I See This Ending Well

Take a gander at this here article from C Trent Rosecrans over at CNati (And bookmark the site.  Seriously.  I don't know if enough people know about it.  It's consistently great and provides coverage of all Cincinnati area sports).  In it, he talks about Cedric Benson's possibly declining role.  Cedric Benson's take on that?  None too pleased.  To quote:

"I don't know. I don't know," Benson said Sunday, following the team's 16-7 win over the Browns. "That's a weird question right there."

And then, after another pause, Benson said, "I didn't know I was having to share time. Is that what you're implying?"

Not necessarily, the reporter said, but there are clearly three quality running backs on the roster. Benson was the featured back for the first eight games and might be for the final few, once he returns from a hip injury. Or the Bengals could opt to utilize backups Larry Johnson and Bernard Scott is more prominent roles, now that each has topped 100 yards in a game.

"Uh, I don't know," Benson said. "If it wasn't like that before, I don't know if it'd be like that."

Now, I understand the counter argument.  He's a pro, he should share carries, he's getting paid, it doesn't really matter what he thinks, it's a team game.  I agree.  It'd be great if it were reality that Cedric Benson was totally fine with sharing carries. 

As history proves, he is not.  His entire career in Chicago was derailed because he had a bad attitude when he wasn't handed the starting job during his first training camp.

That said, is it worth it to risk his unhappiness?  Will decreased happiness from Benson mean decreased productivity?  Can Larry Johnson and a healthy Bernard Scott make up for the decreased productivity?  Will all of this even matter in a month?  With three capable tailbacks, is it possible that Brat could call an entire game without a pass?

All of these are questions I don't know the answer to.  Personally, I don't feel like it was worth the risk to mess with Benson's psyche, but I've been wrong before.  LJ certainly looked good on Sunday, albeit you're not going to see a defense like the Browns' in January.

Anybody got any strong feelings one way or the other?

Comments

[E-Rock]

I think you're a few days late on this one. CB's already been named the starter for Sunday. I've got no reason not to believe Marvin and Carson when they say Ced's the man and Larry knows his role. I think Carson is 100% right when he says the media is capable of creating an issue here where there is none. While I still think Mike Brown's an idiot, he has finally let Marvin build a team he likes. I think the Bengals success has derailed WDR's momentum and you're all rooting for the Bengals to fail so you can be proven right. Isn't the point to have a good team? We do. MB's never going to sell the team, he's likely never going to hire a GM, so I kind of feel like if we're going to remain Bengals fans, let's enjoy the upswings and quit finding flaws where there may not be any. Or pick another team.

[Bunk Moreland]

The realist in me says Ced Benson will hit a wall in the next 2-3 years if he takes as many carries the next 2 years as he did this season, like what happened to Rudi Johnson. But I also see no reason not to let him be the man when he's earned it, and I think ML knows that, too.

LJ knew when he was signed to this team that he was going to be the third or fourth string back and wouldn't be in every game, so let him have a reduced role and/or come in on a few wildcat formations. Right now the team has its power rushing with Ced and speed with Bernard Scott.

I fully agree with this blog's sentiments that Bratkowski is a mediocre at best OC, though. In previous years the offense was unbalanced on the pass because we had no good backs to run it, but now that we have good backs, it's unbalanced on the run. The two good things are most of the playoff locks so far aren't great at stopping the run, although none of them are as bad as Oakland/Detroit/Cleveland. And, we ran really well against some great run defenses (Pitt and Baltimore).

[Hofbraunow]

He got injured. It's nothing personal.

A football team is a machine, and injury changes the dynamics of that machine.

[TheCarlPickensClause]

It'll be fine. Ced will be the starter again this week and ease back into it with 20 carries--not 30-40. Scott will sit this week (read the website) and LJ and Leonard will be active with Benson as the three RBs. I won't lie that there is a SLIGHT possibility that this could affect Ced's morale, but only if he and LJ start splitting carries, or something close to that. LJ truly is an insurance policy and he proved it last week. Whether it be injury or lack of performance, it's nice to know that he's there to use as a good RB. I fully expect Ced to have a good game this week against a porous Lions defense and have his morale go back up. Though all 4 are talented, I truly believe that many of the running backs in the NFL right now could have 100-yard games behind this line's blocking. They're absolutely controlling the LOS. People are making this a bigger deal than it is, and if there is a problem, it's a good one to have.

