Cedric Benson to the Pack

Most of you missed the main reason why Benson is in: he's been durable. Starks is constantly injured, Green is coming off an....injury.....Seine is....injured.
Fact is Benson has stayed on the field. To have a credible running threat, you need a credible running back. The passing game will suffer if the Packers can't at least pose the threat of a running game.
This team is....again....a mile wide and an inch deep when it comes to depth. A great example is at left tackle. Another great example is running back, and another great example is QB.

Well that may be true but it seemed Grant always had the propensity to fumble when we needed it least. I'm ready to give someone else the same chance.

Grant...3 fumbles the last 2 seasons. Cedric Benson 12. Kind of throws a wrench in your statement that Grant has a "propensity to fumble when we needed it least" The Packers won the Super Bowl 2 years ago, and lost only 2 games last season. Exactly when did Grant fumble that cost the Packers a game?

If you go back to 2007, Grant has had 8 regular season fumbles plus the 2 in the '07 playoff win against the Seahawks for a total of 10 fumbles. In that same time Benson has had 18 fumbles. So with 924 attempts for Grant and 1,305 for Benson, that works out to:

1 fumble in 72.5 attempts for Benson
1 fumble in 92.4 attempts for Grant

Statistically that's not too far apart. However, Net made the best point above that Benson is durable plain and simple

What you failed to notice is that 2 of Grants fumbles were after catches, not during runs, so those numbers would change even more.

It might change but a fumble is a fumble is a fumble. If Benson wants a spot on next yrs roster he'll hold that ball for dear life

i think as long as benson stays healthy he can have a productive season

i think as long as benson stays healthy he can have a productive season

See post by Raptorman above. Did you miss the fumble by Grant against the Giants in last years playoff game? Certainly not the only reason for losing but it wasn't helpful.

Grant is done. Benson with a rookie QB under center still managed to put up better #'s last year than Grant.

Ya know, it's funny how players can pick up their game when they move to a new team. Maybe that will be the case.
Trapped

now we need run blocking

Why so sceptical of Cheesehead625? Lack of trust amongst our brethren? There are a lot of sources! You can't check everywhere.

last time Benson was "motivated" he had a great yr. I think that he will eventually be the guy, James Starks just hasn't done enough from a statistical or injury standpoint to solidify himself as a starter.

I expect him to be below the league avg for running backs but have 1 key moment in the season if he makes the roster

If I was the GM (I'm not) and was looking to increase the rushing production on the team (we don't need a better rushing attack) I would contact the Panthers about their RB situation. They have 2 signed to big money and looks like they have another gem on their roster after the preseason game the other night

Was at camp this morning. Benson was running in underwear ... looked mobile and agile (but, in underwear, they all do). The one thing we all need to keep in mind is that THIS is not a run-first or even a run-second offense. I really and truly believe that our o-line doesn't remember how to run block. They're certainly big enough it's just that it's not the Pack's offensive focus...

True or False: In weighing the pro's & con's of Ryan Grant and Cedric Benson (fumbles, mileage, arrests, knowledge with the playbook, skill, fumbling, hands, money, etc.) the deciding factor in Cedric's favor was the dreads on Benson.



How many Packers have dreads?
House, Burnett, MD Jennings, Alex Green, Tramon, Bishop.... who else?

I can only give u 1/2 a point as ur missing the other 1/2. Look at his #. 32. 32 represents our draft spot for next yr. I won't hold it against u this time but promise me u will NEVER let this happen ever again until next time.

I'll buy that!

I'm not a fan of this signing. There's a reason why the Bengals decided to forego bringing Benson back and sign The Law Firm as his replacement: Benson is just average, at best. Interesting stat: of all backs that had 200+ carries last season, only Benson and Michael Bush averaged less than 4 yards per tote.

Plus, I just think he's a terrible fit for our scheme. I explain this in detail here: http://wp.me/p29VCs-9r
I think the scheme fit, or lack thereof, has gone overlooked to some degree.

...and the real reason that we signed Benson over Grant is money. There is NO WAY that Grant would have agreed to anything like this. I'll take an extra fumble or two this season in order to keep the cap low enough for Rodgers contract:

This is flawed logic. How many carries did grant get the past two seasons in comparison to benson?

True enough Rivals, he was average at Cincy. But look what happened when they picked him from the trash piles of Chicago. I remember I was jealous. A change of scenery and one last shot at a paycheck could be all it takes for CBen to bounce back.
I don't think stats tell the whole story either. It's carries, yards per carry, offensive line, down and distance, tendencies of the offenses and so on. The guy has some bang to him and I'd like to see that a bit.
In fact it's quite possible he's never been coached up on fumbles. I like our coaches' ability to work with players. I think it's great to see him in camp and if he doesn't work out... no big deal... we're back where we started with Starks, Green, Saine and Kuhn.

I hope The Entertainer runs for 1400 yards for us and scores 12+ touchdowns.
The thing is, our OL run-blocking is horrible.

We're not built to run but we need to keep the D honest. I'll give CB 1150 yrds & 10 TDs on reg season 3 TDs in post season & 1 TD in our SB win over the Ravens 38-24