The Perfect Compliment for Matt Forte

[Wesson44]

The Perfect Compliment for Matt Forte: Cedric Benson by ifuwannacrownem on Feb 13, 2009 6:41 PM CST

 

There is no Denying that Matt Forte Gave us the best chance to win in 2008. He broke many rookie rushing records last season, as well as some receiving records. He also finished third in total touches behind the Vikings Adrian Peterson and the Falcons Michael Turner. Through the good, Chicago still managed to finish 24th in yards, 26, in average yards per carry, and 24 in yards per game.

 

The aforementioned teams had the right formula to constantly pound the rock: a spell-back and the threat of a deep pass. The Bears however, had their backs against the wall, and therefore ran into other walls. Do we need another back? Ron turner certainly believes so. So why don't we have a number two guy? Believe it or not, The best running mate for Forte was on our roster before the season even began.

 

 

 

Cedric benson- I know what most of you are thinking, just bear with me. The NFL is having a running back renaissance, where picking one in the first round does not always mean he'll be the feature back. For example, the carolina Panthers, who ranked third last season in total rushing yards, drafted Jonathan Stewart 13th overall. He was drafted to compliment Deangelo Williams(also a first rounder), not to take his role as starter.

 

I don't need to describe Ced to anyone on this board. In 2006, Chicago ranked 15th in the rush, but was still regarded as having one of the best tandems in the league in Jones and Benson. Benson had 157 carries for 647 yards(4.1 ypc) and six scores. Good numbers for a backup role. One play i can vividly remember is in the NFC championship game, when he took a handoff up the gut 12 yards for a score. I remember thinking "That's the working formula".

 

So what happened in 2007? Simple: Benson was put in a bad position. It's misleading to think the offensive line's decline happened in '07. The fact is, that line was bad in 2006. There's a reason why Rex Grossman won NFC player of the month for September: the Bears couldn't run the ball. The Bears ran a total of 85 rushing plays for a total of 251 yards. less than 3.0 yards per carry. For a team built to run, that was unacceptable. Sure, they got better down the stretch, but not before that infamous monday night clunker at Arizona (16-38-2.4).

 

Let's rewind four years back shall we? In 2005, the Bears had to run the ball harder to make up for having then rookie Kyle Orton under center. Jones had more cutback lanes, Benson started to hit his stride midway during the season, and when both went down with injuries, the original Adrian Peterson came in and didn't miss a beat. In fact Peterson was a solid contributor in '05, having 76 caries for 391 yards for a 5.1 average. That's what the issue was. Jones averaged 4.3 yards per carry, Benson had 4.1 yards. In 2006, the bears ran the ball 471 times (sans QB scrambles) for 1916 yards which is a 4.1 average, whereas 2005 they ran the ball 461 times for 2,025 yards for a 4.4 average: a big difference when you're talking about a game of inches.

 

Now on to 2007. Chicago ran a total of 391 plays (a very significant drop-off) for 1,276 yards for 3.3 yards. Benson was ineffective, as was Peterson, and Garrett Wolfe was used very sparingly. After the bye week Benson ran the ball more effectively, especially in Seattle and Denver before being knocked out for the year. Let me reiterate my previous statement, Benson was put in a bad position.

 

In 2008 two separate off field issues forced the bears to release Cedric, or so they say. Was that the legitimate reason? Or was it because of his work ethic? Or maybe Jerry Angelo needed a scapegoat for his absent-minded decision not to draft offensive linemen? Benson had his flaws, but not more than other players in the league, not by a long shot. Of course Benson voiced his disappointment when Angelo planned to draft another back, But would you blame him? Maybe Getting cut has humbled Benson. his numbers as a Bengal makes it look that way, as was a positive critique from T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

 

One thing that was well documented in Carolina, Tennessee and New york (giants) this past season, were good, cooperative relationships between the running backs. They even gave themselves alter egos: Smash 'n Dash, Earth, Wind and Fire, Identity and Theft. So Far, it's been Crash and Burn in the windy city. So would Benson be Forte's running mate, much less even want to come back to Chicago? Would Angelo consider bringing him back considering he's on the open market this season? If it does happen, it would be a shot at redemption.

 

For Benson and for Angelo.

[AZ54]

No way. Ced was cut for discipline issues and you don't go back down that road as management. Since we're now looking for a complimentary RB not a starter we definitely have no need to deal with the issues re-signing Ced would bring to the locker room.

