What’s the lesson in the Cedric Benson arrest?  If you listen to Chicago Bears GM Jerry Angelo, he’ll tell you that Benson should never have put himself in that situation.  What was the situation?

We seem to have reached a cross roads with professional sports between giant paychecks to athletes to throw or catch a ball and the demands put on then off the field.  When athletes leave the field and go home do we expect them to stay inside their homes at all times?  Athletes are people and should be able to live their lives as normal people, albeit extremely rich people.  On the other hand, as a professional we are expected to do things that meet the demands and responsibilities of our work.  Lawyers are required to keep up with the law, accountants have to keep up with the current tax code, and doctors have to keep up with the current medicine.  In that respect, don’t athletes have a responsibility to make sure every activity protects their health and ability to perform as an athlete?

An athlete cannot rely upon his body alone to be successful, it requires a combination of body and mind working together.  However, I would argue that keeping a healthy body and having athletic ability is 75% to a 25% mental necessity.  Considering it is a professional athletes most important and expensive asset, they would put a little more effort into ensuring it stays healthy.

It makes you wonder about how wasteful some athletes are that are given such amazing athletic ability and manage to waste it on parties, booze, and drugs.  The problem is it doesn’t appear that Benson put himself in the category of wasteful athletes.  It doesn’t help his image as a selfish athlete that has lingered since he was a rookie holdout, but it doesn’t mean he should be looked upon as a delinquent.  He was on a boat with friends and family, including his mother, enjoying some water and warm weather.  I don’t know about you, but you can’t get into too much trouble when your mom is around.

My dad always told me as a boy that knowing that you are right or wrong sometimes isn’t enough.  There are times when you are judged based on the company you keep and there are moments when you are just in the wrong place at the wrong time, so try to keep yourself away from those situations or people that invite trouble.  From what we can tell, Benson has already had some trouble with the River Authority and has had his boat visited 6 times in the last year.  The area is a fun, party area for boaters that has resulted in several deaths from alcohol related boating accidents.  Officials have been cracking down on drinking in the area to help prevent boating accidents and deaths.

It seems selfish to make an argument that the officials are being over zealous because of a few deaths.  If people are drinking too much and resulting in the deaths of others, then a crack down is needed.  The conundrum becomes, if Benson was visited several times for drinking on his boat, knew that the area was a source of caution for alcohol related deaths, and he continued to have parties on the boat, is he at fault?  The answer is a hard one because there will always be someone out there making the argument that we shouldn’t punish everyone.  However, I’m of the opinion, it’s all fun and games until someone you know is the one in the casket.

I’m not saying Benson shouldn’t be able to go out and have a good time.  I’m not saying Benson shouldn’t be able to have a drink with family and enjoy himself.  I’m not saying Benson shouldn’t be able to have a boat and have a good time in the sun.  I’m saying that when you add up all the elements of the situation, perhaps Benson could have exercised a little more discretion.

No matter which side of the issue you stand on, the damage has been done to his career.  Benson has hired one of the best defense attorneys in Texas to handle his case so he can attend the first day of OTA’s (Organized Team Activities) and prevent Matt Forte from working out with the starting offensive team on the first day.  It’s a small move to ensure he stays the starter but I doubt it will make much difference.

It has been VERY busy week for the Chicago Bears so let’s take a deep breath and jump right in.

SCHEDULING CONFLICT

To put insult onto injury, the day of Cedric Benson’s court date in Austin, Texas on charges of operating a boat while intoxicated and resisting arrest is on May 19th.  This is significant because May 19th is the first day of OTA’s (Organized Team Activities) for the Bears.  Unless the Bears make any major additions at running back, rookie Matt Forte will receive the majority of snaps at running back.  Not a good start for Benson since the Bears organization has promised Forte will have the opportunity to battle Benson for the starting spot. 

