FanHouse

When the Bears drafted Matt Forte in the second round of the draft, it seemed to signal the start of a competition for the starting running back job. Cedric Benson, despite being handed the job on a platter 12 months earlier, hadn't done enough to ensure he'd stay in the job. When Benson got arrested, it looked like the battle had tilted in Forte's favor.

That case still needs sorting out, though, and Benson's still got one guy who thinks he can do the job. During a Q-and-A with the team's web site, Lovie Smith said that it was Benson's job to lose.

Matt Forte has never played a down for us here. He's like all other rookies, starting from the bottom and working his way up. Cedric was our starter last year, and he's our starter right now. For someone else to be the starter, they're going to have to beat him out.

It would be impractical of Smith to view things any differently. It's bad form to have players lose their jobs without at least a chance to keep them. It's the opposite of what the team's doing at quarterback. The Bears keep saying it's an open competition but if Rex Grossman's healthy, he's starting on opening day.

Running back is less clear but Benson being the starter on May 17th means very little come training camp. That's the real open competition in the Chicago backfield.