August 13, 2007

Benson has clear path as Bears' top rusher

2007 8-17: Wolfe in Bears 8-17: Tightends 8-16: 'Peanut' 8-16: Linebackers 8-15: D-Day 8-15: Madden '08 gets 8-15: Mannelly known 8-15: Cornerbacks 8-14: A step ahead 8-14: Offensive guards, 8-13: Benson has clear More

After over 2,500 rushing yards the last two years, Thomas Jones is gone, now a member of the New York Jets.

The keys have been handed over to Cedric Benson.

But not everyone believes the ride will be smooth one. "I hate to see them lose Thomas Jones," said Gale Sayers, who made a public appearance in Bradley over the weekend. "But I guess they think that Cedric Benson is going to do the job. And I hope he does the job. He hasn't done it in three years, so we'll see what happens."

Benson has actually played only two full seasons, but Sayers does know a thing or two about carrying the ball. A running back who "could slice through the middle like a warm knife through butter," according to legendary sportswriter Red Smith, Sayers still holds the NFL record for most touchdowns (22) in a rookie season. Sadly, two devastating knee injuries prematurely ended a career that numbers alone couldn't do justice.

The legendary running back still has season tickets and goes to all the Bears' games he can -- except the cold ones, when the weather bothers the arthritis in his knees. This season -- don't get him wrong -- he'll be rooting for Benson. It's just that he's not 100 percent convinced giving up a proven commodity in Jones to move up 26 spots in this year's draft was the best idea.

And he's not alone. But really, the Bears made the right decision; and if they stumble this season, it won't be because Benson is ineffective. He should really be the least of their worries.

Bears' GM Jerry Angelo made the trade because the market for a veteran running back wasn't more than a third-round pick anyway. Plus, the Bears shipped Jones to the other conference, and they weren't about to go through another season splitting carries between the two. And it's time they get a return on their heavy financial investment -- the 2005 fourth-overall pick out of Texas. Most backs taken that high start their rookie year. This is Benson's third.

But the question is still asked: Can he carry the load? There's no way of knowing for sure unless you give him the chance, and he wasn't about to get that as long as Jones was still in town.

But why not? He averaged 4.9 yards per carry over the final seven weeks of last season while being rotated in and out every couple series. And it's not as though he hasn't been a feature back before. He carried the ball 1,112 times while at the University of Texas, scoring at least once in an NCAA-record 37 games.

He has the power to run over defenders and the agility to catch the ball out of the backfield. In his third year in the league, picking up the blitz -- often the biggest hurdle for young running backs -- shouldn't be a problem. He's running behind an experienced offensive line that, if healthy again, should be one of the best in the league. And having a dynamic tight end in Greg Olson in the fold, an improved passing game that features a more-experienced Rex Grossman, and a new offensive lethal weapon in Devin Hester should take some pressure off the ground attack.

"He's our guy now," Lovie Smith said at the start of training camp.

That means he's all of Chicago's guy, too.

But don't worry. The car is in good hands.

Caleb Benoit can be reached by phone at (815) 937-3391 or by e-mail at cbenoit@daily-journal.com.