[FeedMikeBrownToAquaBengal]

The Browns are signing Dede Dorsey.

Almost anybody can have 100 yard games with 30+ carries in the Bratworst offense, with unbalanced lines that feature three tackles and a tight end who is more like a tackle. I bet even Dede could do it.

[Hofbraunow]

Watching Ced Benson run the ball this year's been like water in the desert (or a 'best damn cracker' ) after Rudy's last couple of seasons in Cincy (I really couldn't stand that)

I wonder, will we see Rudy in the game during Sunday's matchup (is he still signed with Detroit)?

[Brian]

If Ced doesn't like it, to bad, thats why we got LJ

[Wyatt]

Let me preface this by saying that as a Penn State alum, I'm biased towards Larry Johnson. That said, watching LJ this past Sunday was more exciting than anything I've seen from Benson since preseason. Benson hits the hole well, but he does so square with the line of scrimmage, making him easier to tackle. LJ just seemed more explosive, blowing through the line at angles and making sharp cuts that made him much harder to tackle. That ability to "get skinny" is of the utmost importance with a vanilla predictable offensive coordinator running the same play seven times in a row.

[CurseofBoJackson]

EVEN Dede? C'mon man, did you watch pre season and last year? Dede could do it with the Browns, it was a shame we had to let him go, I thought a lot of his running abilities and vision.

I don't foresee an issue going forward, it's not like we're going to sign LJ for next year. Scott has turf toe and it looks like he sits vs DET, and Leonard is still a bit gimpy with the knee I understand. Worst case scenario is that Ced sees his carries dip by five or ten, which really is ok, as long as the O keeps moving. I see no reason for panic.

[Hofbraunow]

I just think this whole arrangement is an example of:

* spending money on more players
who are possibly less durable,

or

* spending that same money on fewer, more reliable
players, with less risk of chemistry/conflict
to the overall team.

VIVA

[Gfox]

Jerious Norwood missed 5 or 6 weeks w/ the same injury Ced had earlier this year. They couldn't really put a time table on Ced when he got hurt, b/c it's a tough injury to predict.

Would fans have rather the Bengals went out and signed Dede Dorsey instead of the best guy available in LJ? Would Ced have rather they signed a scrub to take over while he was out?

If the answer to either of those questions is yes, somebody's priorities are out of whack. Honestly, if this stuff ticks off Ced that's his problem. Other teams make it work. You didn't see Ronnie Brown making a big deal out of Ricky Williams. You don't hear the Saints RB trio complaining. You don't hear Hightower complaining. You don't hear Parker complaining that he lost carries. You don't hear McGahee complaining. You didn't hear Fred Jackson complain when Marshawn came back. Do your job, help give your team a chance to win, and grow up. All in all, so far Ced hasn't done anything out of line.

I really doubt this ends up being the kind of thing media members are trying to make it out to be, all they care about is page views, and controversy always leads to higher page views.

[BMN]

First off, I was not in favour of signing Larry Johnson but the Bengals did it and the cost was minimal. If it works out, great. Hopefully, the consequences of it not working out are minimal.

Second, I think Ced's still "the man" among the RBs until his performance doesn't prove it out. If it seems like the injury has deprived him of some steps, then there will be a decision to make. If it hasn't, then Ced will stay the man and I think LJ will be fine with it, as long as he gets a handful of carries now and again to show future employers he's still got some step.

I'm worried about a variety of things with the Bengals, but this issue isn't one of them.

[Mr. X]

If Benson can play, he's the feature back. That's the bottom line. I wasn't in favor of the LJ signing, but he is here to (a) show that he can be a team guy when his back is against the wall (b) prove that he still has a little mileage left and (c) audition for an expanded role somewhere else next year.