PaulOttCarruth Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 hu Aug 31, 2006 --from FFMastermind.com The Chicago Tribune reports Bears RB Cedric Benson's left shoulder has improved but is expected to keep him out of the final exhibition game. A holdout all of last preseason, the second-year running back never has played an exhibition. RB Thomas Jones has the inside track to be the season-opening starter Sept. 10 in Green Bay. And HC Lovie Smith isn't worried about the Bears' meager exhibition rushing statistics. "Once we commit to [it], we'll be able to run," Smith said. "We've been working on other things. We look at the preseason as a chance to bring some other parts of our game around. We're going to run the football. We know that. But we wanted to get our passing game going a little bit more." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Beatings Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 This guys is going to become a never-was based mostly on his horrible sense of timing! Hold out his first year (this move may have ruined his career) Injury his second year (not sure how serious it is, but he must have known that Jones was just waiting to steal back that starting role) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deathrow20 Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 I think the story about Cedric's relationships with his teammates speaks volumes about his character as well. He clearly has a ton of talent, or at least he did at Texas, but something is definitely wrong with him above the shoulders. I've never been a big Thomas Jones fan, but at the end of the year his stats come out to be a low level #1 RB (12-team league) or a high level #2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roo Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 You have to wonder if Cedric has any knowledge of the offense at this point too. He's essentially missed 90% of both preseasons. Even when/if his body/mind heal, he still needs to meld with the offense. Unless TJ really poops the bed, I can't imagine Cedric playing much before week 6-8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caveman_Nick Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 It's interesting hearing all of the things people have to say about Benson and why he won't ever amount to anything, all the while touting Thomas Jones. This defines irony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loaf Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 It's after Week 1 I'm worried about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Beatings Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 It's interesting hearing all of the things people have to say about Benson and why he won't ever amount to anything, all the while touting Thomas Jones. This defines irony. Thomas Jones is nothing special IMHO (serviceable and a hard worker but nothing special) which is exactly what makes Cedric's continued squandered opportunities that much more tragic. Benson should be the undisputed starter by now... the fact that he isn't, is evidence of his problems despite his talent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caveman_Nick Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Thomas Jones is nothing special IMHO (serviceable and a hard worker but nothing special) which is exactly what makes Cedric's continued squandered opportunities that much more tragic. Benson should be the undisputed starter by now... the fact that he isn't, is evidence of his problems despite his talent. The parallels continue...as Thomas Jones spent his first fwe years unable to supplant the immortal Michael Pittmann. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Swerski Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Thomas Jones is nothing special IMHO (serviceable and a hard worker but nothing special) which is exactly what makes Cedric's continued squandered opportunities that much more tragic. Jones isn't going to lead the league in rushing, but he's a very solid and versatile back. People here in general don't give him enough credit. Benson should be the undisputed starter by now... the fact that he isn't, is evidence of his problems despite his talent. Or evidence that Jones is actually a pretty decent back when he's on a team other than the Cardinals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roo Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Jones was the 10th best RB in my league last year, not sure about the rest of yah. I don't get why he gets no respect, not just from the fantasy world, but the NFL world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Beatings Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Jones isn't going to lead the league in rushing, but he's a very solid and versatile back. People here in general don't give him enough credit. Or evidence that Jones is actually a pretty decent back when he's on a team other than the Cardinals. Point taken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caveman_Nick Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Jones was the 10th best RB in my league last year, not sure about the rest of yah. I don't get why he gets no respect, not just from the fantasy world, but the NFL world. That's the point I was trying to make... T Jones was ridiculed by many people, including myself, for not being able to perform in his previous situations. Then he came to Chicago and blossomed into a pretty good player. Maybe people should ease up on Cedric, because the smart money is on his becoming a pretty good NFL RB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaiderSteve Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Ya, I basically got a steal with him in the 5th round of my keeper draft. Sporting News had him as one of their "bust picks" ??? He put up almost 1400 yards and 9...count em 9 td's last season...that's good enough for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Swerski Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Maybe people should ease up on Cedric, because the smart money is on his becoming a pretty good NFL RB. Eventually, yes. Three years from now, he might grow up and produce on the field. But I don't see him making an impact for at least another season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 (edited) This guys is going to become a never-was based mostly on his horrible sense of timing! Hold out his first year (this move may have ruined his career) Injury his second year (not sure how serious it is, but he must have known that Jones was just waiting to steal back that starting role) I wonder how many players signed earlier(or told their agents to) because of Benson. Ya, I basically got a steal with him in the 5th round of my keeper draft. Sporting News had him as one of their "bust picks" ??? He put up almost 1400 yards and 9...count em 9 td's last season...that's good enough for me! 6th round in Hot. The guy who took Benson could have had Jones 2 picks later but took Lee Evans instead. Edited August 31, 2006 by Randall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfrizz Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 (edited) It's interesting hearing all of the things people have to say about Benson and why he won't ever amount to anything, all the while touting Thomas Jones. This defines irony. LOL, TJ has matured Jones, Thomas RB CHI Updated 