[xvflutop]

Not to mention that there is no way Ced's ego would fit in a complementary role. Remember according to Ced he would've had 126,050 yards rushing last year if he had Forte's running lanes... in one game

[bowlingtwig]

Not to mention that there is no way Ced's ego would fit in a complementary role. Remember according to Ced he would've had 126,050 yards rushing last year if he had Forte's running lanes... in one game

Cedric still thinks he is god. Good luck trying to get everyone to believe you.

[Connorbear]

2 words - hell no.

 

Peace

[jason]

I completely disagree with the major point of the writeup. In summary:

 

1) Benson will never come back to the Bears

2) The Bears would never pick up Benson

3) The problem wasn't really the RBs, it was the OL (big surprise)

4) The Bears may already have a complimentary RB (Wolfe), but the OC staff is incompetent and doesn't put their players on the field to give them shots. (Which is nearly the same reason that a WR that started most of the season got cut - Booker, and another had tons of drops - Davis, while a promising rookie languished on the bench.)

[nfoligno]

He actually looked pretty good last year w/ Cincy. I think it is a legit point. He is going to be looking for more than a compliment role, and w/ the way he performed at the end of the season, I think he could get it, especially w/ the weak RB FA class.

 

Think about the path TJ took. He was a bust in Az, and was signed by TB. He didn't have a good start there either, but toward the end of the season, he started to look very good, and was given a chance (by us) to be the feature back, and took off w/ it.

 

While my overall expectations for Benson were lowered (from the draft) I always felt that he could have been much better than what we saw. He felt the enemy from day one in our locker-room, and obviously doesn't have the mental makeup to deal w/ that. Thus, a fresh start was needed for him. Now that he has that, I wonder if he can't in fact become a legit 1,200 rusher.

 

Cedric still thinks he is god. Good luck trying to get everyone to believe you.

[nfoligno]

I was a Benson apologist, and still believe he can do well in the NFL, and even I am saying no way. Many talk about the OL holding him back, and I agree, but I believe there is an even greater aspect. From the day Benson entered the locker room, he felt like public enemy #1. He was a holdout, and we drafted to replace a guy VERY popular w/ the rest of the team (TJ). He talked from the get go about how players were trying to hurt him in practice. Anyway, regardless of how true or false that was, it was what he believed. Some players take that chip on their shoulder and just play better. Benson obviously doesn't have the mental makeup to deal w/ things that way. He went into a shell, and that only made his feeling isolated worse.

 

He has since gone to a new team, and according to Housyourmama, he is a great team guy. Works hard, practices hard, gets along w/ everyone. He needed a clean break from our team and players, and a fresh start. As most of the players he felt were "against him" are still here, there is just no way he would return to the bears (if the bears were to even want him).

 

I think Benson can do very well in this league, but I do not believe that could ever happen here.

 

The Perfect Compliment for Matt Forte: Cedric Benson by ifuwannacrownem on Feb 13, 2009 6:41 PM CST

 

There is no Denying that Matt Forte Gave us the best chance to win in 2008. He broke many rookie rushing records last season, as well as some receiving records. He also finished third in total touches behind the Vikings Adrian Peterson and the Falcons Michael Turner. Through the good, Chicago still managed to finish 24th in yards, 26, in average yards per carry, and 24 in yards per game.

 

The aforementioned teams had the right formula to constantly pound the rock: a spell-back and the threat of a deep pass. The Bears however, had their backs against the wall, and therefore ran into other walls. Do we need another back? Ron turner certainly believes so. So why don't we have a number two guy? Believe it or not, The best running mate for Forte was on our roster before the season even began.

 

 

 

Cedric benson- I know what most of you are thinking, just bear with me. The NFL is having a running back renaissance, where picking one in the first round does not always mean he'll be the feature back. For example, the carolina Panthers, who ranked third last season in total rushing yards, drafted Jonathan Stewart 13th overall. He was drafted to compliment Deangelo Williams(also a first rounder), not to take his role as starter.

 

I don't need to describe Ced to anyone on this board. In 2006, Chicago ranked 15th in the rush, but was still regarded as having one of the best tandems in the league in Jones and Benson. Benson had 157 carries for 647 yards(4.1 ypc) and six scores. Good numbers for a backup role. One play i can vividly remember is in the NFC championship game, when he took a handoff up the gut 12 yards for a score. I remember thinking "That's the working formula".

 

So what happened in 2007? Simple: Benson was put in a bad position. It's misleading to think the offensive line's decline happened in '07. The fact is, that line was bad in 2006. There's a reason why Rex Grossman won NFC player of the month for September: the Bears couldn't run the ball. The Bears ran a total of 85 rushing plays for a total of 251 yards. less than 3.0 yards per carry. For a team built to run, that was unacceptable. Sure, they got better down the stretch, but not before that infamous monday night clunker at Arizona (16-38-2.4).