CRYING FOUL

Witnesses have come forward on Cedric Benson’s behalf and say the River Authority Officials often harrass Benson and they were abusive in the arrest.  America is supposed to be the land of “innocent until proven guilty,” but even if the allegations prove to be false, I’m afraid the damage has been done.  I don’t know if I agree, but some in Chicago feel that if it’s true that Benson is having serious setbacks recovering from off season injuries, he shouldn’t be screwing around on a boat in Texas.  I think players are entitled to have personal time as long as they don’t do anything illegal or dangerous, but in this situation, it has become the icing on the cake for fans frustrated with an underachieving player.

ADAM ARCHULETA RELEASED

The short and lackluster career of safety Adam Archuleta in Chicago is over.  The Bears picked Archuleta up from the Washington Redskins in 2007 for a 6th round draft pick.  The hope was Lovie Smith could help him revive the once promising career he had with the St. Louis Rams as a feared defender.  However, Archuleta posed a huge liability on the field with his inability to prevent big plays or defend deep balls.  It appears his time in Washington when he was signed and then promptly benched has permanently scarred him.  He no longer has the confidence he once had and is consistently exposed by the opposing offense.  He was worth the gamble but with the Bears influx of safeties they can afford to let him go. 

UNDRAFTED QUARTERBACK COMPETITION

The Bears did 90% of everything they were supposed to do in the draft and picked up some great players, but they failed to draft a quarterback.  After releasing Brian Griese, the Bears need to find a 3rd string quarterback, which on this team can mean possible playing time.  The Bears responded by signing two undrafted quarterbacks, Caleb Hanie of Colorado State, and Nick Hill of Southern Illinois. 

Hanie is described as having a strong arm with a quick release, but a tendancy to force throws.  However, Mel Kiper thinks he has pro quality and picks him to be the Bears third quarterback.  Hill is more of a local favorite for attending school in Illinois and is being praised by the team for his strong grasp of the playbook in practice.  Mel Kiper may be a national expert, but local reporters watching the two compete seem to have more good things to say about Hill.  We already have one quarterback that likes to throw passes with his strong arm, I don’t know if we want another. 

The Bears have also made it known that they will hold the third spot open if any quarterbacks become available before the season starts. 

HIS FORTE

Reports coming out of rookie camp this week indicate that Matt Forte is living up to all the hype and then some.  He appears to have the endurance of a three-down back, excels in blocking drills, and has looked good in passing routes and catching the ball.  He is the complete opposite of Cedric Benson, who has trouble protecting the quarterback and doesn’t look comfortable on third down or on pass routes.  Even if Lovie Smith gives Benson the opportunity to open as the first string back, Forte will still come in on third downs and will quickly work his way into the starting lineup. 

Chicago Bears running back Cedric Benson was arrested yesterday for boating while intoxicated and resisting arrest.  Benson was operating a 30-foot boat with 15 people aboard in Austin, Texas when a random safety inspection found he was intoxicated.  He failed a field sobriety test and was asked by the official to leave the boat and come ashore for further testing.  Benson followed the road taken by many professional sports stars and resisted arrest.  The agent was forced to use pepper spray on Benson and agents had to drag him from the boat to a car on shore. 

My initial reaction was, rookie running back Matt Forte may now have a good shot at becoming the starting running back for the Chicago Bears.  My second reaction was my plea for the Bears to sign running back Dominic Rhodes may not be too far off at this point.  I was also a little curious how a person goes about passing a field sobriety test aboard a boat, but I digress. 

If Benson showed a little of the fire on the football field that he showed against a river authority officer, perhaps his starting job wouldn’t be at risk.  Benson will go down the road of several NFL players and most of the Cincinnati Bengals roster by measuring up their current arrest with their record. 

In 2002, he was arrested on misdemeanor drug and alcohol charges, but they were dropped.  In 2003, he was arrested for misdemeanor trespassing for reportedly breaking into an apartment to look for a stolen TV and was sentenced to eight days in jail.  The weight the Court system and the NFL puts on his previous arrests and his current arrest remains to be seen. 

Benson was released from jail today on a $14,500 bond.  The charges of boating while intoxicated and resisting arrest are both Class B Misdemeanors carrying a possible 6 months jail time a piece and a $2,000 fine. 

