| Kyle Trompeter. 21st August, 2005 - 4:22 pm
 Rex Grossman, otherwise known as the three time ex-starting quarterback of the Chicago Bears, is not on the active roster. He is injured – again. He is a going to be a non-factor this season. He might as well be a ghost, phantom, specter, poltergeist, banshee, whatever.
Other than cheering on the sideline and giving a few pats on the back here and there, he will not help this team.
Chad Hutchinson will take over the reigns of an offense that many think will stumble, bumble, and crumble without their unproven leader. One thing is for sure, and that is a great running attack can offset some troubles that are in the passing game.
Cedric Benson, come on down! Please?
The current starting tailback, Thomas Jones, is a good running back. He is a good runner, a good pass catching back, and a good blocker. But, with the situation behind the center, the Bears need to be great at running back. That chance lies with Benson, their unsigned fourth pick in the NFL draft.
Scouts say of the former Texas Longhorn that he is one of the best red zone running backs to come out in the last 20 years. Couple that with the fact that the Bears were the lowest scoring team in not just the NFL, but probably college, high school, junior high, pee wee, fantasy, flag and any other football league. The Bears and Benson need to be together.
However, Benson wants the kind of money that San Diego gave quarterback Philip Rivers last season. Each was the fourth pick overall in his respective draft. Quarterbacks traditionally get more money than running backs. So the Bears are stunned by Benson's attitude.
Chicago has been a big money player in the league over the last several years, handing out lucrative contracts to John Tait, Adewale Ogunleye, Brian Urlacher, and Muhsin Muhammad to name a few. This proves Chicago’s financial commitment to winning.
The Bears are not being cheap in this situation, either. Their current offer would make Benson the fourth highest paid player in the draft, right behind Cleveland wide out Braylon Edwards, who was drafted third overall, and ahead of Tampa Bay tailback Cadillac Williams, who was drafted fifth.
The negotiations are not as easy as it may seem. A million dollars or two here and there mean the world in this case. If the Bears cave in and give a rookie another million dollars, then that may mean that Jerry Azumah will hit free agency next year and run to the higher bidder, or that Terrance Metcalf will not have a chance to play the prime of his career with the Beloved.
Needless to say, Benson will not exactly receive a warm welcome from teammates when he finally decides to join the team. The players have had to endure the long training camp in scorching hot Bourbonnais, Illinois, and they can’t be too happy that the first round draft pick got to skip all the fun, and get paid much more than most of them. Doesn’t exactly scream a welcome home party, does it?
With the personal issues aside, the Bears need Cedric Benson. They need him to succeed like a golfer needs a putter to score well. What happened to the Cedric Benson that was crying on draft day when Commissioner Paul Tagliabue called his name? Well, he hired an agent and grew an ego in short.
If the Bears are to make a serious run at the playoffs this year, they will need a top tier running game. Jones can’t take them to that point alone, but with Benson and Jones, the running attack will be flat out scary. This running duo would join the Packers’ Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport as the most talented running attack in the division.
All that’s left is for Cedric to realize that he has nowhere else to go and that he needs to sign that contract while he is still welcome. |
