Posts tagged CedricBenson at FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

Typically, when the Steelers release a player, the process goes something like this: head coach Mike Tomlin explains that "it's a numbers game," and thanks the player for their hard work, commitment, etc.; player cleans out his locker and turns in his playbook; player immediately calls his agent; player signs with the Pittsburgh West within 48 hours.

Which is why recently unemployed running back Najeh Davenport probably wasn't too concerned about finding another gig. He told Sirius NFL Radio earlier this week that he would target the Cardinals and Lions as potential new employers, but he might want to think about casting a wider net during the job search.

"Cardinals GM Rod Graves said via text message this morning that the Cardinals have no interest."

So that's that. A running game that ranked 26th in the league last season has no need for a back who was eighth in value per play and 18th in total value. And Davenport's also a willing blocker and a good receiver. Interesting.

Actually, it's more complicated than that -- according to Rotoworld:

Najeh said he'd target the Lions and Cardinals as suitors, but his off-field past will work against him. The Cards also aren't in position to sign players other than their rookies. It's too bad, because this could've been a nice fit.

There's still Detroit, a team in need of a veteran running back who doesn't stink, and then there's Chicago: a team in need of a running back, period (although second-rounder Matt Forte has, roughly, a 10 million percent chance to be an improvement over Cedric Benson).

A rumor recently surfaced on the TexansTalk message board that former Bears running back Cedric Benson was in the Houston area and that he was telling people that he was closest in his talks with the Texans. I've heard similar gossip from other places, and as fans are interested in this, I think it is worth discussing.

(UPDATE: Adam Schefter from NFL Network is reporting that the Texans have no interest in Cedric Benson. No surprise given their emphasis on acquiring high character players, see below).

Clearly the Texans situation would be appealing to Benson. He would be close to home and playing in front of a crowd that includes Longhorn fans who may be inclined to give him another chance. Kyle Shanahan, the offensive coordinator for the Texans played (!) on the same University of Texas team as Benson.

And most importantly, the Texans have a need for better running back play. Their group of backs is still not where you want it to be for a team that aspires to dominate in the running game. Here's their current lineup:

Ahman Green - Oldish and oft injured
Chris Brown - Oft injured
Steve Slaton - Inexperienced smallish rookie
Chris Taylor - Undrafted inexperienced RB coming off of injury
Darius Walker - Undrafted inexperienced RB

Doesn't exactly inspire confidence. The best analysis of the Texans running back situation as it relates to Benson is from Keith Weiland of InTheBullseye.com (formerly of now-shuttered HoustonProFootball.com):

It's been 10 years since Ricky Williams won the Heisman Trophy, although, for him, it probably seems much longer than that. He's being honored this week by the Heisman Winners Association, and during an interview with the Associated Press, Williams touched on his past, what he hopes to accomplish going forward, and ... Cedric Benson?

His legacy as an NFL player wasn't important until his troubles started to overtake the good he had accomplished.

"It was never something I thought about until it turned into a negative legacy," Williams said. "Now it's my responsibility to make the life of my family and my children better (by) leaving the game on a positive note ... I think people need to know I'm dependable." ...

Williams figures he can put in four more seasons of pro ball. Time away from the game, from his temporary retirement to his 1 1/2-year suspension for smoking marijuana and violating the NFL drug policy, probably saved his body some wear and tear.

I can totally respect that, and by most accounts, Williams is an extremely nice guy. So he was a little confused about what he wanted to do with his life -- yeah, that happens to a lot of people. Now he's got Bill Parcells in his corner and seems fully committed to football.

A judge changed the conditions of Cedric Benson's bail today when the former Bears running back appeared in court, forcing him to take alcohol counseling courses and install an ignition interlock breathalyzer in his car.

The breathalyzer, which the judge told Benson he has 72 hours to install, will make it impossible to start his car if his blood alcohol level registers above the legal limit. The judge told Benson the intent of the new bail conditions was "what's best for you."

Benson was arrested twice in five weeks on alcohol-related charges, once for boating while intoxicated and resisting arrest, and once for driving while intoxicated. In both cases, he has pleaded not guilty and publicly said that he wasn't drunk. The Bears waived him after the second arrest, and no team picked him up.

Hear that? It's the pitter-patter of fantasy football season approaching. Fantasy FanHouse is here to get you ready by previewing every team from a fantasy perspective.

Meet The ...

Most maligned offense in the league, even after the departure of Cedric Benson. Over the past two to three seasons it has become so popular to hate on Rex Grossman even my mother-in-law knows who he is. Kyle Orton backs up Rexy, and he's awful. The receiving corps was decimated in the off-season with the departures of Muhsin Muhammed and Bernard Berrian while being replaced with uninspired choices Marty Booker and Brandon Lloyd. The team was also criticized -- in addition to not drafting a QB -- for passing on Rashard Mendenhall in the first round of the draft and instead settling on a 2nd rounder to replace push Benson before his arrest(s). The offensive line was pathetic last year, and minimal work was done to repair it in the off-season (though getting rid of Fred Miller within itself should vastly improve things). About the only part not under scrutiny is tight end, with Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark.