12/27/02 News: Jones' future in Arizona is now in question. Marcel Shipp signed a four-year contract extension on Thursday. Jones is back in his Virginia home after breaking his right hand Thanksgiving weekend. He told the Cardinals he broke it hitting a counter while reaching for a ringing telephone. The team put him on the non-football injury list. Jones has one year left on his contract, but he already has received his signing bonus and could be cut from the squad without being due any more pay. If the team chooses to trade him, they could get a lower-round draft pick. Jones is a risky player to own in keeper leagues. Edited September 1, 2006 by sfrizz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 Maybe people should ease up on Cedric, because the smart money is on his becoming a pretty good NFL RB. We shall see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 LOL, TJ has matured Jones, Thomas RB CHI Updated 12/27/02 News: Jones' future in Arizona is now in question. Marcel Shipp signed a four-year contract extension on Thursday. Jones is back in his Virginia home after breaking his right hand Thanksgiving weekend. He told the Cardinals he broke it hitting a counter while reaching for a ringing telephone. The team put him on the non-football injury list. Jones has one year left on his contract, but he already has received his signing bonus and could be cut from the squad without being due any more pay. If the team chooses to trade him, they could get a lower-round draft pick. Jones is a risky player to own in keeper leagues. That was bad but he improved at Tampa and more so in Chicago. Benson could be good but he has a lot of work to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loaf Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 he looked pretty pathetic against the Browns last night Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicCEO Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 I drafted TJ in the only league I drafted Benson in. Looks like that was the right move. ONE of them is going to get a buttload of yards this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scorcher Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 I drafted TJ in the only league I drafted Benson in. Looks like that was the right move. ONE of them is going to get a buttload of yards this year. I did the same, partly because of EOS and relying on people saying Bears won't be RBBC. Whichever one plays should do well each game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 he looked pretty pathetic against the Browns last night Lovee says they aren't focused on running, when they are they will be fine.Pre-season is for testing other things. I guess we'll see come the regular season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blips Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 Lovee says they aren't focused on running, when they are they will be fine.Pre-season is for testing other things. I guess we'll see come the regular season. I sure hope he is right. Hopefully that line can flip the switch when it counts for real. I have Jones and Benson in a couple of leagues. But more importantly I'm a homer. Jones looked horrible last night but he was only in there for a couple of series and they really wanted to boost Grossman's confidence. But I'm still a little nervous about their running game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Posted September 5, 2006 Share Posted September 5, 2006 By K.C. Johnson Tribune staff reporter September 4, 2006, 9:26 PM CDT They've swapped jobs and exchanged words that, if not cool, certainly aren't gushing toward one another. And now, finally, the tailback battle can begin between Thomas Jones, the starter, and Cedric Benson, the challenger. That Benson said Monday he would play on Sunday in the season opener against Green Bay seemed fitting for a Bears team slowly finding its form on health issues. Pro Bowl safety Mike Brown, who missed the entire exhibition schedule with a strained Achilles', eased back into practice and said he could play "at a high level" Sunday. Pro Bowl cornerback Nathan Vasher, who missed all but the first quarter of the first exhibition game with a bad back, followed suit, declaring himself 100 percent. Defensive end Alex Brown, a Pro Bowl alternate, hedged his bets a little on his dislocated right shoulder. But the league's stingiest defense is getting closer to 100 percent. And that's how coach Lovie Smith chooses to view the tailback situation. Asked how he planned to handle the competition now that both backs finally are healthy, Smith, of course, accentuated the positive. "We're as strong as we've been," Smith said. "That's how I'm going to handle it. I feel real good about it. Thomas is our starter. Cedric hasn't played in a while. He got good reps in [Monday]. We'll just see how it plays out. We would like that position to be as strong as possible. We'll need all three [running backs] this week." Adrian Peterson will take a back seat to the competition that will determine who between Jones and Benson is the long-term starter, based on practice and game performance. Benson assumed Jones' job when the latter failed to show for voluntary off-season workouts. He held a firmer grasp when Jones strained his hamstring on the first day of camp. Then Benson injured his left shoulder on Aug. 4 and missed all four exhibition games. The anticipated competition never materialized. "I accept it," Benson said. "I'm sure time will work itself out. I don't know how it's going to turn out. But I'm not mad or upset about anything. I'm just really happy my shoulder feels a lot better and I can get back in the mix." Benson, as is his nature, then flashed perceptiveness and honesty to let anyone reading between the lines understand he's aware of the competition. "I've got another exciting year and a couple hurdles to jump," he said. "We'll get over them." This isn't as brazen as Benson declaring he'd be starting by Week 2, as he did last season when the contract holdout that cost him all of training camp ended. Benson's shoulder injury forced him to go without a single carry for the second straight preseason. "It would definitely have helped if I did get some carries," Benson said. "But I thought about this last year when I was coming in [from the holdout] and the season was already going. I got thrown right into the game. And I thought that was a pretty neat challenge." Benson always has met challenges. He acknowledged some lingering pain would accompany him onto Lambeau Field but then talked about playing with cracked ribs, turf toe and a pinched nerve in his neck while at Texas. That's why he expects to get carries on Sunday. How many? Benson doesn't know. And nobody's saying. The only thing for sure is that it's Jones' job for now and the game is on. "We're less than a week away," Smith said. "We need to get our best players out there." Whether that's Jones or Benson long-term will be interesting to monitor. kcjohnson@tribune.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mphtrilogy Posted September 5, 2006 Share Posted September 5, 2006 Benson is the ulimtate Risk Reward player. I think if he gets his fair share, he will grab this job from TJones. but he has to stay healthy, a pretty good if Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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