Bengals sign Cedric Benson

by Kirkendall on Sep 30, 2008 4:25 PM EDT in Player Transactions Comment 15 comments

Bengals.com reports that the Cincinnati Bengals signed running back Cedric Benson, after placing DeDe Dorsey on the Injured Reserve with a hamstring injury suffered last week against Cleveland.

Benson has a lot of baggage with him, after being arrested twice in the span of a few months. The first was an early May boating while intoxicated incident. The other was a DYI in Austin, Texas in early June. Grand jury threw out both charges.

Benson, a former first-round pick running back from Texas, has 1,593 yards rushing in his three-year career, with 10 touchdowns and a 3.8 yards-per-carry average.

Considering the situation of running backs on this team, I like this move. We need to bolster the position after injuries and questionable cuts and lack of production. Look, we're 0-4; there's not one thing we shouldn't try.

Poll

Do you like signing Cedric Benson?

Yes

160 votes

No

111 votes

271 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs | Comment 15 comments | Share

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

To quote myself from yesterday;

As for the running back, I’d give Cedrick Benson a try before I messed with Alexander…

At least with Benson- and he’s been exonerated by a jury of his peers, you get the possibility that he may return to that form that made him the fifth overall pick in ‘05. In terms of this signing’s impact on our national rep, it can’t get any worse so why not? Now, granted Rudi’s attitude over his last couple days here might have made it impossible but look where we’d have been without that disastrous day cutting Rudi, Willie, and Deltha. I’d say we were snakebit if Mike the Inept weren’t calling the shots, making our misfortune richly deserved.

by IgnatiusJReilly on Sep 30, 2008 4:42 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

lol

we released rudi to sign this scrub.

by palewook on Sep 30, 2008 4:58 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

whatever

Best case scenario: Benson turns out to be the power back that got him drafted in the top 5.
Worst case scenario: Benson turns out to be the power back that got him drafted in the top 5. He is made an integral part of our future plans. He gets arrested again, suspended for 4-16 games and we go back to drawing board.

This is not how you build a team, but it is how we build our team. It’s OK to have one player that fits this mold be we have way too many. So why not add one more.

Adding players like this allows you to win a few more games a year (turning down the heat on Brown) but when we have so many malcontents, it becomes increasingly less likely that they will stay around long enough to build a consistent winner.

It was the attitude of Rudi and Deltha that got them the pink slip, and as a result, we spend the first 4 games stuck using a 3rd down back to running up the middle and fumbling, and an inexperienced CBs going against #1 receivers.

by R.F. Mehl on Sep 30, 2008 6:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Wasn't this guy...

…a locker room cancer who was absolutely HATED by his teammates? Lord help us…

by Galaxy CDS on Sep 30, 2008 7:00 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

hmmmmm

shaun alexander wanted to be here, grew up here, was a former mvp, had a great character, and could have been a team leader and we sign another felon who was hated by his teammates….after resigning henry? give me a break, mike brown needs to go.

"God has blessed me and I will continue to do my best for him. This is more important than anything I could do in baseball." -Albert Pujols

by shortstopv2 on Sep 30, 2008 8:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

as good a guy

as Shaun Alexander is, you don’t sign a guy with nothing left in the tank just to sit on the bench. Benson may end up being a flop but at least he has the potential- the legs, the muscle- to contribute. Honestly, I’d have probably gone with James Johnson first but, should he have failed, chances are Benson- or Alexander for that matter- would have been gone.

Plus, Chris Henry might just need a drinking buddy.

by IgnatiusJReilly on Sep 30, 2008 9:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Did anyone see Al Davis’s press conference? He looked like Mr. Burns on a bad day.
I find watching Davis, at age 117, still ruining his team, really depressing. Mike Brown still has a lot of pain to inflict on us.

Speaking of which, Is it possible that Mike Brown is bringing in Benson, another player with a checkered past with the goal of further undermining Lewis in the hopes that we will resign and not have to be fired?

by R.F. Mehl on Sep 30, 2008 10:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Marvin's opinion would be interesting to hear for sure...

but you know he’s not going to say anything but the nonsense he’s been saying since OTAs.

This is a travesty. Katie Blackburn could have brokered a deal with Weird Al to send Ocho Busto to Oakland for Michael Bush and future draft picks, I’m quite certain. They could have traded with the Giants for Derrick Ward. ANYTHING would be better than this head-case of a draft bust! They shoved a mike in Benson’s face after the Bears took his sorry arse and he CRIED…not because he was deliriously happy to realize his life-long dream of playing in the National Football League…NO! He was crying because of (yeah, you’ve heard the song…sing it with me, boys and girls!) disrespect, “things were said,” yada yada yada…

Bubba ain’t never been accused o’ bein’ mentally sta-a-ble…

by TheWalrus1971 on Oct 1, 2008 1:14 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Here is the scoop on Benson

His biggest issue is his attitude. He held out after being drafted. Then thought he deserved to be starter even though we had Thomas Jones in camp. When Jones was sent packing, Benson didn’t believe that he had anything to prove.

He has a very big holier than thou thing going on, though I imagine you all are used to that with Chad Eight Five on your team.

Benson is supposed to be a power back, yet he consistently ran out of bounds and rarerly lowered his shoulder to pick up extra yards. I am not familiar with your offensive line, but if they cannot open up holes consistently Benson will just end up piling into the back of you line for 1-2 yards per run. If it is designed well he can get to the outside on occasion and can pick up some chunks of yardage.

Being Who You Thought We Were Since 2005!

by Adam T on Oct 1, 2008 8:42 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

This is why I opposed the move...

The last thing we need is another clown who is a malcontent in the locker room. It would be one thing if the guy was obviously oozing talent (a la Terrell Owens, and even then you have to wonder if it’s worth it), but I didn’t see this guy do anything to merit his paycheck in his seasons with the Bears. Thomas Jones consistently ran harder than he did and is, I believe, a smaller guy. I guess we need the depth, but building a team with guys with more ego than talent or brains sounds like a great way to deliver us back to being mired in the mid-90s.

Whoever mentioned Al Davis has pretty much isolated my deepest fear for this team going forward.

by McWad on Oct 1, 2008 12:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Really?

The best bengals team in recent history was the one with the MOST malcontents. Then the team decides to get on a high horse and it starts sucking.

by the-dude on Oct 1, 2008 12:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks to our good friend from Chicago for that on-the-spot report...

And if you’re checking back, WCG, the answer is NO…the line can neither run-block or pass-protect anywhere near their peak performance of ought-five.

My guess is that Cedric Benson IS…who we THOUGHT he was! The O-Line will only help to further prove that point.

by TheWalrus1971 on Oct 1, 2008 9:23 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Yes...

…in that we need a running back and Benson still may have some upside. No, in that it smells of desperation. How were we so confident in the Johnson, Perry, Watson triumverate at the beginning of the season?

by goffchile on Oct 1, 2008 1:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Of course they're desperate

DeDe Dorsey is done. Watson is still missing practices with his hammy. Perry is the team’s only running back right now — and we’re all aware that he’s one tackle away from missing the rest of the season.

I knew they were signing someone. I figured it was Alexander, simply because of the home ties and all that happy BS.

Blogger at CincyJungle.com -- SB Nation Cincinnati Bengals blog.

by Kirkendall on Oct 1, 2008 4:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

horrible

why the hell did we get this scrub? he’s the running back version of chris henry, except not as talented. can we really trust this guy to pick up blitzes. i wouldn’t be surprised if palmer gets blown up because this scrub misses his block, and then gets arrested the next week. i guess it’s back to being the bungles again. how depressing

by CSon on Oct 1, 2008 4:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs