Cedric Benson: Bears’ Bust Is Now Bengals’ Big Boy

For Cedric Benson, what a difference a year makes.  From No. 4 overall draft pick to out of the NFL, Benson has experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. 

He even saw action in the Super Bowl, although he would eventually leave with an injury en route to a Bears defeat.

This Sunday, the Bears will travel to Cincinnati to take on Benson’s Bengals in a key game for both teams.  While the playoffs are still a ways off, both teams could use a victory Sunday.

A Bears victory will likely coincide with their ability to shut down Benson and the Cincinnati rushing attack.  Failure to do so, and the Bears will be looking at a 3-3 record through their first six games.

Benson has enjoyed a second wind with the Bengals this season, currently ranking third in the league in rushing yards.  His 531 rushing yards are almost a career high (747 in 2008) and he has not shown any signs of stopping.

His game against the Ravens two weeks ago (27 carries, 120 yards, 1 TD) was nothing short of spectacular.  If you rush for 100 yards against Baltimore, you get the game ball.

Benson has given Bengals fans reason to believe that something special is happening in Cincinnati.

With that said, I wanted to break down his tenure as a Chicago Bear.

For the record, as a Bears fan, I don’t hate Cedric Benson. 

I actually like him, if anything.  He made the Bears look foolish time and time again, but I have forgiven him and moved on.

His status as No. 4 overall draft pick was soon in the category of “bust,” and he set the Bears back several years in terms of their rushing attack.

In Benson, the Bears felt they had a legitimate No. 1 running back in the NFL. 

Therefore, they viewed Thomas Jones, currently a Pro Bowl back with the Jets, as expendable. He would eventually be traded for a draft pick.

The Bears went from having—in their minds—two quality backs to having none.  Matt Forte has turned out to be a good NFL running back, but this was supposed to be Cedric’s team and Cedric’s time.

The Bears essentially lost a Pro Bowl running back and a No. 4 overall draft pick because of Benson’s inability to produce.

Benson made more noise off the field—mainly on a boat—than he did on a football field; never a good thing in the NFL.

He was often hurt, or lazy, and never was fully comfortable with his teammates or this city.  He will go down as one of the biggest busts in Bears history. 

Now in Cincinnati, Benson is making a new name for himself and trying to erase the demons from life as a Chicago Bear. 

Maybe it was the media scrutiny. 

Maybe it was the rocky relationship with then-starter Thomas Jones. 

Maybe it was his inability to live up to lofty expectations (there will never be another Walter Payton). 

Whatever the case, Benson’s stint as a Bear was awful.

Though they’ll never admit it, you have to wonder if players like Tommie Harris, Lance Briggs, and Charles Tillman will be gunning for Benson this week.

Sure, they try and tackle every opposing ball carrier and make stops.  But will this game against their former teammate bear any special significance?

They’ll say, “It’s just another game,” but will they truly believe it? 

The Bears defense has a lot of pride.  For many years, it was their only source of talent and their defense would more often than not be the deciding factor in a Bears victory.

They have to be licking their chops just a little at the thought of playing their once highly-touted running back prospect.

If this unit has any pride at all, they’ll show it on Sunday by shutting down Benson.

Chad Ochocinco and Carson Palmer could very well put on an airshow for the weak Bears secondary, but Benson can not bulldoze his way through the Bears front seven. 

If Benson does, then the Bears would have lost more than just a game.

They would have lost their pride and integrity too.

See you on Sunday, Ced.

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Pack It In: Chicago Bears Are Class of NFC North

September 13th starts it off.  January 3rd ends it.

What is it?

The 2009 Chicago Bears NFC North crown.  During the next four months, the Bears will show the NFL who the cream of the crop is in the NFC North.

To win this division, the Bears will rely on their two cornerstone beliefs: defense and the running game.

Never mind the addition of Jay Cutler.  He’s great.  But this offense is an organized, slow, methodical attack that looks to wear down opposing defenses on the ground. 

There will be an attack through the air, and Cutler will get his yards, no doubt, but the running game will keep the Bears offense on the field—and their aging defense off it.

Matt Forte looks the part of a ten-year veteran in the league, but is in his early 20s.  He will be leaned on heavily in his second season, and he has the tools to deliver for the Bears.

While Forte and friends have the ability to grind up opponents, the Bears defense needs to find themselves and recapture the 2006 form that saw them reach the Super Bowl. 

For the most part, it’s the same group of players from the 2006 unit.  Pro Bowlers Tommie Harris, Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, and Nathan Vasher are still here, as is Alex Brown, Adewale Ogunleye, Charles Tillman, and Danieal Manning.

How far the Bears go in 2009 will depend on the defense, period.

If the defense can return to their dominant ways of a few years ago, and the running game remains strong, this team will go places.

They will go to the playoffs as the NFC North champions.  The division is solid, but the Bears are the best. 

Here’s why:

 

The Packers run defense is bad

In 2008, the Packers run defense ranked 26th out of 32 NFL teams.  The defenses behind the Packers?  The Broncos, Browns, Rams, Chiefs, Raiders, and Lions.  All of those teams were terrible, to say the least.  For the Packers to be grouped in with those sad teams makes me think that they can not be division champs.