 

Let's rewind four years back shall we? In 2005, the Bears had to run the ball harder to make up for having then rookie Kyle Orton under center. Jones had more cutback lanes, Benson started to hit his stride midway during the season, and when both went down with injuries, the original Adrian Peterson came in and didn't miss a beat. In fact Peterson was a solid contributor in '05, having 76 caries for 391 yards for a 5.1 average. That's what the issue was. Jones averaged 4.3 yards per carry, Benson had 4.1 yards. In 2006, the bears ran the ball 471 times (sans QB scrambles) for 1916 yards which is a 4.1 average, whereas 2005 they ran the ball 461 times for 2,025 yards for a 4.4 average: a big difference when you're talking about a game of inches.

 

Now on to 2007. Chicago ran a total of 391 plays (a very significant drop-off) for 1,276 yards for 3.3 yards. Benson was ineffective, as was Peterson, and Garrett Wolfe was used very sparingly. After the bye week Benson ran the ball more effectively, especially in Seattle and Denver before being knocked out for the year. Let me reiterate my previous statement, Benson was put in a bad position.

 

In 2008 two separate off field issues forced the bears to release Cedric, or so they say. Was that the legitimate reason? Or was it because of his work ethic? Or maybe Jerry Angelo needed a scapegoat for his absent-minded decision not to draft offensive linemen? Benson had his flaws, but not more than other players in the league, not by a long shot. Of course Benson voiced his disappointment when Angelo planned to draft another back, But would you blame him? Maybe Getting cut has humbled Benson. his numbers as a Bengal makes it look that way, as was a positive critique from T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

 

One thing that was well documented in Carolina, Tennessee and New york (giants) this past season, were good, cooperative relationships between the running backs. They even gave themselves alter egos: Smash 'n Dash, Earth, Wind and Fire, Identity and Theft. So Far, it's been Crash and Burn in the windy city. So would Benson be Forte's running mate, much less even want to come back to Chicago? Would Angelo consider bringing him back considering he's on the open market this season? If it does happen, it would be a shot at redemption.

 

For Benson and for Angelo.

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

2 words - f*** no.

 

Peace

Fixed.

[DrunkBomber]

wow, no

[chwtom]

What a waste of a post.

 

I really hope you aren't the same person who posted this at WCG. It's bad enough to post drivel like this at one site, but if someone cut and pasted their own stupid post at both sites, that is beyond pathetic.

 

Next comes the "why don't we trade for Tom Brady?" post.

[Wesson44]

What a waste of a post.

 

I really hope you aren't the same person who posted this at WCG. It's bad enough to post drivel like this at one site, but if someone cut and pasted their own stupid post at both sites, that is beyond pathetic.

 

Next comes the "why don't we trade for Tom Brady?" post.

First off any post here is just a matter of opinion, you have yours and I have mine, so what I posted was for someone to see what others have said. Now if you really read the post in the first place you would have seen that I didn't write it sir. So please in the future please refrain from such attacks when you don't have a clue as to what you are talking about...

[azbearsfan]

What a waste of a post.

 

I really hope you aren't the same person who posted this at WCG. It's bad enough to post drivel like this at one site, but if someone cut and pasted their own stupid post at both sites, that is beyond pathetic.

 

Next comes the "why don't we trade for Tom Brady?" post.

 

 

Yeah dude. No reason to be a tool.

 

 

Wesson has been a quality poster.

 

If you dont like the topic, dont read it.

[dawhizz]

I think the best compliment back is Correll Buckhalter, a guy who actually seems comfortable coming off the bench and can do everything pretty well (run, block, catch). That's the guy I would go after if I was the Bears.

[madlithuanian]

I basically agree with shat many have posted...

 

Wow.

 

No thank you.

 

Benson may end up being an OK RB in the league, but he wore out his welcome here and cost this organization FAR too much. The relationship is and should be completely severed.

[chitownman]

There are far too many negatives still in regards to Benson and the Chicago Bears. There is no way to fix the damage that was created and there is no reason why to even look at this so called talented players. There are other players out there that will be better suited to fill in for us if the offensive coaching staff does not like the current back-ups to Forte. We just need to believe that something positive will happen and soon. Wait, I forgot we are believing in Jerry Angelo et al to have intelligence. Sorry, my bad.