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Chicago's running game... (1 Viewer)

lebowski

Footballguy
We all know Benson sucks by now, but what do you see for the future of Chicago's running game. Obviously, it isn't all Benson's fault, but he sure has not helped his cause any. I have heard all sorts of stuff from Benson still being the workhorse, to Peterson, to Wolfe. Obviously, their offense is in shambles so far, but it is hard for me to believe they aren't going to get it together at some point (of course I could be wrong about that). If they turn it around who do you see as Chicago's RB by seasons end? What are the rumors flying in Chi-town? (Homers' insights would be greatly appreciated.)

 
Maybe add the Bears to the list of suitors for Michael Turner...he'd be great running there...didn't he play college at Northern Illinois?

 
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They're stuck with Benson until they fix the QB problem and the OL problem. Never been a big fan of Benson's but IMO they need to fix these other areas first. QB should be priority #1, followed by the OL...

 
From what I have seen, the o-line is every bit to blame as Cedric. The whole offense is just not working. When things are that bad, everybody is to blame and yet nobody is to blame.

 
Benson still has value. In 1 PPR leagues he is currently 24th in points, ahead of guys like Rudi, Thomas Jones, and Julius Jones.

 
Against the Lions, he only had 5 carries in the first half, and the line was why he had 3 yards. The middle of the Lions' defensive line was constantly in the backfield, and RBs don't have a prayer when that happens.

In the second half, the line was better, and Benson had more carries. He had 10 for 47 in the second half and the Bears offense was moving the ball.

I think they need to give him 25 carries and see what happens.

These cold weather teams will be running the ball more in December.

December is the fantasy playoffs.

Buy low.

 
I have heard all sorts of stuff from Benson still being the workhorse, to Peterson, to Wolfe.
I've also heard some comments about Lovie trying to get Wolfe more involved. Anyone in the know believe there's some truth to it (beyond a couple of gratuitous carries), or is the organization still firmly behind Benson as the guy?
 
-- Bears Interested in Adding a RB --

Mon Oct 1, 2007 --from FFMastermind.com

While the Chicago Bears are not interested in former Patriots RB Corey Dillon, they are interested in obtaining another running back according to PFW. This may indicate that Bears rookie RB Garrett Wolfe might not be working out as well as initially expected.

It may not have been so obvious to some of you that the running game is struggling because of Wolfe, however, now that management has identified the problem they are working on fixing it. Bears fans can breathe sigh of relief. All is well.

 
Against the Lions, he only had 5 carries in the first half, and the line was why he had 3 yards. The middle of the Lions' defensive line was constantly in the backfield, and RBs don't have a prayer when that happens.

In the second half, the line was better, and Benson had more carries. He had 10 for 47 in the second half and the Bears offense was moving the ball.

I think they need to give him 25 carries and see what happens.

These cold weather teams will be running the ball more in December.

December is the fantasy playoffs.

Buy low.
As much as Benson is a punching bag here on these boards (& rightfully so) this is good advice. :excited:

 
I have heard all sorts of stuff from Benson still being the workhorse, to Peterson, to Wolfe.
I've also heard some comments about Lovie trying to get Wolfe more involved. Anyone in the know believe there's some truth to it (beyond a couple of gratuitous carries), or is the organization still firmly behind Benson as the guy?
I think the organization really doesn't have any options. They don't see AP as an every down back. They could possibly end up with AP as the starter and Wolfe as the third down back, but they don't really want that. I echo a lot of what is said here. Benson hasn't looked good, but Benson had no place to run against the Lions. Incidentally, Griese was getting harrassed every time he dropped back too. And this is against the Lions. The Lions who gave up 50 some points to the Eagles the week before. The Lions may have the worst defense in the league, yet the Bears line couldn't open holes against them, or protect the QB. The Rams are having the same problems, but the Rams have lost both tackles and a guard. The Bears are relatively healthy. Imagine how bad they'd be if they get dinged up.I have Benson and AP. I'm sitting them both and holding. I'm not optimistic, but I can't get anything for them. And they are better than what is on the waiver wire.

 
They're stuck with Benson until they fix the QB problem and the OL problem. Never been a big fan of Benson's but IMO they need to fix these other areas first. QB should be priority #1, followed by the OL...
I agree completely. After the QB, and the o-line, they might see if they could find a RB, and someone who can catch the ball. That should be simple. Hopefully this will all be taken care of by next week. :thumbup:
 
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Unfortunately for us Bear fans, it appears that Angelo ignoring the age of the o-line in draft after draft is finally catching up to us.

