[CBFF] Benson will face battle to regain starting position - Chicago Bears - Sent Using Google Toolbar

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Benson will face battle to regain starting position - Chicago Bears








INDIANAPOLIS – Trying to rebound from a disappointing 2007 season that
ended prematurely with an injury, Cedric Benson won't reclaim his
starting running back job without a fight.



 Cedric Benson was selected by the Bears with the fourth pick in the
2005 NFL Draft. "He's got to compete," general manager Jerry Angelo
said at the NFL Combine. "He's got to go out there and win the job.
We're going to try to create competition at the position. We'll try to
do it at all positions and we're going to certainly look at the
running back position."

Benson rushed for 674 yards on 196 carries in 11 games before
sustaining a season-ending leg injury Nov. 25 in an overtime win over
the Denver Broncos. The 2005 first-round pick previously suffered
injuries to his knee as a rookie, his shoulder in training camp in
2006 and his knee in Super Bowl XLI.

Benson's three longest runs last season—including a career-long
43-yard touchdown at Seattle—came in his final two games. But it
wasn't enough to prevent the Bears rushing attack from ranking 30th in
the NFL in yards per game and 32nd in yards per carry.

"It's unfortunate when you started to see a little light at the end of
the tunnel he got hurt," Angelo said. "Injuries are a real problem now
with Cedric. He's been hurt four times and you have to be mindful of
that. Durability is a big deal when you're talking about running
backs."

The Bears will look to add a back in free agency and/or the draft.

"It's not like we're driven to do this, but we certainly want to
create competition at that running back position because we want to be
a running football team," Angelo said. "That's our goal. Our
philosophy hasn't changed, and we have to have good backs to do that."

Bears coach Lovie Smith is confident that Benson will bounce back in 2008.

"We know about Cedric right now in that lead position," Smith said.
"He didn't have a good year, and there are reasons why, from the
injuries and just his overall play wasn't what we would like for it to
be this past season.

"I still have confidence in Cedric that he can do the job. I know that
he's a good football player. A lot of times when you have a
disappointing year, just like a ballclub, you come back a lot stronger
that next year. We're hoping that will be the case with Cedric. I
still say he's a good football player and he can be productive in our
league."

At this point, the Bears' depth chart at running back is wide open.

"I would like for all of our players to think that they're No. 1
coming in," Smith said. "We know what Cedric was able to do. Adrian
Peterson was productive and finished the season out strong and I still
think Garrett Wolfe has a bright future."



 Jacob Hester is a tough-as-nails runner who some scouts believe
projects as a fullback in the NFL. All in the family: As he prepares
to enter the NFL Draft, LSU running back Jacob Hester feels a bond
with his namesake on the Bears.

"People always mess with me and say, 'Man, your cousin did good
today,'" Hester said at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. "I actually
got a chance to meet [Devin Hester] at the NFL Players party during
Super Bowl week. I told him that joke and he thought it was pretty
funny."

The two Hesters played against each other in the 2005 Peach Bowl with
Jacob's LSU Tigers hammering Devin's Miami Hurricanes 40-3. Jacob
rushed for 70 yards and 1 TD on 13 carries, while Devin ran for 24
yards on seven attempts and had two receptions for 40 yards.

The Hesters had arranged to exchange jerseys after the game, but a
nasty brawl between the teams that had to be broken up by the Georgia
State police prevented them from doing so.

A few years later, Jacob would love to join Devin on the Bears.

"That would be awesome," he said. "I love the cold weather and that's
something I'd love to play in, especially on a team with that much
tradition."

Heading to New York: Kevin O'Dea has left the Bears after two seasons
as assistant special teams coach to become special teams coordinator
with the New York Jets. Prior to arriving in Chicago in 2006, O'Dea
worked as an NFL assistant for 12 seasons with the Chargers (1994-95),
Buccaneers (1996-2001), Lions (2002-03) and Cardinals (2004-05).

Gray matter: Smith was asked if he was trying to make a fashion
statement with the goatee he's sporting at the Combine. "How can a
gray beard be a fashion statement?" asked the Bears coach. "I am a
granddad and I'm starting to look like one."
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