With Adrian Peterson, Kevin Smith, and the aforementioned Matt Forte on the schedule a total of six times, this unit has a lot of work to do. 

I don’t think they’re up to the challenge.

Also, I am not encouraged by the Packers run offense, which ranked 17th last year in the NFL.  Ranking No. 17 is not half bad, but it’s not the type of production you expect to see from a team contending to win their division.

Granted, Ryan Grant was bruised and battered, so that unit could improve greatly this year.

But until I see it, I’m writing them down for a seven or eight win season.

 

The Vikings have a 39-year-old at quarterback

Did you hear?  Brett Favre is back.  The Vikings have it all now, right?

Not so fast.  Brett “on-again, off-again, on-again, off-again, maybe-I-will-maybe-I-won’t” Favre is hardly the elite quarterback he once was and will not be the addition the Vikings need to win this division.

Favre showed signs of slowing down last year with the Jets, and his touchdown-to-interception ratio (22 TD, 22 INT) left a lot to be desired. Favre’s tenure as a Jet has me concerned.

Consider this: the 2008 Jets got a career-year out of a 30-year-old running back (Thomas Jones), had two upper-level wide receivers on their offense (Jerricho Cotchery and Laveranues Coles), and had a good offensive line (headlined by the offseason signing of guard Alan Faneca, along with Nick Mangold and D’Brickashaw Ferguson) and still missed the playoffs. 

They also lost to the 49ers and Seahawks.  In the playoff stretch-run in December.

What does that tell you about the impact of Brett Favre?  Could it be that his “impact” last year was a negative one?

Do you really feel comfortable, Vikings fans, with handing over the offense to Brett Favre?  Keep in mind Lovie Smith is 6-2 against Favre in his tenure as Bears head coach.

Is Favre going to make a difference for the Vikings?

They have a superstar running back and a top-five rush defense, two ingredients a division champion will normally have.

But I’ll take my chances with Favre on the Vikings.  The Bears won’t be intimidated by him in the least bit, and may even be licking their chops at the prospect of playing the old man two more times this season.

The Vikings look like a team capable of nine or ten wins.  I like the Bears over them, however.

 

The Lions are bad

You don’t go 0-16 by accident.  Tom Petty once said, “even the losers…get lucky some time…”.

He wasn’t talking about last year’s Lions.  They were bad on all levels and I don’t really feel they deserve much more of my writing.

So, I am not going to give them anything else.

Take that Lions fans.

That’s the three “other” NFC North teams.  All three have flaws, and all three will struggle at times this year to find consistency.

The Bears are not perfect, but they will win this division with 11 wins.

Their running attack will keep them in every game, and their defense will win them most. 

Jay Cutler will make his first playoff appearance as an NFL quarterback, and the Bears young core of Cutler, Forte, and Greg Olsen will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come in the NFC.

2009 is the year of the Bear.

Mark it down.  The Bears will be NFC North champs.

Tommie Harris Has To Be The Man For The 2009 Bears

Unless you’ve been on Mars the past few months, you probably are aware that the Chicago Bears have an actual NFL quarterback for the first time in decades. 

His name is Jay Cutler.  He is very good at football.  He doesn’t like Phillip Rivers.

You know this already—and even if you were on Mars you probably got a text from your buddy telling you about Cutler.

The addition of Cutler is nice for obvious reasons, but the 2009 Bears will go only as far as Tommie Harris takes them. 

Harris, when he is on, is one of the premier defensive tackles in the NFL.  He can pressure the opposing quarterback, cause havoc for offensive linemen, and keep bodies off his fellow defenders, allowing them to roam free to make plays.

Harris, 26, is already a three-time Pro Bowler, and if it wasn’t for his history of nagging injuries, he would be on his way towards enshrinement in Canton, Ohio.

Today’s successful NFL defense usually will have at least one of two components: a physical safety who lives around the line of scrimmage (Bob Sanders, Ed Reed, Troy Polamalu, etc.) or a hell-raising defensive tackle (Albert Haynesworth, Shaun Rogers, Kevin Williams, etc.) that can, well, raise hell for an opponent’s offense.

Looking at this Bears roster, I don’t see Ed Reed, Bob Sanders, or Troy Polamalu, so scratch that off your list.  Kevin (“house of”) Payne is years away from being in that group.

Tommie Harris, however, fits the bill of the type of defensive tackle contending teams have. His size, speed, and athleticism will always provide challenges to offensive coordinators. 

Even teammate Lance Briggs has said Tommie is the key to the Bears defense this year.  He obviously knows the importance of having a top tackle like Harris in the fold.

So, too, do fellow general managers across the league.  Just look at the contract that Albert Haynesworth got this past offseason.

The Washington Redskins gave Haynesworth a seven-year, $100 million contract.  How important is the defensive tackle to the Redskins?  Fairly important, based on that large contract.

Cutler will sell seats and No. 6 jerseys will cover every square inch of Soldier Field for eight (hopefully more) games this season.  He may even throw for 300 yards in a game or two this year.

But will he prevent Ryan Grant, Adrian Peterson, and Kevin Smith from bursting through the Bears front-seven and galloping 75 yards for a touchdown? 

No;  Cutler is not superman.  He won’t stop Peterson, Grant, or Smith unless he trips them while standing on the sidelines (which seems to be the best approach for stopping Peterson anyways).

Harris, however, can stop those men—with help from his 10 buddies of course. 

Last June, Harris’ contract was extended four years and he was paid handsomely by the Bears—a sign of loyalty, but also an indication that the Bears wanted more. 

More sacks, more forced fumbles, more mayhem caused by Tough Tommie.

Harris has taken it easy this preseason, and why not?  What’s he going to learn in two preseason games anyways? 

But new defensive line coach Rod Marinelli, who has been credited with turning Warren Sapp into a superstar, will be guiding Harris this season.  Considered a defensive line guru, Marinelli will be in charge of lighting a fire under Harris and getting him to produce the way the Bears front office expects him to.

Harris said he found God last offseason. 

Now he must find opposing ball carriers, and preferably hurt them in some form.

Without Harris active and producing, this Bears defense is very average.

While Cutler’s offense will keep things fun and interesting, the Bears defense ultimately holds the key to an NFC North division title.

Harris needs to turn the key for the Bears to get in the door.

 

Position Battles Bear Watching In ’09

Northwestern-product Brett Basanez, Caleb Hanie, and some kid named Cutler will battle for the coveted quarterback job in training camp. It should be a tightly-contested battle too.

Returning to reality, let’s take a look at the position battles that figure to actually take place. 

First off, is the offensive line where major offseason action occurred. 

Free-agent Frank Omiyale was added, as was veteran tackle Kevin Shaffer. The biggest acquisition, of course, was Pro Bowl tackle Orlando Pace.

In Pace, the Bears figure to have their Week One left tackle, while Shaffer provides depth in case Pace gets dinged up.

With Omiyale (who signed a nifty contract might I add), the Bears figured him for a starting job, possibly at guard. 

Angelo pulled a curious move, considering Omiyale has one career start in the National Football League.  I know the Bears like him, but shouldn’t the guy have some game experience to fall back on?

Josh Beekman, 25, started 16 games last year at left guard for the Bears. You would have figured it was Beekman’s job to lose, considering his stability along the line on last year’s 9-7 team. 

Don’t forget Matt Forte, who had over 1,200 rushing yards as a rookie last year. Surely the presence of Beekman had at least a little to do with that.

But the Bears have feared that Beekman’s size (6’2″, 310 pounds) could limit him.  Picture a defensive lineman lining up over Beekman, towering over him.  Usually, the big hogs on the offensive line do that.

Prediction:Omiyale wins the job, if for no other reason than to justify his offseason contract. Both players are young (Omiyale is 26), but I have to believe Omiyale wins this in the closest call for the Bears’ coaching staff.

 

Looking at another important position, that of safety, we find the Bears with numbers on their side.  The problem, however, appears to be that talent will not join those numbers.

Between Kevin Payne, Craig Steltz, Josh Bullocks, Glenn Earl, Al Afalava, and possibly Danieal Manning, the Bears must find two capable NFL safeties. 

Payne looks solid as a strong safety, so let’s pencil him in for now. With 88 tackles last year, good for fourth on the team, it means he has a chance to be the man for another 16 starts in 2009.

But who can play the other safety out of the remaining group of players?

Bullocks and Earl were cast away from previous teams, Afalava is a rookie, and Manning has been in position limbo since his rookie days back in 2006.

Prediction:Look for Steltz to win the job, but, hopefully, lose some of that crazy hair.  Steltz is probably too small, too young, and too slow to be a play-making NFL safety, but the roster simply does not have a better option at this point.

Since Steltz is a former Jerry Angelo draft pick, he will be given the chance to win the job and succeed. 

 

A third position battle to keep an eye on is the competition at wide receiver, where every spot is on the line, except for the No. 1 role. 

While Devin Hester is certainly not a No. 1, he is the best on this team.  For every other spot on the depth chart, the Bears will have competition.

Rashied Davis has experience on his side, but Earl Bennett has Jay Cutler on his.  The former Vanderbilt mates could renew their quarterback-receiver relationship and spark a decent three-man rotation for the Bears.

Others in the hunt are rookies Juaquin Iglesias, Johnny Knox, and Derek Kinder. No one is certain what impact, if any, this group can make. 

Prediction: It is Greg Olsen and Matt Forte that team up with Hester as the three-man rotation the Bears crave while Davis becomes a steady option. Bennett is too raw at this point to be considered an impact player on next year’s team.

The Bears always provide entertaining training camps, and this summer will be no different. 

Also, thank goodness we don’t have to suffer through another QB-controversy like we seemingly do every year.  That is, unless Basanez or Hanie…well, never mind.

 

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