This o-line is just about in need of almost a complete makeover.

 
Benson and Gore's numbers are pretty close, and given he is still getting 15-20 touches a game he is worth a roster spot. If you drafted him to be your RB1 or RB2 it hurts, but you had to account for the uncertainty when drafting a guy with potential like Benson.

I'm a Benson Owner, and I'm waiting for Ron Turner to get his head out.

 
Not to minimize the supporting cast issues mentioned (aging O-Line, QB disaster) but Benson just seems to be a slow, plodding runner. He does not demonstrate any explosiveness out of the hole, elusiveness to make tacklers miss, nor the power to just run over people. I know this seems touchy-feely but he does not seem to be "inspired" or as they say "running with purpose". Benson is in fact "who we thought he was". The Bears management have coddled this kid since the beginning and apparently feel that the sunk cost of a first pick bars them from doing anything with him except continuing to try to give him a starting job which he does not earn. I would imagine if Benson was on a Denver roster he would have been sumarily cut (or traded for picks lower than the 1st it took to get him) long ago. Say what you will about crazy Shanahan, he is willing to admit when he makes mistakes and moves along. The Bears sent the wrong player to da J E T S IMHO.

 
Benson and Gore's numbers are pretty close, and given he is still getting 15-20 touches a game he is worth a roster spot. If you drafted him to be your RB1 or RB2 it hurts, but you had to account for the uncertainty when drafting a guy with potential like Benson.I'm a Benson Owner, and I'm waiting for Ron Turner to get his head out.
In my non-ppr league it says Gore has 50 points and Benson 30, how is this "Close" ? :football:
 
Against the Lions, he only had 5 carries in the first half, and the line was why he had 3 yards. The middle of the Lions' defensive line was constantly in the backfield, and RBs don't have a prayer when that happens.

In the second half, the line was better, and Benson had more carries. He had 10 for 47 in the second half and the Bears offense was moving the ball.

I think they need to give him 25 carries and see what happens.

These cold weather teams will be running the ball more in December.

December is the fantasy playoffs.

Buy low.
As much as Benson is a punching bag here on these boards (& rightfully so) this is good advice. :confused:
Week 15 @ VikingsWeek 16 vs. Packers

While I do agree that they will be running the ball more, playing some pretty good run defenses in the 2 most critical fantasy weeks doesn't seem too appealing.

 
I just can't ignore the impression that The Other Adrian Peterson has looked noticeably better than Benson when given opportunities, or the impression that Benson doesn't care about improving. Actual direct quote when asked about the advice from the Bears coaching staff: "In one ear and out the other."

However, I also agree that their line appears to be cooked. Between that and the lack of a passing game, I wouldn't be particularly thrilled with any Bears runner. Their schedule is rough too, considering they still have the Vikings & Packers twice.

-Josh

 
They're stuck with Benson until they fix the QB problem and the OL problem. Never been a big fan of Benson's but IMO they need to fix these other areas first. QB should be priority #1, followed by the OL...
I agree. My thought is that the Bears need to draft an RB again, as rookie RBs can have an impact. But unfortunately they need to start with QB and OL. For this year, I expect the running game to get better since the OL is exactly the same (just old), and the passing game *should* improve. However, I really don't like the RBs. Big mistake IMO letting Jones go vs Benson, though I'm not sure that they could have gotten rid of Benson easily.I think this is a case of Jerry Angelo's ego getting in the way, as he stubbornly wants to be proven right on drafting Benson... Angelo is a great evaluator of defensive players, but is HORRIFIC with offensive skill players.
 
I just can't ignore the impression that The Other Adrian Peterson has looked noticeably better than Benson when given opportunities, or the impression that Benson doesn't care about improving. Actual direct quote when asked about the advice from the Bears coaching staff: "In one ear and out the other."However, I also agree that their line appears to be cooked. Between that and the lack of a passing game, I wouldn't be particularly thrilled with any Bears runner. Their schedule is rough too, considering they still have the Vikings & Packers twice.-Josh
I drafted Peterson in both of my leagues specifically because I thought Benson had a high bust potential.Things are playing out that way, yet I'm still thinking of dumping Peterson on the grounds that he probably wouldn't be startable either, even if he got the lead role. I'm thinking a Kenton Keith or a Selvin Young is a better gamble at this point.Thoughts? Agree/disagree?
 
Chicago has a running game? :goodposting:Chicago's running game left and when to NY to play for the Jets.
Thomas Jones: 254 yards/3.4 average/0 TDsCedric Benson: 230 yards/3.2 average/1 TDWhy is everyone so adamant that Chicago sent the wrong player to NY. I don't see Jopnes' stats to be much better, if at all.
 
