oldschooler Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 [size=6][b]Benson: No talks with Bengals so far[/b][/size] 02/21/12 at 10:14pm • Written by jreedy With less than three weeks until the start of free agency, Cedric Benson has not heard from the Bengals about re-signing. Said Benson on Sirius NFL Radio’s Late Hits program about where things stand: “I’m not sure. We haven’t had any talks about a new deal.” Benson has rushed for over 1,000 yards the past three seasons but the running game has struggled. Late last season, Benson had five fumbles in wins over the Rams and Cardinals and saw just 20 carries for 71 yards in losses to the Ravens and Texans. “We had a chance to establish an identity and we kind of got in our rhythm at times and there were times that were tough,” said Benson about the past season. “You can look at the statistics. We didn’t stick on what the offense was built on. When we had Carson and Chad we kept a strong identity in the run game and we kind of got away from it and didn’t let that part of the offense grow and bit the bullet on it a little bit.” (Click the link for the entire article) http://cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/2012/02/21/benson-no-talks-with-bengals-so-far-about-no-deal/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluhartz Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 I think the writting is on the wall Ced... Thanks for a couple good years.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigris Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 How are we supposed to keep running when we're gaining 1-2 yards a carry? Our run game was definitely frustrating last season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengals1181 Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 I wouldn't suspect any talks unless they don't get a different back in free agency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschooler Posted February 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 [b]Free agent Cedric Benson says he's yet to be contacted by the Bengals.[/b] Benson made the comments in a Tuesday radio interview, where he also took time to criticize Bengals OC Jay Gruden's play-calling. "We didn’t stick on what the offense was built on," Benson said. "When we had Carson (Palmer) and Chad (Ochocinco) we kept a strong identity in the run game and we kind of got away from it and didn’t let that part of the offense grow and bit the bullet on it a little bit." Now 29, a character concern and one of the more one-dimensional backs in the league, Benson is going to be greeted by a soft market. [b]Source:[/b] [url="http://cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/2012/02/21/benson-no-talks-with-bengals-so-far-about-no-deal/"]Cincinnati Enquirer [/url] http://www.rotoworld.com/teams/nfl/cin/?r=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akiliMVP Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 Hard to stick with the run game when your running back is terrible and consistently plows into the backs of offensive lineman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigris Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 [quote name='akiliMVP' timestamp='1329916080' post='1098113'] Hard to stick with the run game when your running back is terrible and consistently plows into the backs of offensive lineman. [/quote] I don't think the offensive line did him many favors either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phatcat Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 [quote name='akiliMVP' timestamp='1329916080' post='1098113'] Hard to stick with the run game when your running back is terrible and consistently plows into the backs of offensive lineman. [/quote] And puts the ball on the ground. Plus the Bengals were 10th in the NFL in rushing attempts. And tied for 26th in ypa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschooler Posted February 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 Now that Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and offensive coordinator Todd Haley [url="http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/42729/report-roethlisberger-haley-finally-meet#comment"]have reportedly spoken to each other[/url], let's move onto another AFC North situation where the sides aren't talking -- running back Cedric Benson and the Cincinnati Bengals. Benson becomes an unrestricted free agent in 20 days (on March 13). "We haven’t had any talks about a new deal," Benson told Sirius NFL Radio last night (via the [url="http://cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/2012/02/21/benson-no-talks-with-bengals-so-far-about-no-deal/"]Cincinnati Enquirer[/url]). In his first season with offensive coordinator Jay Gruden, Benson finished with 273 carries, which was his fewest since 2008. “We had a chance to establish an identity and we kind of got in our rhythm at times and there were times that were tough,” Benson said. “You can look at the statistics. We didn’t stick on what the offense was built on. When we had Carson [Palmer] and Chad [Ochocinco], we kept a strong identity in the run game and we kind of got away from it and didn’t let that part of the offense grow and bit the bullet on it a little bit.” [b]Hensley's slant[/b]: It was expected that Benson and the Bengals would have a mutual parting of the ways this year, and his comments only confirm that. This doesn't mean that the Bengals will hand the starting job to Bernard Scott. The Bengals should address the running back position in the draft or free agency, and perhaps both. http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/42733/wake-up-bengals-havent-talked-to-benson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Le Tigre Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 It will be uncomfortable for all parties...but Ced will be allowed to test the market, and the Bengals will look around for another back. Both will be tepid searches/responses...without much fruit...so expect to greet Ced back sometime in the next few months, probably another 1-year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengals1181 Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 [quote name='Le Tigre' timestamp='1329919116' post='1098132'] It will be uncomfortable for all parties...but Ced will be allowed to test the market, and the Bengals will look around for another back. Both will be tepid searches/responses...without much fruit...so expect to greet Ced back sometime in the next few months, probably another 1-year. [/quote] I agree he won't get much action, but I think there's little chance he's back. I think the team will go for someone else in free agency first, and if that doesn't work they'll try and get someone in the draft, possibly even reaching a little for a back. I only see benson back if both those strategies fall through. I wouldn't expect them to even talk to benson until may. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigris Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 [quote name='Bengals1181' timestamp='1329919420' post='1098135'] I agree he won't get much action, but I think there's little chance he's back. I think the team will go for someone else in free agency first, and if that doesn't work they'll try and get someone in the draft, possibly even reaching a little for a back. I only see benson back if both those strategies fall through. I wouldn't expect them to even talk to benson until may. [/quote] I agree 100%. He's a last resort at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschooler Posted February 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 [b] [size=6]Benson's Bengals days appear done[/size][/b] Updated Feb 22, 2012 8:50 AM ET Unless the Cincinnati Bengals know something he doesn’t, running back Cedric Benson will be playing elsewhere in 2012. Benson has led the team in rushing for the past four seasons, including three consecutive campaigns of 1,000-plus yards. Cincinnati, though, has made no effort to re-sign Benson as he heads toward unrestricted free agency on March 13 when the NFL signing period begins. “We haven’t had any talks about a new deal, re-signing or anything like that to my knowledge,” Benson told me and co-host Ross Tucker on Sirius XM NFL Radio. “I’m not sure where things are laying up there in Cincinnati.” If he has taken his final snap for the Bengals, Benson will be leaving on a down note. His role greatly diminished in Cincinnati’s final three games as the Bengals relied more heavily on the Andy Dalton-led passing game. Cincinnati (9-7) reached the playoffs but dropped its final two contests, including a 31-10 first-round loss at Houston in which Benson only received seven carries. “I just think we didn’t stick with what the offense was built on,” Benson said Tuesday night. “Since I’ve been there the past four years we’ve ran the football to try and win games. Even when we had Carson (Palmer) and Chad (Ochocinco), we still kept a strong identity in the run game. “I just feel we got away from it. We didn’t let that part of the offense grow the way it could have.” Benson didn’t help his cause with ball-control issues. The normally sure-handed Benson fumbled five times, losing two, in December victories against St. Louis and Arizona. “It was a little bit of me trying to do too much and a little bit of it being a long season,” said Benson, who hadn’t previously fumbled since Week 16 of the 2010 campaign. “The largest part of it was trying to make the most of the opportunities I was getting rather than letting the game come to me. I paid for it a little bit. Fortunately, we didn’t lose any of those games so that was the sweet thing about it.” Benson, 29, knows his free-agent market value may be tempered by his checkered off-field history. Benson served a one-game suspension last season after being arrested during the offseason on misdemeanor assault charges for the second time in two years. “As tired as I am and my advisors and family of these types of things coming up, with each passing situation, it’s a learning experience,” Benson said. “It’s definitely a life-changing experience. “I’m not perfect. I don’t go out seeking any trouble or try to put myself in a confrontational situation. I try my best to avoid them by all means. But life sometimes throws you curveballs. The best thing is to learn in the future and avoid them happening again.” The No. 4 overall pick in the 2005 draft by Chicago, Benson has rushed for 5,769 yards and 31 touchdowns in seven NFL seasons. http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/cedric-benson-days-with-bengals-appear-over-022212 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschooler Posted February 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 [b] [size=6]Cedric Benson keeps criticizing the Bengals offense[/size][/b] Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on February 22, 2012, 8:46 AM EST We told you over a month ago that the Bengals and running back [url="http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/3139/cedric-benson"]Cedric Benson[/url] [url="http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/15/benson-bengals-could-be-headed-for-a-split/"]were likely headed for a breakup[/url]. That appears to be the case more than ever. Appearing on Sirius NFL Radio’s Late Hits show with Ross Tucker and Alex Marvez, Benson said [url="http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/cedric-benson-days-with-bengals-appear-over-022212"]he has yet to hear from his employer[/url] of the last four years. “I’m not sure [where things stand]. We haven’t had any talks about a new deal,” Benson said via FOXSports.com. Benson is a one dimensional back that no longer breaks tackles. Cincinnati got great value out of Benson with more than 1,000 yards in the last three seasons at a fair price, but his time in town has run its course. He turns 30 this year and keeps complaining about the direction of the offense. “We didn’t stick on what the offense was built on. When we had Carson and Chad we kept a strong identity in the run game and we kind of got away from it and didn’t let that part of the offense grow and bit the bullet on it a little bit,” Benson said. Uh, Benson is aware the team made the playoffs right? His agent should let Benson know that criticizing the Bengals isn’t going to help him get a job. We would take Benson over guys like Clinton Portis, but a [url="http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/02/21/its-an-easy-year-to-avoid-overpaying-running-backs/"]good contract won’t be easy to find this year[/url]. NFL teams wants backups to play on third downs or play special teams, and Benson does neither. We doubt he’ll be able to land a starting job. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/02/22/cedric-benson-keeps-criticizing-the-bengals-offense/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschooler Posted February 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 [url="https://twitter.com/#!/PFF_MikeClay"]PFF_MikeClay[/url]Mike Clay He has no clue how lucky he was to see the workload he did in Cincy RT [url="https://twitter.com/#!/evansilva"][s]@[/s][b]evansilva[/b][/url]: Clueless. RT [url="https://twitter.com/#!/ProFootballTalk"][s]@[/s][b]ProFootballTalk[/b][/url] Cedric Benson keeps... [url="https://twitter.com/#!