NFL Football at its best. NFL Football at its craziest.

Brian Urlacher - who wouldn’t want a linebacker that looks like and plays like Urlacher!

Image details: Chicago Bears Mini-Camp served by picapp.com

Sometimes it is hard for us little people to understand contracts that go into the millions. As we live paycheck to paycheck, they just live and live it up. In fact it seems like most of the trouble that professional athletes get into is because they have two things you don’t, time and money.

Those of you that have seen John Salley on the Best Damn Sports Show may be interested in his feelings on the matter. John once said that it is all relative, that if another player is making more money or driving a better car, then your competitive instincts kick in and you want more money or a better car or maybe a better house.

John also said Dennis Rodman was the only real person in the league. All he wanted to do was play pinball and hang out. Dennis did not care who had what car or how many millions.

Brian Urlacher cares. He wants his contract reworked. Brian wants it enough to miss workouts.

Urlacher had attended mandatory three-day minicamp May 30-June 1 but had skipped voluntary drills and the team conditioning program due to dissatisfaction with his current $56 million contract.

source

The Bears have offered him a 1 year extension for 5 million bucks and another million a year depending on playing time through 2011. Your boss would offer the same thing if you ask him. Really, he would, but it would also be contingent on you playing pro football for the Bears!

At least Bears fans don’t have to think about Cedric Benson or Rex Grossman for a while.

Hey, why did Urlacher show up if he is so worried about his paltry 56 million dollar contract?

At last weekend’s fan convention, Bears president and CEO Ted Phillips said it helps a player to be at voluntary workouts if they want a new contract.

“You know, it’s not a written rule that we have, but I think to most teams — and we feel the same way — it makes sense,” Phillips said. “If you want us to engage in any kind of discussions, whether anything gets done or not, it makes sense that you’re here and showing your side of your obligation to the club.”

Be sure to check out my companion blog at NBA Obsessed.

As always, any NFL Football related comments are welcome.

More blogs about football.

NFL Football at its best. NFL Football at its craziest.

Cedric the Entertainer, Cedric Benson, most Cedrics enjoy a good drink now and then

Image details: Moet & Chandon At The Luxury Lounge In Honor Of The 2008 SAG Awards - Press Day served by picapp.com

Cedric was a train wreck that could be heard long before it happened.

Finally the Bears and GM Jerry Angelo got smart and got rid of him.

Just days after ESPN talked about Gayle Sayers and Walter Payton, the Bears had to be emBearassed as they let go of Cedric.

Somehow, to their permanent detriment, Jerry Angelo and all his Halas Hall men didn¹t heed the many warning signs. The red flags were flapping, all right: concerns about Benson’s relationship with the marijuana-toking Ricky Williams, an eight-day jail sentence after he forcibly entered into an apartment in search of a stolen TV, numerous bizarre stories about him at the University of Texas. source

What were they thinking or better yet, what was Jerry Angelo thinking?

Hey, remember his surprising Thomas Jones trade and the announcement that often injured Cedric Benson would be the man?

That’s who I thought about Monday: Thomas Flippin’ Jones. Because the day he was traded was the day the Bears died as we knew them as championship contenders. It was Jones who showed up on a futile Super Bowl Sunday in Miami and gave the offense its only chance to succeed, pleading with Rex Grossman to get him the ball in the dream-drenched second half. But Angelo’s professional ego would consume him, not allowing him to admit failure and have to explain to president Ted Phillips and the marvelous McCaskeys why such a fortune was invested in a massive dud. So he traded Jones and kept Benson

Now you have a team with no QB, no wideouts, no running backs and an awesome defense. Tough to win with that combo.

Without an established running game, how is the winner of a quarterback derby that hardly smacks of those Joe Montana-Steve Young battles-Grossman vs. Kyle Orton–going to function with consistency? The Bears, from what I can see presently, have no quality running backs, quarterbacks or wide receivers. No offense, but how are they supposed to win without an offense?

Goodbye Cedric Benson.

Hello Matt Forte?

Be sure to check out my companion blog at NBA Obsessed.

As always, any NFL Football related comments are welcome.

More blogs about football.

NFL Football at its best. NFL Football at its craziest.
First the boating charge and now a DWI.

Is Cedric Benson telling the Bears that is two arrests or just waving hello?

Image details: Chicago Bears Mini-Camp served by picapp.com

Maybe if Cedric Benson was one of the league leading rushers the Bears would look the other way, but don’t count on it.

Still, attorney Sam Bassett acknowledged, “He’s probably in trouble with his team for breaking curfew and having anything to drink under the circumstances.”

Authorities said Benson was arrested early Saturday after he failed a field sobriety test. The former first-round draft pick was charged with driving while intoxicated and released on bond.

The arrest comes a month after Benson was charged with boating while intoxicated and resisting arrest. He has said neither charge is true, and those cases are pending.

source

Look for the Bears to be seeking another running back and when they do, Cedric Benson will be gone!

Be sure to check out my companion blog at NBA Obsessed.

As always, any NFL Football related comments are welcome.

More blogs about football.

NFL Football at its best. NFL Football at its craziest.

Cedric Benson will fight the charges

Image details: Denver Broncos v Chicago Bears served by picapp.com

Cedric Benson is in big trouble.

Benson failed a sobriety test while operating a 30-foot boat on Lake Travis near Austin and resisted arrest before being hit with pepper spray, Travis County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Roger Wade said Sunday.

He was released from jail early Sunday on a $14,500 bond. The charges are class B misdemeanors, each punishable by up to six months in jail and a $2,000 fine.

source

Cedric Benson has decided to fight the charges.

He says he was not intoxicated and the police used excessive force.

Cedric’s version of the story is way different from the police version. He makes it sound like he was all polite and compliant, but didn’t he fail the initial sobriety test?

Police don’t just fire off the pepper spray. Give me a break.

Carney added Benson did nothing “aggressive” until after he was pepper sprayed, when he started screaming for his mother and the boat. He said officers threw his client to the ground and poured water on him to wash away the spray, causing Benson to choke.

“They might as well have been waterboarding him,” Carney said.
source

Waterboarding him? What? Give me a break.

Yeah, that makes sense, not.

It appears the Chicago Bears may be getting rid of Cedric Benson.

Be sure to check out my companion blog at NBA Obsessed.

As always, any NFL Football related comments are welcome.

More blogs about football.

NFL Football at its best. NFL Football at its craziest.

Cedric Benson can’t run from his problems and lately can’t run

Image details: Chicago Bears v Seattle Seahawks served by picapp.com

The Chicago Bears seem to have more problems at running back than they thought.

Chicago Bears running back Cedric Benson was charged with failing a sobriety test while operating a 30-foot boat, then resisting arrest before being hit with pepper spray and dragged ashore by officers.

Benson faces charges of boating while intoxicated and resisting arrest after the incident Saturday night on Lake Travis, Travis County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Roger Wade said Sunday.

Benson was released from jail early Sunday on a $14,500 bond. The charges are class B misdemeanors, each punishable by up to six months in jail and a $2,000 fine. A call to Benson’s agent was not immediately returned.

source

Cedric now has two other problems, besides the arrest.

1. lack of production.

The 25-year-old has done little since the Bears took him with the fourth pick of the 2005 draft.

As a rookie he couldn’t beat out Thomas Jones and rushed for 272 yards in nine games. He was more effective the next season while sharing time with Jones, going for six touchdowns and 647 yards.

Last year, Benson took over as the featured back after Jones was traded away. He rushed for 674 yards, four touchdowns and 3.4 yards a carry before going on injured reserve in November.

In three years with the Bears, Benson has rushed for 1,593 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 3.8 yards a carry. He’s also missed 13 games.

source

2. The Chicago Bears drafted Matt Forte from Tulane in the second round to compete at running back. He is 6′ 2″ and 222 pounds.

Pick Analysis:The Bears get a player to compete with Cedric Benson for carries. Forte was the focal point of the opposing defense every week and still put up numbers. He’s a high-character guy and will have a chance to upgrade the running game in Chicago.

Look out, Cedric!

Be sure to check out my companion blog at NBA Obsessed.

As always, any NFL Football related comments are welcome.

More blogs about football.

NFL Football at its best. NFL Football at its craziest.

Hey, did Devin Hester just run by here?

Defense wins Championships.

We hear that all the time and we tend to believe it.

There is a slight problem with that bromide. We say it so much that it is forgotten that you still have to out score the other team.

Oh, so maybe, Offense wins Championships?

No, no, no. Defense still wins Championships, but you have to have an offense to go with it.

The Chicago Bears made it Read more

NFL Football at its best. NFL Football at its craziest.

Chasing Devin Hester is futile

You have Hester lining up on one side with speed to burn and Bernard Berrian lining up on the other side with speed to burn. Should you double Hester? Won’t that leave Berrian one on one?

Does this mean the Bears might stand for something more than just run crushing pass stopping defense?

The Bears are experimenting with Devin Hester at wide receiver and so far, without pads, Devin is looking awful fast and Read more