From Lovie's presser yesterday:

"We need to run the ball much more often.....we had 22 carries this week, that's not enough, we need to run more. We are a running team, we get off the bus running. When you're 1-3, you go back to what you believe in and we are a running team. Cedric's the type of back that needs a lot of carries, so we'll get him what he needs."

 
3nOut said:
laughinboy_2000 said:
Chicago has a running game? :shrug:Chicago's running game left and when to NY to play for the Jets.
Thomas Jones: 254 yards/3.4 average/0 TDsCedric Benson: 230 yards/3.2 average/1 TDWhy is everyone so adamant that Chicago sent the wrong player to NY. I don't see Jopnes' stats to be much better, if at all.
This is what all the Benson haters want everyone to ignore. And Jones now has a better QB (whoever it is) better receivers, and an o-line that at least doesn't appear to be any worse than Chicago's.
 
Anthony Borbely said:
Against the Lions, he only had 5 carries in the first half, and the line was why he had 3 yards. The middle of the Lions' defensive line was constantly in the backfield, and RBs don't have a prayer when that happens.

In the second half, the line was better, and Benson had more carries. He had 10 for 47 in the second half and the Bears offense was moving the ball.

I think they need to give him 25 carries and see what happens.

These cold weather teams will be running the ball more in December.

December is the fantasy playoffs.

Buy low.
The reason he had so few carries in the first half is that he put the rock on the carpet and he got benched. Wolfe came in and ran 3 times for 3 yards. As he was not getting it done Cedric came back in the second half. But I like what I hear from Lovie saying they need to run more. Still, he's riding the pine this week against the Packers...If the Packers score quickly the running game is going to be an after thought by the second half...

 
This close to dropping Benson. He has until Week 7.
Maybe you but, the Bears are where they are because the McCaskey's won't. They gave him the big contract so he's your back.The Bears need to start the offensive rebuilding. Ownership is not going to open the checkbook to come up with an acceptable offense and make a Super Bowl stab while the defensive opportunity exists.That aside, I don't see any hope for improvement fantasy-wise. Benson is unimpressive but there's no gems behind him. Platoon him. Hell, he gets to face 2 more AFC West teams. That's got to be worth something -- look what it's done for LT and LJ!
 
Maybe add the Bears to the list of suitors for Michael Turner...he'd be great running there...didn't he play college at Northern Illinois?
Yes.Michael Turner - Northern IllinoisBrandon Jacobs - Southern IllinoisAaron Stecker - Western IllinoisTony Romo - Eastern Illinois
 
First of all the lions don't have the worst defense that was a dumb thing to say... CINCI does. Secondly Benson does suck and so does the line and QB... I knew GROSSMAN wasnt the answer you morons should have got a qb in the draft or via free agency... D> Cep. B Leftwich.... they didn't address qb at all and they are morons for that.... GROSSMAN lol please.... I think G. Wolfe should get a shot but he didn't look to good either with the holes that line is opening... not much... the bears are just battered and have no answer... they look completely lost out there... It all starts with the O line... when they aren't pushing people or blocking, there is no way the offense can be good, although benson is pretty whimpy and can't break tackles, can't make any big plays and has zero value... I got a laugh out of the he has value in the CFL comment... Benson is a whimp and u should drop him

 
First of all the lions don't have the worst defense that was a dumb thing to say... CINCI does. Secondly Benson does suck and so does the line and QB... I knew GROSSMAN wasnt the answer you morons should have got a qb in the draft or via free agency... D> Cep. B Leftwich.... they didn't address qb at all and they are morons for that.... GROSSMAN lol please.... I think G. Wolfe should get a shot but he didn't look to good either with the holes that line is opening... not much... the bears are just battered and have no answer... they look completely lost out there... It all starts with the O line... when they aren't pushing people or blocking, there is no way the offense can be good, although benson is pretty whimpy and can't break tackles, can't make any big plays and has zero value... I got a laugh out of the he has value in the CFL comment... Benson is a whimp and u should drop him
:loco:
 
twistd said:
They're stuck with Benson until they fix the QB problem and the OL problem. Never been a big fan of Benson's but IMO they need to fix these other areas first. QB should be priority #1, followed by the OL...
I agree completely. After the QB, and the o-line, they might see if they could find a RB, and someone who can catch the ball. That should be simple. Hopefully this will all be taken care of by next week. :thumbup:
That's the one thing that's going well for Benson right now.
 
