4/23/05

What They're Saying: Cedric Benson

Pat Kirwan, NFL.com
Cedric Benson is a sure thing in the NFL. He's done it as the 'bell cow' back. In Chicago, he will force teams to bring the safety down into the box and open up the passing lanes for Rex Grossman. Benson is no Ricky Williams, but he has cutback vision like Curtis Martin. He may never have a 40-yard run, but there will be plenty of 15-yard carries. Benson will finish his rookie season with over 1,000 yards.

Vic Carucci, NFL.com
The Bears had long targeted Benson for this pick. Like the Dolphins, they want to establish a power-oriented foundation. And there isn't a more powerful back in this draft than Benson. He might not have Ronnie Brown's speed or hands, but he can be a consistent workhorse, pounding between the tackles. And that will help make Lovie Smith's defense better while also helping to take pressure off of young quarterback Rex Grossman.

Lovie Smith, Chicago Bears Head Coach
We're very excited about having Cedric Benson be a part of our team. We did a lot of research. We watched a lot of film and studied a lot of good players. Going into the draft, we wanted to help the offensive side of the football. We feel like we've done that. Who can argue with the numbers Cedric has put up over the last four years? Going back to high school ball, he's been a dominant running back every year he's played the game for a long time. We looked at all of the running backs in the draft and believe we were unanimous with the running back we wanted. We're extremely excited about him being a part of what we're doing offensively.