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Bears could be in trouble if they let this problem fester
August 22, 2006
BY MIKE MULLIGAN Staff Reporter
It's not enough just to show up. At a bare minimum, you need to stick around, too.
That's the message Bears running back Cedric Benson received Monday when he incurred what one source called severe punishment from coach Lovie Smith for leaving the sideline during the first quarter of the team's preseason game Friday night against San Diego.
Benson, the No. 4 pick in the 2005 draft, said he simply retreated to equipment manager Tony Medlin's office to watch the game on television. But a source confirmed that Benson violated team rules by not remaining on the sideline and that he was not in the locker room after the game with his teammates, at least two of whom believe he left Soldier Field early.
Fill in your favorite Sammy Sosa joke here.
Benson is battling for a starting job with incumbent Thomas Jones, and both players were held out of the game with injuries. Jones returned to practice last week after suffering a hamstring injury during a fitness test before the start of training camp. Benson remains out with a shoulder injury. He took part in some drills Monday but was wearing an orange jersey to signify no contact.
Jones, the starter the last two seasons, slipped on the depth chart because he decided not to take part in ''voluntary'' offseason workouts. Benson skipped out on a mandatory preseason game, albeit one for which he didn't dress.
So which offense is worse?
Benson needs to grow up
Preseason games are dreadfully boring, and anyone with sense would bolt early to beat the traffic. But Benson's departure is a dereliction of duty that underlines his immaturity. In his defense, it's a hard thing to do, to become a grown-up. Many defer the process for as long as possible. It's called college. Didn't this guy already spend his four years at Texas?
A Peter Pan complex isn't supposed to extend into your professional life -- certainly not when you receive a guaranteed $16 million to, in this case, simply watch a game from the sideline and perhaps cheer on teammates such as P.J. Pope and Andre Hall. That's not even being a good teammate; it's called fulfilling your responsibility.
Benson's behavior looks irresponsible and amateurish, especially in contrast with Jones' professionalism. When asked about the incident, all Benson wanted to know was whether it was a teammate who had ratted him out. More than one was the revealing answer.
Leadership isn't simply about performance. It's about accepting responsibility, doing things you might not like to do and sacrificing for the team. The Bears have enough players who feel strongly enough about Jones losing his job to an unproven prima donna that they don't mind breaking the code of omerta and snitching on a teammate's behavior.
Witch hunt next?
The Bears might decide to start a witch hunt and find out who dared talk, but the larger issue is how Benson is perceived by the guys he's preparing to line up beside. The worst thing the team can do is allow Benson to play the victim. He's getting pretty good at that role, by the way.
When asked during the Bourbonnais portion of training camp what he learned in his first preseason practices after sitting out in a contract dispute last year, he had a surprising answer.
''This is a business,'' he said. ''It's not high school or college football. That's over. You can be on a team where you are not really one unit. Some guys are on one page. Guys might not even like you. You might be 'The Guy,' but they don't like you.
''It's egos, it's personal agendas. It's not every man look out for every man because we're one team. Those days are over.''
Benson needs to heed the life lessons learned and not emerge as the weakest link in a feud chain. Search for redemption. Play well. Earn your money. Understand there are repercussions for actions, however naive they might be.
Issues of trust
Benson is no Sammy Sosa. He's not a used-up superstar ditching his teammates because he has been allowed to all his life. He's not going to be cast aside by management, put on the trading block or paid off to leave.
Smith believes in team discipline and won't let a player get away with the kind of infraction Benson committed. But he will give the guy a second chance. He'll understand the immaturity of a 23-year-old.
Leaving a preseason game doesn't deserve a death sentence. It doesn't mean Benson is going to get caught with a corked helmet or miss a game after a violent sneeze. But it makes you wonder if he gets it and just how much you want to trust him.
Hidden talent, as Nero famously said, counts for nothing. It's time for Benson to start counting for something -- or for the Bears to move on.
Cedric will RIDE the bench once again.
T.Jones owner.
An NFL player is a prima donna? How'd he get through the screening process?
Lost it before he had it!