I doubt Benson will see much, if any, jail time in the matter.  His biggest concern will be with the NFL and the Chicago Bears, who are both exercising a zero tolerance policy.  The NFL may hand down a suspension for a game or more and coach Lovie Smith is not going to happy with this news.  The Chicago Bears had troubles with defensive tackle Tank Johnson’s arrest for gun charges and he was released from the team.  He resigned with the Dallas Cowboys but had to serve a league suspension.  If the Bears release Benson, I doubt many teams would jump to sign the under achieving running back. 

With Shaun Alexander and Dominic Rhodes available there isn’t a need for the Bears to make a trade for a running back.  Shaun Alexander is in the twilight of his career and seems content to play in Cincinnati.  The best bet would be to sign Rhodes to give some competition at the position.  It is a possibility the Bears could try to compete with a running back tandem of Matt Forte, Adrian Peterson, and Garrett Wolfe, but it wouldn’t do much to solidify the running game.  Splitting carries between Forte and Peterson could be productive but it relies on Forte to make an immediate impact and Peterson to carry the load.  I’ve felt for a long time that Peterson deserves a shot at starting running back, but the NFL has shown that successful teams have a two-running back system.  The learning curve for Forte just became very steep.

As for Cedric Benson, his lackluster career could be coming to an end in Chicago.  It would probably be the best situation for a team that has become frustrated with their franchise running back that never matured and a player criticized for his every game.  It would probably do both sides good to get a change of scenery. 

Hey, Dominic Rhodes, sorry to hear about getting released from the Oakland Raiders.  That’s a total bummer.  You revealed in an interview yesterday on Sirius Satellite Radio that you restructured your contract a few months ago with the Raiders so that if they drafted Darren McFadden, they would release you.  I can understand the desire to be a starting running back and achieve NFL glory rather than share touches with a rotating running back tandem.  That’s exactly why you should board the first plane for Chicago and ink a contract with the Chicago Bears.  Hell, you can even crash at my place for a while until you get on your feet and take the starting job from Cedric Benson by…….oh there you go, you’re already the starting running back.

You were signed for the Raiders for $1.75 million?  If you crash at my place that should save you some dough, and I can throw together a pot of mac and cheese once in a while, so that should bring it down to about $1.5 million right?  Considering you’ve rushed for over 1,000 yards in a season that’s a huge upgrade from the running back situation we have in Chicago right now.  The best part is you’ll only have to share carries with Benson until he gets injured, which will probably happen in training camp when he ties his shoelaces too tight and ruptures a tendon.

Wouldn’t it be great to be the starting Bears running back?  Look what it did to Thomas Jones‘ career and scored him a huge contract in New York.  We just drafted a huge tackle to solidify our line and give you good running lanes.  Lord knows we can’t throw the ball, just look at our quarterback and wide receiver situation.  You could totally become a fantasy stud and be loved by middle-aged men bored at work across the world.

I hear you had to sit out 4 games last season due to abusing the NFL substance abuse policy, let’s not make that a habit.  You can drink anything that’s in the fridge, I pretty much only buy water, juice, and coke so that should keep you out of trouble.  Don’t get any funny ideas about the coke, I mean the polar bear kind, not the flying unicorn kind.  Plus you’d be making the jump from the highly competitive AFC to the wide open pastures of the NFC where anything is possible.  Any team with determination and a complete ignorance of their glaring weakness can reach the Super Bowl.  Refer to the NFC representative in the Super Bowl for about the last 5 years for an example.  Sometimes they actually win the game too!

So come on over to Chicago, I’ll make the guest bed and wash the sheets first cause your VIP like that.  You’ll be named the starting running back after about the time you get done running out on to the field for the first practice and show us what a 1,000 yard rushing season looks like up close.  I’ll start making some mac and cheese.

Now that all the speculation and rumors and resulted in draft picks, it’s time to evaluate the Bears draft choices.  After a lot of thought, I’m giving this draft crop a grade of B+.

