10 Reasons Against Signing Cedric Benson
Jul 1, 2008 2005 Draft, 2006 Season, 2007 Season, Bad Idea Jeans, Beer, DO NOT WANT, God hates ugly, Non-Texan stuff, RB free-for-all, Teams that aren't the Texans
10. He inspired the following as recently as last October:
When you watch Cedric Benson run the football you’re struck by two contrasting traits. He doesn’t go out of his way to make people miss, preferring to try and run people over, and he doesn’t seem to run the ball very hard. It’s hard enough to pull off the first thing in the NFL under any circumstances but impossible when you don’t run into the line like a runaway train. Too often, Benson appears to go down at first contact and appears to be missing the assertiveness you need to be a successful NFL running back.
9. He was so disliked by his teammates in Chicago that “about ten” Bears defensive players tried to hurt him in practice. I would prefer Mario to continue trying to murder opposing QBs and not have him disembowel a teammate.
8. He is coming off a season-ending broken leg that required a plate in his lower leg, near his ankle. Maybe it is completely healed with no lingering after-effects, but do you really want to take that chance? Do you REALLY want to risk having him make the roster, only to then find out, oops, I guess it wasn’t totally perfect? Because, maybe I am old fashioned, but I think we’ve got enough injury questions in our backfield as it is.
7. He is a summa cum laude (loud?) graduate of the Fred Smoot School of Nautical Recreation.
6. According to beef,
this guy me and some friends met at a party, who went to UT, and played with C-bong at Midland Lee [...] said that everyone on Lee’s team hated his guts because he was such a prick, and all he cared about were his numbers [...] and he was a whiny finger-pointer. Anyway, the dude said that he had several other friends on UT’s team, and when he’d tell them he was from Lee, they’d bring up how much everyone on UT’s team hated his ass too for the same shit. You could also tell it from watching their games. He’d always be standing by himself on the sidelines and no one would ever come up to him for congratulatory or “keep your head up” comments.
Is that nothing but hearsay? You bet. But it’s fully admissible in the Court of Matt Fucking Hates You.
5. His boat parties don’t end well. “Yeah, yeah…suuuuure you weren’t drinking.”
4. About a month after deciding boating wasn’t for him, he took the same strategy to the open road, only with fewer hoes and no bag of Sun Chips. This fantastic story ends with a court-ordered breathalyzer ignition lock. So I’m guessing the judge didn’t buy the excuses.
3. The idea that he can fall forward for 4 yards a pop is tenuous at best, considering he fell forward for 3.4 YPC last year before tearing his mangina breaking his leg. He did manage 4.1 YPC in 2006. You know who else managed 4.1 in 2006? Ron “Meringue” Dayne. And Dayne had 4.0 YPC in 2007. And he did it all without endangering the public, eating Sun Chips with hoes, or getting arrested multiple times.
2. According to the Chicago Sun-Times,
The worst part of it is that Benson isn’t a viable reserve because he doesn’t pass block, play special teams, or help on third downs. He could be low on the depth chart (emphasis added).
I’m guessing that could be a problem as we break in a rookie LT and try to keep Matt Schaub upright all year. Just sayin’.
1. He’s not a good fit for a true zone blocking system. Thomas Jones was the cut-back style runner on the Bears and he was shipped to New York because the Bears thought Benson’s “pounding” (and I use that term as loosely as it can be employed) style was a better fit for them. He doesn’t have the speed to get the outside zone consistently (and he runs upright on outside runs), yet he lacks the vision to properly cut back and go. And I’m not the only one who says this stuff:
If there’s one thing we know post-trade, it’s that the Bears offensive line was suspect/borderline shitty last season too. Their inability to open solid running lanes was masked by the cut-back running style of Thomas Jones. When Jones took the hand-off from Grossman and realized his blockers hadn’t cleared any space, he was able to manufacture extra yardage. Even then, he still danced around the backfield too often and was never able to break off any long runs.
So it should be no surprise that Benson is struggling. He is strictly a straight-ahead, power runner; if the hole isn’t open, he’s not going anywhere. I’ve seen better run blocking from plastic lineman on an electric football table than what the Bears have shown this year.
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July 1st, 2008 at 7:12 pm
I didn’t realize they made Flamin’ Hot SunChips.
Neato.
