[CBFF] QB talk aside, Bears know they need a better Benson

[Michael Halatek]

PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Well, at least Cedric Benson can't say he wasn't warned. 
  For all the angst Bears' fans might feel about their quarterbacks ... or offensive line ... or defense ... it was Benson whom coach Lovie Smith singled out Wednesday as the guy who needs to pick up his game. 
  And now. 
                  Benson has produced only 1,593 yards rushing in three seasons in Chicago. (US Presswire)    A year ago he became Chicago's starting running back after the club jettisoned Thomas Jones. Benson was no factor. In the season opener against San Diego, for instance, Chicago had a second-and-2, third-and-2 and fourth-and-1 and couldn't get more than a yard out of Benson and Adrian Peterson. 
  It was a sign of what was to come, and it wasn't good. 
  Benson went through 11 games before suffering a season-ending ankle injury, produced 674 yards, 3.4 yards a carry and four scores. In short, he didn't do enough to perk up what once was an effective rushing attack. 
  That must end, according to Smith. 
  "Cedric is a first-round draft pick, and with that are expectations," he said. "And there comes a time when he needs to produce. This is an important year for us and for him, and he needs to take a step. And he'll be the first one to tell you that. This is a critical year." 
  A year ago the Bears were the defending NFC North champion and expected to win their third straight title in a walk, but that didn't happen ... and it didn't happen for a variety of reasons. The quarterbacking stunk. Key members of the defense were injured. The offensive line wasn't very good. And Benson ... 
  Don't get me started. 
  He didn't produce like the fourth pick of the draft should, and the numbers prove it. Splitting time with Jones in 2006, Benson averaged 4.1 yards a carry, had 647 yards and scored six times. But his numbers were down as the starter a year later, with Benson throwing in three fumbles, two more than he had the season before. 
  His performance was so underwhelming that Smith was asked Wednesday if he considered cutting him. He said he did not, pointing out that "as a football team I don't think you can blame (what happened last year) on the running back." 
  Maybe not. But unless the Bears manufacture a rushing attack, it won't make a difference if Rex Grossman, Kyle Orton, Jim McMahon or Rudy Bukich starts for the Bears. Without a running game -- or, more to the point, with a running game like the one they had in 2006 -- the Bears could sink to the middle of the division again. 
  Yeah, I know, Green Bay lost Brett Favre, Minnesota has quarterback issues and Detroit has issues, period. But Chicago went to the top in 2005-06 when it ranked 10th in rushing those two years, producing more than 4,000 yards for the first time since 1990-91. 
  But that's when the Bears turned to Benson, and you saw what happened. Chicago ranked 30th in rushing and dead last in yards per carry. That should concern the Bears. Because if Cedric Benson isn't the answer, who is? 
  "I know he's coming off a serious injury," Smith said, "but he's a good football player. He's got to pick it up. Just like our team sometimes you need a bad year to get back. ... When he gets a chance to play he needs to elevate his game." 
  Hey, the entire Chicago offense needs to elevate its game, and it didn't take long for the conversation Wednesday to get around to Smith's quarterbacks. For the moment it's Grossman and Orton battling for the starter's job, with Smith saying the job won't be decided until training camp. 
  Both have taken the team to the playoffs. Grossman took them to a Super Bowl. But Grossman floundered a year ago, and so did his backup, Brian Griese. Orton, who started in 2005 when Grossman was hurt, was the most effective quarterback, leading the club to season-ending victories over Green Bay and New Orleans and compiling a 2-1 record as a starter. 
  "We've had success with both of those players," Smith said of Grossman and Orton. "We're trying to get that position solidified because we played different people. But I still feel good. It's on the record how I feel about Rex. And it's on the record how I feel about Kyle. And I feel good about letting those two compete. 
  "It's going to be good competition, and they both know what's at stake. Nothing is set right now (because) it's an unknown." 
  Although that appears to be a departure from Smith's history of defending his quarterbacks -- particularly his support of an embattled Grossman in 2006 -- it is not, and Smith was quick to point that out. 
  "I've done that during the season once it's been established," he said. "But nothing has been established in the offseason. You never heard me say 'this guy' or 'that guy' in the offseason." 
  Yes, I did. I just heard him say that Cedric Benson better get his act together. 
  "Seven and nine was a disappointing season," Smith said. "It was disappointing for Cedric as it was for all of us. We'd like to get back to being in (a playoff) position, and we're going to do something about it." 

       
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