Cedric Benson : Chicago Bears' Big Bust gets Busted

by John Falcetta (Columnist)

9 comments

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May 04, 2008

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NFL, NFC North, Chicago Bears, Cedric Benson, Editorial

Cedric Benson was arrested last night on charges of boating while intoxicated and resisting arrest.

Reportedly, he even had to be pepper sprayed and "dragged to the shore" to be arrested by Texas police.

For Bears management, this should be the final straw in the Benson saga. Now, he has to go.

Benson has had legal problems before.

He was sentenced to eight days in jail in 2003 for a misdemeanor trespassing charge after forcing his way into an apartment to look for a reported stolen TV. In 2002, misdemeanor drug and alcohol charges against him were dropped.

I am always the first one to say "innocent until proven guilty" and to give people their day in court. But I say Benson should be gone for many different reasons other than this arrest.

In his time in Chicago, Benson has made Ron Dayne look like Barry Sanders. Bears fans have taken to calling him Curtis Enis 2.0.

He has run the laundry list of things not to do in the NFL:

  • Held out as a rookie,
  • Alienated teammates with a poor attitude,
  • Has a sense of entitlement and lack of conditioning,
  • Has been injury prone,
  • Worst of all, has not performed up to expectations.

I almost forgot the tendency for fumbles when he finally did get to play. The numbers, or lack thereof, are astounding for a No. 4 overall pick.

Last year, Benson took over as the featured back after Thomas Jones was traded away. He rushed for 674 yards, four touchdowns and 3.4 yards a carry before going on injured reserve in November.

In three years with the Bears, Benson has rushed for 1,593 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 3.8 yards a carry. He’s also missed 13 games.

That's the stuff all-time busts are made of. Now, the Bears can wash their hands of Cedric Benson once and for all.

 

Comments (9) Add a comment »

  1. Matt Forte seems to be a career hard worker and this should just spur him on all the more.Benson seems to be a real goofball,but I think the Bears will give him this season anyway.It's dollars and cents.Benson appears to be the type of guy who broke his ass in high school and college,signed a big contract and now screw everybody.-what a scumbag

  2. hey we are talking about the same team that plans on trotting rex grossman back onto the field this season. Benson's job is probably safer than any of ours.

    1. We don't have a replacement for Grossman, but we now have a replacement for Benson, he's out.

  3. see thats the thing, you guys could have drafted a replacement for Grossman but you didnt. And wont losing Benson if you cut him hurt the depth? well there is always some bum to pick up off the street I guess.

  4. The reason why the Bears didn't draft a QB this year was because they felt a QB wasn't really going to help them in the first 3 rounds. Yeah, they don't have the best possibility of winning with Grossman or Orton, but the numbers don't lie: When Orton was QB as a rookie, he managed the game extremely well, didn't make mistakes, and contributed in the Bears being 11-5. Rex, the next year, got off to a hot start and played really well but it was a roller coaster ride the rest of the way. Yes, the defense did help out a lot, but both have been proven winners for this team, and that was the most important part for them.

  5. Oh, yeah...Benson is a joke of a professional athlete.

  6. Oh, yeah...Benson is a joke of a professional athlete.

  7. Bears missed out when they didnt draft Mendenhall....idiots! Should have found a way to keep Thomas Jones.

  8. they should have kept Thomas Jones but as far as mendenhall they needed OL help worse. You can't run if noone is blocking.

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