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July 1st, 2008 at 7:16 pm
I’m sure it looks tempting when you can sign a troubled-but-talented guy on the cheap. And maybe if feel that your locker room is strong enough, you can have a couple of those guys on the team. But you only have to look at the Broncos and Astros to see where it can take you. I’m guessing that if they sign Cedric Benson, it is a sign of desperation. I’d rather see them re-sign Ron Dayne (or hey, even Rosie O’Donnell!).
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July 1st, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Well I for one thought that he might be a good option for us to sign to a one year minimum incentive type deal but that was predicated on him being a zone style back as I was under the impression he ran in college but he is a risk and his teammates did hate him so I will vote no. On another note Marcus Griffin was released from the Vikings today and while he struggled last year he has some talent, UT people yay or nay?
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July 1st, 2008 at 7:38 pm
It’s list time!
1. My brother worked for the Longhorns football team when Ced was there. He is the ONLY player that he disliked on the ENTIRE team. Ced was a prick, and my brother is a Christian missionary, so for him to say bad things about someone, they are most definitely true
2. Ced is a prick because he’s been the best everywhere he went until he got to the NFL, and by the best, I mean the 4th all time leading rusher in Texas football history and the 6th all time in the NCAA
3. He is NOT slow, not even close to slow. He had a slow 40 day at the pro day, in college I honestly never saw him miss the corner when he went for it. And I know that college isn’t NFL speed, I also know that it’s still pretty damn fast and he has plenty of speed for Kubiak’s system
4. I’m honestly not sure if I want him on this team
5. I do know that he has the potential to be a Hall of Fame running back, he is that naturally talented
6. I think that having to play for the minimum could very well humble him and cause him to tap into that talent and drop the asshole he has in him
7. Again, I’m a UT homer, but I can admit when my guys F up, and Cedric is a HUGE f-up at this point. I also know that nothing he’s done has been THAT horrible. Yes, he drove drunk, yes that is fucking stupid, but honestly, I’ve done it, I shouldn’t have, but I’m betting most of you have at some point too.
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July 1st, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Would #6 be admissible under F.R.E. 803(3) as a then existing mental or emotional condition (hate for C-Bong)?
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/is taking evidence in summer school
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July 1st, 2008 at 7:40 pm
Damn, I missed this
8. I don’t believe that Chris Brown or old Ahman Green is better than him, maybe equal, but I can’t say better
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July 1st, 2008 at 7:42 pm
@Matt - #6 is NOT hearsay, it’s the absolute truth, I’ve been on the sidelines when NO ONE was near him for long periods of time
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July 1st, 2008 at 7:42 pm
@ Lee: But did you drive drunk and get arrested a month after getting arrested for boating drunk and after your employer had given you a zero-tolerance policy? Because even I’ve never been THAT stupid.
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As far as him being slow or not, almost every scouting report said he lacked top end speed. More importantly, though, he runs upright to the edge and dances like a ballerina in the backfield, so a lot of whatever amount of speed he has is negated.
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Good point re: playing for the minimum…IF he’ll go for the minimum.
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July 1st, 2008 at 7:44 pm
No, they are probably not better than him in a vacuum, but they are all coming off injuries and Benson is the only one of the three that could inspire 10+ reasons NOT to sign him.
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July 1st, 2008 at 7:46 pm
@ Andy: Only if the dude beef met at the party was the person writing this blog, I believe. God, I hated evidence. And law school.
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July 1st, 2008 at 8:42 pm
As a Longhorn alum, I hate seeing our players ripped on this blog so often, but I couldn’t agree more about Benson.
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It’s not that I hated him as a Horn, but he was far from my fave. What Ricky wanted, Ricky got, as far as yardage. That run to break the rushing record against atm epitomized his career. Benson was the opposite. My friends and I wondered aloud how often a dude could get tackled within the three yard line. He lacked heart as a Horn, and he didn’t even look like he cared as a Bear.
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Just no to Benson.
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July 1st, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Oh, and just got back from H-town this evening, and I should be back to normal programming sooner than later.
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July 1st, 2008 at 10:41 pm
I hear the deal is off. He’s signed with a minor league team, the Sensimilla Blasts.
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July 1st, 2008 at 11:56 pm
Ha. You sure did come up with something stronger than a ‘locker room tumor’. I always thought he was fast — i mean, how the hell do you become 4th all time if you’re slow — but if you’ve seen the scouting reports then that’s good enough for me. Hell, if he’s not good at bursting through the hole, then forget him. Unless Lee’s right and he does sign for the minimum, there’s got to be a better short term option out there before we enter the era of Super Slaton. And andy, evidence was by far the worst class in law school. It’s a shame i’ve got to study it again for this godforsaken bar exam.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 12:59 am
@Htownjuggernaut - Maybe it’s because I’m taking it in the summer, but it doesn’t seem so bad. Not nearly as bad as Civ Pro was. The subject was bad enough without a teacher with a thick Brazilian accent trying to teach it to you.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 4:08 am
From another UT Alum, I couldn’t agree with what BFD had to say more. He just doesn’t give a shit. No heart. Maybe he should fight Rocky. Or Rosie. She’d totally kick his ass. And hit the hole with more authority.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 6:54 am
@Andy - I think you’d have better luck with 608(a) to impeach C-bongs credibility… you know, if you put him on the stand for being a dick. And only to prove he’s a liar.
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Am I lame for spending time at work considering the evidentiary implications of Matt’s rant? Yes. /dick joke
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@Htown - when is the bar? Before this saturday I hope - or you’re totally insane.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 7:51 am
Not to be the asshole devil’s advocate here (but that’s exactly what I am going to do)…
but isn’t #7 a reason we DO want Cedric on our team???
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July 2nd, 2008 at 8:44 am
@ 13.koz: Oh, I assumed he’d play for the Thai Sticks of the Far East Football League.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 8:46 am
I’m pretty much indifferent. If he is a low risk camp body with possible upside the Texans think would help, cool, if not, that’s cool too.
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To me, the more interesting conversation than Ced Benson is whether Alex F. Gibbs actually can turn a running back group that nobody in the league would want into a yardage machine. We can talk Dayne’s yards all we want, but basically, he would accumulate yards (except in short yardage where we really needed it) and only up to the point where he was too hurt to continue.
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Ultimately, the story of Kubiak’s first two years is a running game that has been inconsistent. That as a fan, you would rather be in 3rd and 4 than 3rd and 1, because then maybe the run won’t get stuffed. I am certain that Kubiak is sick of the Monday press conferences where he acknowledges that the running game has been a “challenge” and that he’s sick of trying to figure out who The Man is. He has said that he doesn’t want to go week to week with the team not knowing who the primary running back is going to be.
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That the Texans would even be talking to Benson is an acknowledgment that this is an area of the team that is a concern.
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Here’s the dark fear in my mind that I will articulate so that maybe it doesn’t actually happen:
1. I believe that right now, Ahman Green is the best back on the roster-vision, decision making, football understanding, blocking, busting runs.
2. I don’t think Ahman Green is going to stay healthy through camp and be productive far into the season. If it happens, I will see it as very expensive gravy.
3. The beginning of the season schedule makes me think that the scheduler hates the Texans. Three of four on the road against good teams is not how you want to try out a line that is not used to playing together. And it is not how you want to introduce young running backs in the league. Blown up plays and playing from behind is what gets people hurt.
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My hope is that Alex F. Gubbs can turn our Motley Crue of backs into, I don’t know, insert name of band you think totally rocks out way harder than Motley Crue.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 8:49 am
@stacy: +1 awarded for bringing back the “Rosie hits the hole with more authority” running gag. Well done.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 8:54 am
First I don’t buy this rumor at all….unless Green’s knee started to act up a little during OTA’s. If Green had some swelling or soreness during OTA’s then the Texans could be getting a contingency plan in place. The part apart Green’s knee is just wild ass speculation on my part, but it’s the only thing I could think of that would make this kind of move make sense.
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Benson may not be fast, but he’s fast enough for this system. If Ron Dayne can have some success, then Benson has enough speed. I think he could fit in this system but there would be an adjustment period, and a lot of it would have to do with his attitude.
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@ Matt-Unless I’m a total tard (which is possible) on #1 you talk about Benson having a reputation for Dancing in the backfield, and then you have a quote. I read the quote as saying Thomas Jones dances in the backfield too much….and that Benson is a straight ahead power runner. I’ve seen Benson dance, so I’m not disagreeing with you, but the quote doesn’t really support your statement.
