A Dominant Running Game....

by NCarlson on Mar 5, 2008 10:40 AM CST

...is all we can hope for out of the offense next year. Here me out. As we all know, Mendenhall is and explosive, between-the-tackles runner with above average speed by NFL RB standards. While its unfair to compare him to Adrian Peterson (Vikings), he could be that type of player for our offense. AP has more wiggle, but Mendenhall has that same type of hard-nosed dominant running style. With our line still a huge question mark, I might be able to offer reason for limited optimism. We should be able to get an OT somewhere in the second or third round that is raw, yet big enough and strong enough to move people out of the way. See Ryan Diem/Tony Pashos. If Bradley and Hester can make enough plays downfield to keep defenses honest, we might be able to be that smashmouth football team that I feel Angelo wants us to be.

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The thing is...

we invested a $35 mil contract to Benson and Im not sure how much we owe him, but I really can't see(as much as I would love to have Mendenhall) the Bears spending first round money on him, plus our need at the O-line position is a MUST. They did right by letting Miller go and not resigning Brown. And who knows we might only need 1 o-line player with the addition to Beekman to bolster our o-line into what it use to be. We can always pick up a solid RB in the 2nd rd like a Ray Rice, Mike Hart, Kevin Smith(who I personally love and you should check him out on youtube). I mean I'm not disagreeing with you, just throwing it out there on how Angelo would think.

by DaNate23 on Mar 5, 2008 11:00 AM CST reply actions

to add 1 more thing..

does anyone think Steve Slaton could be this years AP?, Only reason I say this is b/c he was great in college, then got injured and his stock is falling, who knows we might end up w/ him....Maybe Im just dumb

by DaNate23 on Mar 5, 2008 11:05 AM CST reply actions

I think people are forgetting

that Cedric Benson was a MONSTER in college. He was supposedly the bruising RB you could give the ball to 25-30 times a game and get 150 yards. He had a lot of praise coming out of college and a lot of teams had him ranked higher than Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams, including the Bears.

My point is that is doesn't matter what RB you have, unless it's Barry Sanders, you need a good offensive line. Do you really think Adrian Peterson(Purple Jesus) would've been great for the Bears running behind our offensive line? Mendenhall, granted is a beast, will look like shit if we don't do something about that trail of shit we call an offensive line.

GO BEARS!!!!!

by McRipper on Mar 5, 2008 11:11 AM CST reply actions

seems unlikely he suddenly forgot how to dominate

by most people's accounts, benson was the better running back by the end of the superbowl season. he was beating the hell out of other teams...remember he ended seau's season when junior tried to tackle him. he looked like a beast. know why? because the line played pretty good that year. he actually had holes and time to hit those holes. its what he's done his whole life. now, i don't know that he's destined to be a great RB (i do think he can be a very good one), and i honestly thought it was a mistake to draft him at #4 (but not because of his talent - we had jones already, and you can always get decent RBs at lower picks), but i highly doubt benson is a bad RB. nobody, and i mean nobody, would have done anything behind our line last year, short of barry sanders. you cannot be a successful RB if you are usually hit by DL or LBs 1-2 seconds after getting a handoff - again, with sanders being the exception. yeah, i do think drafting another RB wouldn't be a bad idea, but to grab one so early is a huge mistake, i think, because nobody is going to run successfully behind our current OL. get a LT at #14, sign a FA guard or draft one in the 3rd round. if we have a decent line next year, i bet benson has a very good season.

by guy incognito on Mar 5, 2008 11:45 AM CST up reply actions

Yeah

We're basically saying the same thing. I would like to see the Bears get a RB in the draft, just not with our 1st pick.

GO BEARS!!!!!

by McRipper on Mar 5, 2008 12:18 PM CST up reply actions

Benson maybe done

Don't forget, Benson has a metal plate in his leg. He may never be the same. Even if the Bears think he was going to be great, he may never be close to the same.

We MUST take Mendenhall if he's still on the board.

And no, he's no AP. But I think the Mendenhall can be a very good back in the NFL.

by Chad @ Windy City Gridiron on Mar 5, 2008 12:42 PM CST reply actions

i gotta agree

i love mendenhall and while i was at the rose bowl his performance was about the only think that made the day worthwhile. if he is on the board i don't think you can pass on him...drafting for need is never as good as drafting the best available athlete.

by lopey986 on Mar 5, 2008 12:54 PM CST up reply actions

In closing...

I can honestly say I was never that impressed by Benson from a standpoint of his college productivity translating into the pro game. For the record, he was only supposed to be a guy that is durable and hard-nosed. He has never had the look of a top tier athlete, which is really the type of running back you take with the 4th pick in the draft. I had him pegged out of college as a guy you give the ball to 20-30 times and he gets you 80-100 yards. He's been a let down from that standpoint, but I never felt he was a back with elite potential. He's yet to prove me wrong.

I agree that Angelo would probably not "like" to invest a lot of money into one position. The Bears have been saying for years now that you need two good running backs in this league. This means we still need at least one good running back since Angelo probably hasn't giving up hope on Benson. In addition to that, Thomas Jones was making 2.5 per which isn't far off what a mid-first round pick would receive.

Rice, Hart, and Smith are nice prospects, but I can't say I feel like any of them will amount to more than a decent backup. Which is about how I feel about Benson right now. If the Bears want to be a running football team, they actually need to draft a back with some athletic ability. Right now, Benson is a smaller version of Curtis Enis. We all know how great his career turned out. Mendenhall coming out of college really does remind me of AP in a lot of ways. I think he looks like a much more promising prospect coming in to the NFL.

by NCarlson on Mar 5, 2008 5:35 PM CST reply actions

Benson looked good in

college when he was running for a big payday. Now he's not running for anything--he doesn't seem to play for pride or his teammates or anything else.

I think we've seen the best of Benson, and that isn't saying much. Time to find his replacement. And as much as I would like the excitement of a first round running back, running games seem to succeed or fail in this league based on having a working system, and the right runner for the system. That's why we kept seeing guys drafted late doing well last year. I think we need to work more on creating a system that works and then finding someone to fit it. RBs careers are so short it seems logical to not invest your first round picks there.

by tomas21 on Mar 6, 2008 7:50 PM CST reply actions