''Here's what I know about Cedric Benson: 'He's our guy now,''' Smith said. ''We like him. His teammates like him. He's healthy. We're looking for a big year from him. Anything that happened with Cedric in the past, it's in the past.'' - Lovie Smith, on Cedric Benson's status with his Bears teammates.
Yeah, I've heard Lovie talk like this before: Rex Grossman, 2006 season. I'm not saying that I think Benson will be as problematic as Grossman was (or will be), although I do think Benson will be a drop-off from Thomas Jones. It seems that Lovie is showing a pattern of being unwaveringly (i.e. blindly) loyal to his embattled star players. I haven't decided yet if that's a good thing. It probably depends on the player you're defending. Personally, I think defending Grossman is a waste, but that's because I don't see Grossman worth defending (i.e. Grossman is a bum). Benson has had some trouble with injuries (and teammates), but hasn't struggled much when he has played, so maybe it makes more sense to defend Benson. All of this also probably depends on team sentiment. Even if fans are calling for Grossman's job, if the team is behind him then Lovie should defend him. The twist for Benson is that his teammates may not support him. It'll be interesting to see how this turns out.
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