/PFF_MikeClay/status/172323772429373440"]2 minutes ago[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mongo Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 The only way I see benson back is if his replacement goes down in training camp. Dude has managed 4 yards a carry or better only once as a Bengal, and has fumbled 12 times in the past two years. He can't catch, and has this frustrating habit of tripping over nothing. No, the line didn't do him a ton of favors, but he missed a lot of holes too... He barely topped 100 yards three times last year, and two of them were against Cleveland. He also had 14 yards rushing in our playoff game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengals1181 Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 [quote name='mongo' timestamp='1329921353' post='1098155'] The only way I see benson back is if his replacement goes down in training camp. Dude has managed 4 yards a carry or better only once as a Bengal, and has fumbled 12 times in the past two years. He can't catch, and has this frustrating habit of tripping over nothing. No, the line didn't do him a ton of favors, but he missed a lot of holes too... He barely topped 100 yards three times last year, and two of them were against Cleveland. He also had 14 yards rushing in our playoff game. [/quote] x2. I think the only way Benson is in the league this year is like 2008, someone's starter goes down in camp/the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschooler Posted February 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 [url="https://twitter.com/#!/evansilva"]evansilva[/url]Evan Silva Benson will have to accept backup job on cheap deal but he's so distanced from reality that he's whining about workload. How out of touch. [url="https://twitter.com/#!/evansilva/status/172328722949619712"]2 minutes ago[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBeaverHunter Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 Good, do not resign Ced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredtoast Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 Cedric Benson was not as bad as a lot of fans claim. I was in favor of bringing him back last year, but even I think it is time to move on this year. Our O-line has sucked at run blocking for the last few years. The only season Benson averaged over 4 per carry was when we used six O-lineman to do the job of five. Benson always ran hard. In my 30+ plus years of watching the Bengals his '09 playoff game ranks as the top single game postseason performance by any player in Bengal history. I didn't blame him for being upset in '10 when we set a team record for pass attempts the year after winning the division with a run first team, but we ran the ball a lot this year and he just whined about sharing the load. Mike Brown has never been shy about using first and second round picks on RBs. I expect that to happen again this year. And that is fine with me because i don't trust free agent RBs. My theory is that the shelf life of NFL RBs is so short that by the time they have carried the ball enough to prove that they are worth big money in free agency they are getting close to the point where they start to decline. We were lucky with Benson because he only had about 400 carries in his 3 years with the Bears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The PatternMaster Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 Ced should be happy he was given an opportunity to play, I don't remember too many teams offering him a job after the Bears cut him. Plus the guy just doesn't know when to shut up, he keeps talking about the offense not running it enough when he was average at best all season. The Bengals would be fools to resign this guy, he's a HOF'er in his mind but nowhere else. If Benson doesn't think he got the ball enough here, I would love to see him test FA and see how many carries he gets. In 2011 Benson was 7th in attempts with 273, but he couldn't even crack the top 40 in YPC with 3.9, he also leads all rb with fumbles lost at 5. So a guy who can't average 4 ypc and fumbles more than any other starting rb in the NFL is complaining about the offense not giving him enough opportunities even though he ranked 7th in attempts...ok. And he wonders why the Bengals haven't contacted him, I think Ced is delusional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Le Tigre Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 I trust Bengal first-round draft pick RB's a whole lot less. History proves it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredtoast Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 [quote name='Le Tigre' timestamp='1329923964' post='1098182'] I trust Bengal first-round draft pick RB's a whole lot less. History proves it. [/quote] Yeah, just like history proved that Carson Palmer and Andy Dalton would play just like Akili Smith and David Klingler. I agree that draft picks, even first rounders, are a bigger crap shoot than a lot of people will admit, but just because many of our high round RBs have been cut down by injury (Carter, Perry, Irons) does not mean we can't get another Pro Bowl RB in the second round like we did with Icky Woods, Harold Green and Corey Dillon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Le Tigre Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 I get the drift, Fred. For every Irons, there's a Dillon. I get it. But...as I continue to repeat...I still painfully remember the years when there was no answer at RB--other than non-answers like Fenner/Bienemy/Broussard. Guys who couldn't sniff 1000 yards if they were standing on top of it. There is obviously a better back than Ced out there for us. I guess I'm just saying: don't be too quick to ditch an annual 1000-yard back for a wing and a prayer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gatorclaws Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 [quote name='Le Tigre' timestamp='1329927600' post='1098205'] I get the drift, Fred. For every Irons, there's a Dillon. I get it. But...as I continue to repeat...I still painfully remember the years when there was no answer at RB--other than non-answers like Fenner/Bienemy/Broussard. Guys who couldn't sniff 1000 yards if they were standing on top of it. There is obviously a better back than Ced out there for us. I guess I'm just saying: don't be too quick to ditch an annual 1000-yard back for a wing and a prayer. [/quote] Being a 1000 yard back doesn't mean anything anymore. In Benson's case all it means is he got a lot of carries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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