If there’s a problem with one of our backs, and he’ll come for very cheap (I think with his reputation he won’t have much choice) that he would be worth bringing in. There’s talent there. Maybe all this will make him humble.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 8:58 am
@ Papabear: You are correct. I’ve seen him dance, too, so I think I glossed over the fine print in that quote.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 9:36 am
@ Papabear: I couldn’t find the other source I’d been using, so I cut that line.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 9:38 am
I didn’t really care…..I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t getting stupider, and that I was reading it right.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 9:39 am
Benson may not be fast, but he’s fast enough for this system. If Ron Dayne can have some success, then Benson has enough speed.
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Except we were running the hybrid system with Dayne and not the pure ZBS that we are supposed to be running in 2008. Which is likely another reason why Dayne is no longer a Texan.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 9:43 am
Papabear, true, dayne had some success running for the Texans. I’m in steph’s camp tho and sick of seeing him put up numbers but never in the short yardage situations when it counts. But that’s besides the point. There are a lot of good posts out there explaining that the team never ran a zbs. And that’s finally what we’re putting into place with gibbs. So dayne’s past performance doesn’t really speak to benson’s success. @displaced, the wedding’s for before the bar. Because i’m an idiot when it comes to scheduling. @andy, i think the reason i hate evidence as much as i do - beyond hearsay - is that it was the first class where i wasn’t remotely interested in how it works from day one. In the other classes, at least i had a spark me curiousity. Yes, a spark that war quickly smothered out, but at least a spark.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 10:10 am
that’s a valid point about the hybrid scheme we were running last year compared to 100% zone this year. I still think Benson is fast enough for this scheme. I think it’s more about his desire.
Terrell Davis ran in the high 4.6’s. Vision is much more important in this scheme than speed.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 10:12 am
I must be drunk……
I think I’ve read multiple times where the words “Dayne” and “success” have been used. That’s unpossible.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 10:16 am
I think Benson is a bad idea unless we somehow end up late in training camp and have one healthy RB on the roster and he’s still available. And to the notion that neither Green or Brown are better than Benson, Benson may have talent, but Green and Brown have both proven that when healthy, they can be damn good NFL running backs. Benson has not proven anything other than he’s an asshole who’s hated by his teammates. Don’t want him.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 11:34 am
Hmmmm….guess that he WON’T be one of my jersey choices for the year? What a jackass!
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July 2nd, 2008 at 12:07 pm
I don’t see how a guy with a history of injury, questionable straight ahead speed, no work ethic and who is almost universally disliked by his teammates would fit in with what Kubes and Smith are trying to do. Smithiak has earned enough credit in my mind to get the benefit of the doubt, though, so if they do sign him I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt, unless they overpay for him.
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Is that Whoopi Goldberg on the boat with Benson?
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July 2nd, 2008 at 12:12 pm
I think the decision to bring Benson in is going to be answered by Goodell. Doesn’t make sense to me to have a back in TC (taking a roster spot) and a possible 4 game suspension to start the year.
I’d say pass…
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July 2nd, 2008 at 12:36 pm
say…… is Shaun Alexander still available? At least he’s somewhat entertaining when he falls down before contact.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 7:55 pm
I highly doubt Benson gets a suspension, he has no prior issues in the NFL and he hasn’t even been convicted of anything
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July 2nd, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Two arrests for drunken motoring in one month might be enough for Herr Goodell, especially considering the judge in the latter case ordered a breathalyzer installed on his car.
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July 2nd, 2008 at 8:12 pm
That is the standard requirement when you have two so close though, so that I’m not worried about.
I have no idea why I’m defending Ced though, I really don’t care.
The guy I really want is Ricky Williams, I think I’d sell a kidney to make sure I had season tickets if he were a Texan. Right now I’m happy with going to 4-5 games a year
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July 4th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
@Lee: I would actually support Ricky Williams in Battle Red. Which sounds hypocritical on my part, but really isn’t. I think I might do a post about that…
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July 6th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
@Matt - I don’t think it’s hypocritical at all. Drinking and driving is way worse than smoking some bud. Ricky wasn’t in danger of hurting anyone but himself and potentially his family. Most I’ve ever done on the tweed is stop at the stop sign for longer than I should