It's not very often names like Shaun Alexander, Kevin Jones, Travis Henry, Cedric Benson and Ron Dayne -- all first-round picks save Henry, a second-rounder -- are still looking for gainful employment. As recently as a year ago, teams were clamoring for their services, and now, nothing.

Some combination of age, ineffectiveness, injury and off-field silliness led these players to their current predicaments, and while some of them will no doubt get second or third or fourth chances at redemption, Alexander's career, whether he's ready or not, looks to be over.

CBSSports.com's Clark Judge polled NFL coaches and GMs for some insight into Alexander's future, and here's what he discovered:

"First of all," said a head coach who saw a lot of Alexander, "he had a reputation as being a 'soft' runner. But when the scheme was blocked up, and he got to the second level he had the speed where he could be effective. The problem is: He no longer has the speed, so he no longer can be effective."

Hardly earth-shattering. Anybody who even briefly saw Alexander last season would readily agree. But how do you go from NFL touchdown leader to also-ran in two seasons?

As the 2005 draft class continues to be dismantled one underachieving pick at at time -- most recently highlighted by 32 teams wanting nothing to do with fourth-overall selection Cedric Benson -- the Boston Globe's Mike Reiss reminds us in today's edition that all but one (with injury exceptions) of the first 10 picks in that draft were forgettable.

Cornerback Pacman Jones (No. 6) and receivers Troy Williamson (No. 7) and Mike Williams (No. 10) are already with their second teams. Meanwhile, quarterback Alex Smith (No. 1) is in a battle to hold down the starting job in San Francisco, while Antrel Rolle (No. 8) is being moved to safety in Arizona after failing to excel at cornerback.

Reiss rightly gives Ronnie Brown (No. 2), Cadillac Williams (No. 5) and Carlos Rogers (No. 9) passes because of injuries, but if nothing else, Benson, Brown and Williams reinforce the theory that using high-round picks on running backs is a waste of time and money.

Of the first 10 selections, only Braylon Edwards has lived up to the pre-draft hype. In fact, if we staged one of those dopey mock re-drafts, DeMarcus Ware (No. 11) or Shawne Merriman (No. 12) would probably be the first-overall pick, followed by some combination of Aaron Rodgers, Luis Castillo, Heath Miller and Logan Mankins.

Two things: A.J. Smith is obviously a genius, and nothing like having a tight end as a top-five selection -- Kellen Winslow couldn't even do that, and he's a soldier.

Former Chicago Bears defensive lineman Michael Haynes is, like Cedric Benson, a onetime first-round draft pick who became a bust and currently is not employed by an NFL team. So Haynes has an interesting perspective on Benson, and Haynes says it's easy to figure out why Benson washed out with the Bears:

"Cedric has always been lazy,'' Haynes said. ''Cedric was lazy when he first got to Chicago, and I guarantee you he is lazy now. It's the work ethic that a lot of teammates didn't like. When I was there and things didn't work out, I always showed up and I always worked hard. I tried really hard, and I never complained.''

Haynes also says he objects to being compared to Benson. Haynes says that unlike Benson, he hasn't gotten into off-field trouble, and that unlike Benson, his own failure to make it in the NFL isn't a result of laziness.

Via PFT.

The Chicago Bears placed Cedric Benson on waivers this week, which means all 31 other NFL teams could have claimed the rights to him. And although Benson hasn't exactly been, you know, good -- either on or off the field -- there was some talk in league circles that some team might take a flyer on him.

Nope. Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports (via PFT) that no team claimed Benson on waivers. That means he's now an unrestricted free agent, and it means no team thinks he's worth the relatively low salary of $820,000 he was scheduled to make in 2008.

So where does Benson go from here? I still think he'll sign with some NFL team in 2008. For as disappointing as his career has been so far, if guys like Tank Johnson and Pacman Jones can get second chances, Benson can too. He'll never be close to the kind of player the Bears thought he was when they made him the fourth pick in the 2005 draft, but Benson isn't done.

Gale Sayers is a day or two behind everybody else, but it's never too late to take a few shots at Cedric Benson. The Hall of Fame Bears running back was the fourth-overall pick in the 1965 draft, exactly 40 years before the team selected Benson in the first round. Draft status is where the similarities end between the two, however, which helps explain why Sayers isn't losing any sleep over Benson's fate:

" George Halas wouldn't have given Benson that many chances and our [former Bears] players wouldn't have given him that many chances," Sayers said of his former coach and NFL founder. "When a player did something wrong, we would get on them.

"I don't feel sorry for [Benson]. He has a lot of money, which a lot of players today think is the only thing that counts. He thinks money can buy himself out of anything he gets into. It is very, very sad."

Money couldn't buy Benson out of all those four-yard losses, which, I guess, proves Sayers' point.

In any event, Benson's still unemployed, and unless the Patriots decide to save his career, he could be kickin' it on the couch for the foreseeable future. If there's anything positive Benson can take from all this: at least Sayers has earned the right to call him out; it's much less embarrassing than having Rashaan Salaam point and gawk, I'd think.