Smith named Thomas Jones the starter for Week 1. Cedric Benson's shoulder is a bit of a mystery but we know that he hasn't practiced in a month. Jones gets a boost in his 2006 projections and makes a solid #2 RB (or Flex player) at Green Bay this Sunday.

Posted on Sep 05, 2006 - 8:38 PM

 

Bears players ratted out RB

Bears RB Cedric Benson (shoulder), who just returned to practice Monday, got chewed out by HC Lovie Smith for leaving the sideline Friday during the preseason game vs. San Diego and skipping the mandatory postgame meeting. Here's the kicker: His teammates didn't approve and a few of them ran and told on Benson! The 2nd-year RB said he did not actually leave the stadium but watched the game from the office of equipment manager Tony Medlin, which is against team rules. This latest story, coupled with the rumor that his defensive teammates were hitting him extra hard in drills as a show of support for Thomas Jones, makes us feel that Benson might be better off somewhere else. The 49ers turned against Kevan Barlow and the offensive linemen stopped giving 110% for him on every play.

Posted on Aug 22, 2006 - 1:31 PM

 

Bears RB updates

Bears RB Thomas Jones practiced with the scout team Wednesday - the last day of training camp - after dealing with a strained hamstring the last 3 weeks. "It felt good to get back out there and run around a little bit," Jones said. "I was excited about it." Jones wore a helmet, shoulder pads and shorts so it wasn't a full-on workout. Sources are reporting he was running smoothly as if nothing were ailing him. Now that the season is getting closer the chances of Jones being traded are dwindling. Cedric Benson is still sidelined after injuring his shoulder Aug. 4. Doctors haven't cleared him yet. Adrian Peterson continues to take first-team reps for now. Here's something for fantasy GMs to look forward to: Our source tells us both Jones and Benson could play next week in the tune-up game at home vs. Arizona. Mano a mano. Customers know we have a soft spot for TJ but you have to follow the money -- Benson pocketed $17m guaranteed last year and got first-team reps through the entire offseason.

Posted on Aug 17, 2006 - 12:21 PM

 

Cedric Benson shoulder news

Cedric Benson's shoulder injury was reportedly a dislocation. It popped out of the joint for a second, then popped back into place. We think it was safety Mike Browns's ping-pong hit after Brian Urlacher's that did it. Benson is expected to miss the rest of training camp -- which opens the door for Thomas Jones to impress and force an RBBC, if not steal the job back outright. Benson's injury is a legitimate setback for him.

Posted on Aug 07, 2006 - 5:12 PM

[mozzy84 0]

who the fock cares about news from last august and a bunch of crap from pft

[ddies23 0]

who the fock cares about news from last august and a bunch of crap from pft

 

 

[TD Ryan2 316]

Aside from the minimal injury concerns, why is Benson consistanly falling to the late second, even the third round in mock drafts. I see a potential stud RB here. He has tons of upside. He has virtually no competition at the position and he is on a Super Bowl caliber team that loves to run the rock. Jones and Benson combined for 1857 yds and 12 td's last season. Benson is certain to get 20-25 carries a game.

 

How is his position any different than players like Gore, Addai or Maroney. All are young players, coming off decent seasons. The fact that they now are being put into a featured role has their stock skyrocketing. They are being picked in the top 10, if not the top 5, yet Benson is being considered nothing more than a solid RB2! What gives?!?

 

 

this was your original post in this topic.

 

posters are giving you reasons why Benson isn't regarded as highly as others RBs, but you've already made up your mind.

 

 

Benson is risky. He hasn't proven much yet in his career. He's a bit flaky (in the head). Not sure what else you want here.

[ddies23 0]

this was your original post in this topic.

 

posters are giving you reasons why Benson isn't regarded as highly as others RBs, but you've already made up your mind.

Benson is risky. He hasn't proven much yet in his career. He's a bit flaky (in the head). Not sure what else you want here.

 

 

You could be right. Maybe I have already made up my mind. I just want to hear as much as possible to prove/disprove my projections on this guy. I obviously think much more of him than most, but I appreciate the responses.

 

But at the same time, Maroney and Addai havent proven much in their careers either and are also risky, but are being drafted 10-20 spots ahead of Benson.

[TD Ryan2 316]

You could be right. Maybe I have already made up my mind. I just want to hear as much as possible to prove/disprove my projections on this guy. I obviously think much more of him than most, but I appreciate the responses.

 

But at the same time, Maroney and Addai havent proven much in their careers either and are also risky, but are being drafted 10-20 spots ahead of Benson.

 

fair enough.

 

why is Addai being drafted higher?

- He's on the Colts' explosive offense

- he put up excellent numbers as a rookie in a RBBC and is now the feature guy

- he seems durable, even avoided the "rookie wall" and ran well at the end of the year

- he catches passes

 

Why is Maroney being drafted higher?

- He's on the NE's offense which boasts one of the better O-lines, has modified their blocking schemes to suite Maroney's running style and has Brady and Big Name WRs to keep D's honest.

- He looked fantastic early on last year. Those who watched him play are drooling over his potential. If you watch Maroney, Addai, and Benson, Maroney looks to be playing at a faster speed than all of them... "cartoon fast" as it was once put.

- He's not a "power type" RB like Benson. Power RB who don't catch passes are less valuable in FFball.

- His injury concerns are the only thing that prevent him from being drafted as high as Addai

 

 

A late 2nd, early 3rd round selection in Fantasy Football is incredibly high. That's where Benson is going. So it isn't like he isn't getting any love, because he is. Owners are hinging their seasons on this guy.

When you're talking about picks that early, the fear of a BUST is huge. Anything negative about a player is magnified and unfortunately for Benson, there's been a lot of negative out there.

Negatives with Addai? none really. Maybe Tarik Glenn's retirement, but that isn't about Addai personally.

Negatives about Maroney? only the shoulder injury.

Negatives about Benson? yikes. Considerably more turmoil surrounding him that the other 2, both mentally, physically, and situation/team wise.

[jaxjag 43]

who the fock cares about news from last august and a bunch of crap from pft

 

You can roll your eyes until the cows come home but I provided a full year of news briefs on Benson. No edits, no omissions. It details his injury history and documents a history of attitude and character issues. I also answered the original poster's question. Why are people down on Benson?

 

[swamp dog 0]

the verdict is officially in: benson blows.

 

the end.

 

move along. nothing more to see or debate on this subject. ever again.

[dingleberries 0]

I agree I wasted a 3rd round pick on this loser. Fock u Benson u may be WW material

[nicewolf64 0]

I agree I wasted a 3rd round pick on this loser. Fock u Benson u may be WW material

well, benson always said he was nothing like ricky, and he's right. ricky could play.