The Bears did everything they were supposed to do in this draft and stuck to the game plan, with the exception of one area, which is why, much like my own grades, they missed out on an A.  The Bears currently only have two quarterbacks on the roster, Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton, yet they failed to even attempt to draft a quarterback.  I felt fairly certain that going into the second day of the draft the Bears would take a chance on a lower rated quarterback like USC’s John David Booty.  I was disappointed and the Bears need to start answering questions of who will be the third quarterback in training camp.

As much as we have made a big deal about the quarterback situation in Chicago, I think the Bears made the right choice skipping on a quarterback in the second round.  There is a whisper going around Chicago that is turning into an uproar that the broken leg of Cedric Benson is not healing properly.  At least one source claims the running back will never be able to plant and turn off the healing leg.  This is especially troubling since Benson was already a second too slow on changing direction on his routes.  The only way he knows how to run is straight forward and upright, a kiss of death in the NFL. 

The first round pick of Chris Williams was a no brainer.  The mock drafts showed the Bears landing Jeff Otah, but when Willaims was still on the board the Bears were happy to oblige.  Williams is a big beast of a man standing 6′6, 315 lbs and will likely be the immediate starter at left tackle.  John Tait will return to his natural position of right tackle and appears to be happy to make the change.  It’s a great pick for teh franchise and goes a long way to solidify an offensive line that had troubles controlling the line of scrimmage last season.  Even the most adamant Grossman haters have admitted the quarterback would have a better time developing if he wasn’t constantly running backwards. 

In the second round the Bears took Matt Forte, a solid pick but one that will be watched and debated over the years depending on the pro careers of Brian Brohm and Chad Henne.  I worry if a running back out of a smaller school like Tulane can come into Chicago and handle the pressure of possibly being the starting running back if he has a strong training camp.  However, I have to reserve my judgment since an ex-Bear running back named Walter Payton was drafted out of a little division two college and the big lights of Chicago didn’t seem to bother him.  Forte doesn’t need to be the next Payton, but the Bears need him to be something more than Benson. 

I was predicting the Bears to take a wide receiver and guard in the third round, but I was pleasantly surprised when General Manager Jerry Angelo went back to defense.  He is very gifted at finding defensive talent in the middle rounds and you have to think he may have brought in some talented players under the radar.  Third round pick Earl Bennett from Vanderbilt is described as a slot wide receiver, something the Bears could sorely use.  With the loss of Muhsin Muhammed, the Bears are going to need a receiver to step up and establish themselves as a possession and third down receiver.  The Bears recently signed Rashied Davis, but this pick gives the Bears options and hopefully a young receiver they can rely upon in the coming years.

At this point, Jerry Angelo went off the script and drafted a big defensive tackle, Marcus Harrison out of Arkansas.  At 6′3, 310 lbs, he can be a force up the middle that will take some heat off of Tommie Harris to make plays.  The move helps take the pressure off the tackle depth chart with Dusty Dvoracek highly praised but unable to stay off the injured list.  It’s also no secret that success at defensive tackle frees up Brian Urlacher to roam to field and create chaos.

In the fourth round the Bears selected safety Craig Steltz, a kid I don’t know much about, but any kid that can start at the safety position for a highly effective LSU defense is welcome to Halas Hall.  Steltz had injury concerns that prevented him from working out at the combine and cost him draft position.  This could prove to be the surprise pick out of this year’s draft in the long run.  Year after year, LSU has one of the top defenses in college football and that’s not lost on NFL scouts.  The Bears have had troubles finding stability at the safety position and if Steltz can learn fast he may find himself on the field quickly.

The fifth round was strange because the Bears selected cornerback Zackary Bowman and tight end Kellen Davis, two positions already solidified on the roster.  The Bears have cornerbacks Charles Tillman and Nathan Vasher locked up in long term contracts.  At tight end the Bears have top draft pick and developing star Greg Olsen along with veteran Desmond Clark.  Both positions would only open up if the Bears are hit with the injury bug like they were last year at cornerback.  However, it is very promising because it shows the Bears are actually coming around to the idea of drafting for talent instead of drafting for position.  While many teams have been employing this philosophy for years, it is new to us in Chicago, the land of over paid draft busts.