3nOut said:
laughinboy_2000 said:
Chicago has a running game? :angry:Chicago's running game left and when to NY to play for the Jets.
Thomas Jones: 254 yards/3.4 average/0 TDsCedric Benson: 230 yards/3.2 average/1 TDWhy is everyone so adamant that Chicago sent the wrong player to NY. I don't see Jopnes' stats to be much better, if at all.
:excited: TJ dances around a lot and is really not much better than Benson. I agree with the O-Line comments, its bad and doesnt help along with comments made about Benson hitting the hole slowly.. The real lack of QB play makes it even more difficult to run the football.. Last off season, they should have grabbed Garcia... The year before, they should have grabbed Warneras for RBs, they have a recent string of bums drafted.. Salam, Ennis, do we add Benson to the list?
 
Maybe add the Bears to the list of suitors for Michael Turner...he'd be great running there...didn't he play college at Northern Illinois?
Yes.Michael Turner - Northern IllinoisBrandon Jacobs - Southern IllinoisAaron Stecker - Western IllinoisTony Romo - Eastern Illinois
Pierre Thomas (undrafted RB now with the Saints) would have looked great in a Bears uniform as well...
 
The o-line has played uncharacteristically poorly and Benson's struggles can be partially attributed to this. He is at his best late in the game when a defense is worn down and almost always breaks out his longest runs in these circumstances (long for him, anyways). The Bears haven't been winning, so we haven't seen the late game Benson drives where he racks up the yards and TDs. He's got some serious fumbleitis this year that hasn't helped his cause.

Adrian Peterson will have an occasional big game but I wouldn't invest too much stock in him - he's had problems holding onto the ball as well and Bears GM Jerry Angelo will make it a point to give Cedric every opportunity to prove himself so that he can thumb his nose at all the sportswriters who questioned his sanity in trading Thomas Jones.

The feeling in Chicago is that Wolfe was a stretch in the third round and his reps would bear that out. I like Wolfe but he's not exceptionally fast and small - think former Bear James Allen from Oklahoma but even smaller. 3rd down back at best and if you're starting him in fantasy, you'd better be in a 50 team league.

The Bears showed interest in signing Chris Brown before he re-signed with the Titans for 2007 for a year, so they may take another look at him in 2008. Brown is also an Illinois (state, not school) product and was slated to play with Gary Barnett at Northwestern; when Barnett went to Colorado, Brown went with him.

I would love to see The Burner back in Chicago. Hopefully that is not just a pipe dream.

 
They're stuck with Benson until they fix the QB problem and the OL problem. Never been a big fan of Benson's but IMO they need to fix these other areas first. QB should be priority #1, followed by the OL...
You got that backwards. The OL should always be fixed before fixing the QB. You want to keep him alive after all.
 
3nOut said:
laughinboy_2000 said:
Chicago has a running game? :thumbup:Chicago's running game left and when to NY to play for the Jets.
Thomas Jones: 254 yards/3.4 average/0 TDsCedric Benson: 230 yards/3.2 average/1 TDWhy is everyone so adamant that Chicago sent the wrong player to NY. I don't see Jopnes' stats to be much better, if at all.
:shrug: TJ dances around a lot and is really not much better than Benson. I agree with the O-Line comments, its bad and doesnt help along with comments made about Benson hitting the hole slowly.. The real lack of QB play makes it even more difficult to run the football.. Last off season, they should have grabbed Garcia... The year before, they should have grabbed Warneras for RBs, they have a recent string of bums drafted.. Salam, Ennis, do we add Benson to the list?
If people remember the only likely candidate for the Bears at that point in the draft was Caddilac. Say what you want about Benson, I think it's fairly obvious that they made the right pick between the two backs.
 
3nOut said:
laughinboy_2000 said:
Chicago has a running game? :thumbup:Chicago's running game left and when to NY to play for the Jets.
Thomas Jones: 254 yards/3.4 average/0 TDsCedric Benson: 230 yards/3.2 average/1 TDWhy is everyone so adamant that Chicago sent the wrong player to NY. I don't see Jopnes' stats to be much better, if at all.
:shrug: TJ dances around a lot and is really not much better than Benson. I agree with the O-Line comments, its bad and doesnt help along with comments made about Benson hitting the hole slowly.. The real lack of QB play makes it even more difficult to run the football.. Last off season, they should have grabbed Garcia... The year before, they should have grabbed Warneras for RBs, they have a recent string of bums drafted.. Salam, Ennis, do we add Benson to the list?
If people remember the only likely candidate for the Bears at that point in the draft was Caddilac. Say what you want about Benson, I think it's fairly obvious that they made the right pick between the two backs.
I would GLADLY trade Benson in for the Caddy.
 