In the seventh round garbage time the Bear grabbed five players, a defensive end, offensive guard, an outside linebacker, an offensive tackle, and wide receiver.  Out of the five players, offensive guard Chester Adams has the best chance of making the team to add depth to a thin offensive line.  I thought the Bears might grab a guard sooner but this year’s class was pretty thin.  The rest will likely come to training camp and have to practice hard to earn a roster spot.

Overall, despite the absence of a quarterback, the Bears had a great draft because they finally appear willing to give up drafting for position and drafted for the talent available.  All of the first five picks will have the opportunity compete for starting jobs and make an impact.

This has been called by many Chicago fans the most important Bears draft of this generation if they are going to climb back to the top of the NFC.  The Bears responded accordingly and have brought in a crop of talent that appears to be ready to play football immediately and build a winning team.

The Chicago Bears have signed wide receiver Rashied Davis to a 3-year deal that runs through the 2010 season.  I haven’t been able to confirm any reports on the dollar amount of the contract.  The moves comes five days after the Bears signed Davis to a one-year tender offer as a restricted free agent.  The move assures the Bears depth at the wide receiver position and shows faith that Davis will continue to develop.

Davis came to the Bears after spenDding four years in the Arena League with the San Jose Sabercats, originally looking to play cornerback, but quickly switched to wide receiver.  His most notable moment came in a game against the Minnesota Vikings in 2006 when it appeared Rex Grossman had given up the game-winning interception for a touchdown.  The Bears came right back and Davis caught the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter comeback.

The sure handed receiver didn’t get much playing time last year while competing against Devin Hester and Greg Olsen as the 3rd and 4th receiver options on the field after Muhsin Muhammed and Bernard Berrian.  Muhammed and Berrian have been replaced with Marty Booker and Brandon Lloyd but the Bears are confident they can get Davis more playing time this season.  Even though there is a lot of competition at the wide receiver position, there is no clear front runner and Davis will have an opportunity in training camp to prove himself worthy of playing time.

Considering the move locks up Davis for three years and the Bears have been unwilling to sign many other receivers beyond this season, the Bears appear confident that they can mold Davis into a top receiver.   Davis has never been considered a deep threat on the field but he has shown good hands and route running that could put him in contention for possession receiver on third downs.

The NFL is draft is always a mixture of excitement and disappointment as teams frequently diverge from the expert pick and make a surprise choice. In the 2006 draft, the Chicago Bears used their second round draft picks for Danieal Manning and Devin Hester. Both picks were met with mixed feelings of disappointment and anger from fans that dubbed it the worst draft in franchise history. Both picks turned out to be very productive and resulted in an immediate impact on the field.

This year the first round pick is likely to be an offensive tackle and given the lack of pursuit for a free agent lineman, the Bears are likely to comply. The dilemma comes with the second round and two third round draft picks the Bears have hanging in the air. The Bears have so many needs on the offensive side of the ball that no names or positions have been keyed in for the next pick. The reality is the Bears are likely to take the most talented offensive player, with the exception of tight end, that is on the board.

In an ironic twist of fate, the Bears have shown an almost comical inability to evaluate first round talent, but have an uncanny ability to located talent in the later rounds of the draft. Last year the Bears took the popular pick of Greg Olsen in the first round, which thus far seems like a great pick, but were also able to find Kevin Payne in the 5th round, Corey Graham in the 6th round, and Trumaine McBride in the 7th round, a trio of cornerbacks that contributed on defense last year due to injuries. In 2006, the Bears found talented linebacker Jamar Williams in the 4th round and blazing defensive end Mark Anderson in the 5th round. In 2005, the Bears went wrong with Cedric Benson in the 1st round, but picked up Chris Harris in the 6th round. In 2004, Bernard Berrian was picked in the 3rd round and Nathan Vasher in the 4th round. In 2003, Lance Briggs was taken in the 3rd round, and wide receivers Bobby Wade and Justin Gage, both starters for other teams, were taken in the 5th round.

It makes you wonder if the Bears actually are amazing evaluators of talent but succumb to outside pressure and take the popular pick. One thing is certain, the Bears have yet to figure out how to accurately evaluate NFL ready running backs. They haven’t been able to find a player ready to make the transition since the days of Mike Ditka. The organizations evaluation of defensive talent has been unparalleled and they have made attempts to use that advantage to make trades like they did with Chris Harris last season. The problem is the Bears have little need on defense and the stage is set to rebuild the offense or fall flat.

So what are the Bears priorities? One name that should be at the top of the list for the second round is Felix Jones, the running back out of Arkansas. The Bears badly need a different option than Cedric Benson and Jones could be worth the gamble. However, in recent weeks Jones has been receiving a lot of hype and he may be off the board as early as the first round.

Draft day can result in big name players falling to later rounds and having their options open actually works in the Bears favor. Most of their mistakes have come when they are determined to draft to a position rather than talent. Hype is a hell of a thing because it can change on you in a moments notice and leave you wondering about your future in the second round. Will quarterbacks Brian Brohm of Louisville, Chad Henne of Michigan, or Joe Flacco of Delaware still be on the board?

I can’t help but feel like the Bears will defer wide receiver until the third round. History shows they have had good luck picking receivers in later rounds rather than big name receivers that end up a bust. With two picks in the third round the Bears will still be looking for the best talent and may continue taking chances on the offensive backfield. There hasn’t been much talk about talent at the offensive guard position but it’s a position of need that may come up.

The Bears have a lot of draft picks and are open to making gambles that could pay off and ignite a lethargic offense that needs to get into the end zone. For Chicago fans, the real excitement will come at the beginning of the second round.

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As the Chicago Bears prepare for the upcoming draft they have more pressing matters within the locker room.  Kicker Robbie Gould has joined the list of players looking for a new contract. 

The list now includes Brian Urlacher, Tommie Harris, Devin Hester, and Robbie Gould.  All are considered one of the best players at their respective positions.  None of the four have suggested holding out for a better contract, but all are absent from voluntary team workouts taking place at Halas Hall.  All four players feel they are worth far more than the compensation at the tail end of their contracts. 

The only player that doesn’t fit in this group is Urlacher, who already signed a blockbuster deal several years ago.  However, Harris, Hester, and Gould all played out rookie contracts that pay them a yearly salary for what they will probably get as a signing bonus in a new deal. 

The problem for the Bears is they really have no choice other than to sign them all.  All four players help make up the core of the Bears lineup and are model examples for team players.  As much as the Bears don’t want to waste the salary cap space, the time has come to reward the under paid players that have supported the rest of the team.  It’s moments like these that make us realize why the Bears let Bernard Berrian go to Minnesota.  A good team must balance bringing in fresh talent at reasonable contracts and paying their talented players their worth.  The key for this Bears team will be rewarding their talented players and positioning skilled players from the draft to help them. 

In the meantime, it looks like the Bears are hard at work with all four players to reach an agreement on contracts extensions.  There has been no talk of trades or disappointment, just confidence that both sides will reach an agreement and get the season started. 

The Chicago Tribune released an interview with Chicago Bears linebacker, Brian Urlacher, where he denies any rumors that he is considering retirement.  The article can be seen here:  http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/cs-brian-urlacher-chicago-bears-080418,1,2933032.story

Accusations began to float around Chicago that Urlacher would consider retiring if the Bears did not restructure his contract.  Urlacher flat out denies the rumors and said the only way he would play for another team than the Bears would be if they traded him.  Since that’s not going to happen you can count on Urlacher retiring in a Bears jersey. 

Urlacher is in his 8th year in the league and stated he has a goal to play in the league 12 years and step out of the way before he can no longer keep up with younger players.