NatronIsMean said:
sholditch said:
3nOut said:
laughinboy_2000 said:
Chicago has a running game? :lmao:Chicago's running game left and when to NY to play for the Jets.
Thomas Jones: 254 yards/3.4 average/0 TDsCedric Benson: 230 yards/3.2 average/1 TDWhy is everyone so adamant that Chicago sent the wrong player to NY. I don't see Jopnes' stats to be much better, if at all.
:lmao: TJ dances around a lot and is really not much better than Benson. I agree with the O-Line comments, its bad and doesnt help along with comments made about Benson hitting the hole slowly.. The real lack of QB play makes it even more difficult to run the football.. Last off season, they should have grabbed Garcia... The year before, they should have grabbed Warneras for RBs, they have a recent string of bums drafted.. Salam, Ennis, do we add Benson to the list?
If people remember the only likely candidate for the Bears at that point in the draft was Caddilac. Say what you want about Benson, I think it's fairly obvious that they made the right pick between the two backs.
I would GLADLY trade Benson in for the Caddy.
What possible reason could you have for doing that?
 
NatronIsMean said:
sholditch said:
3nOut said:
laughinboy_2000 said:
Chicago has a running game? :unsure:Chicago's running game left and when to NY to play for the Jets.
Thomas Jones: 254 yards/3.4 average/0 TDsCedric Benson: 230 yards/3.2 average/1 TDWhy is everyone so adamant that Chicago sent the wrong player to NY. I don't see Jopnes' stats to be much better, if at all.
:lmao: TJ dances around a lot and is really not much better than Benson. I agree with the O-Line comments, its bad and doesnt help along with comments made about Benson hitting the hole slowly.. The real lack of QB play makes it even more difficult to run the football.. Last off season, they should have grabbed Garcia... The year before, they should have grabbed Warneras for RBs, they have a recent string of bums drafted.. Salam, Ennis, do we add Benson to the list?
If people remember the only likely candidate for the Bears at that point in the draft was Caddilac. Say what you want about Benson, I think it's fairly obvious that they made the right pick between the two backs.
I would GLADLY trade Benson in for the Caddy.
What possible reason could you have for doing that?
While injury prone, I have seen much more that I like out of Cadillac to date. He had a slump last year, but Ced's arguably had a slump since entering the league. I think Ced's running style is unimpressive (big, but not especially powerful) and he never seems to break arm tackles. That's my take on it. Again, I was much happier with TJones, who was very good at cutting back and wouldn't give you more than you needed, but always gave you WHAT YOU NEED. Just enough, but enough. The line is part of the problem, but Ced is not the answer regardless of the line.
 
I'm not that impressed with Cadillac either - he has Reggie Bush like vision between the tackles.

As bad as Rashaan Salaam ended up he did rush for over 1,000 yards and 10 TDs his first year. Benson reminds me much more of Curtis Enis. Plus, he's a head case and his teammates don't like him. He was injured in camp when Urlacher and Mike Brown, two of the most respected members of the team, leveled him. What does it say when two of the most respected members of the team would smack a "franchise" RB? Could you imagine what would happen in Shawne Merriman leveled LT in camp?

T Jones may be struggling just as much right now, but he was and is indisputably more popular than Benson.

 
So whats the knock on Wolfe? If the Bears continue to perform the way they are dont you think they would put Wolfe on the field to see what he can do?

I've seen in other postings that some say Wolfe isn't working out and hasn't hit the holes, not producing, etc.

He only has 3 carries this year in the regular season. Why wouldn't they give him a chance? Could he really do worse than Benson?

 
So whats the knock on Wolfe? If the Bears continue to perform the way they are dont you think they would put Wolfe on the field to see what he can do?I've seen in other postings that some say Wolfe isn't working out and hasn't hit the holes, not producing, etc.He only has 3 carries this year in the regular season. Why wouldn't they give him a chance? Could he really do worse than Benson?
He's small. Real small. And not blazing fast. I'm not sure what other posts to which you are referring, but Ron Turner has said that he wants to get Wolfe and Hester more involved in offense. Of course, he's been saying that for three weeks now.I'm sure he will get a chance eventually to do more, but there's no way he ends up a featured back in the NFL. If Benson continues to stink, we'll probably see a RBBC that includes Benson, the other AP and Wolfe. If any of those guys begins to produce consistently, the scales probably tip in their direction but that's it.
 

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