Cedric Benson - A Packer?

[Bretsky]

If Brandon is right about this, the signing makes all the sense in the world; especially with a bit of uncertainty at LT and concern about depth overall on the O-line. If Benson is that good at pass protection, I am 100% for signing him.

He's always been a solid blocker, and IMO he's never been given much of a chance as a receiver. He's just as good IMO as Grant as a receiver. He may not have the breakaway speed but that's all we'll miss

[Patler]

I've thrown the stats out the window on this one; I prefer Benson over Grant. Apparently TT does as well. Benson is a more talented all around player. Solid Signing IMO

I suspect it is all about pass protection and $.

As far as running and receiving, neither is irreplaceable, but I would give the edge to Grant just due to proven performance over a number of years. At least Grant hangs onto the ball, and averages significantly more per reception and per carry than Benson. Each is on the downside of their careers by age, so I expect their performance to decline anyway, but Benson should have a lot more wear and tear on his body, especially when you consider his 1200 college carries and receptions compared to Grant's 600..

But, if Benson can pass protect as solidly as Jackson did, I will be glad to have him.

[pbmax]

I have absolutely no recollection of Benson ever doing anything as a receiver, and his receiving stats would appear to support that. Just 106 receptions in 91 games. Since leaving the Bears. where he never did play very regularly, his receiving stats are:

2011 15/82 (long of 11)
2010 28/178 (long of 24)
2009 17/111 (long of 19)
2008 20/185 (long of 79)

Total 80/556, with the longest each year accounting for 133 yard. Balance of 76/423


Grant's four seasons:

2011 19/268 (long of 80)
2009 25/197 (long of 27)
2008 18/116 (long of 17)
2007 30/145 (long of 21)

Total 92/726, with the longest each year accounting for 145 yard. Balance of 88/581.

Yeah, my memory of him is fuzzy. But I seem to remember him gashing the Packers for some screens and each time it happened I thought the same thing; the Packers used to do that to other teams. However, Grant didn't have horrible hands, he was mostly ineffective at using blockers and operating in space. If Benson is his equal in hands, then I agree blocking might have clinched it.

[RashanGary]

I'm very happy with this signing. I'm not sure what kind of pass protector Grant was, I don't recall him being bad at it, but if they think Benson is better, I do too.

The great thing about Grant, he always just went ahead. Whether he was running into the back of a lineman and getting 3 when maybe he could have gotten 7 or just falling forward 3 yards, he was always moving forward. That kept AR in manageable down and distances, and our offense thrived that way.

Starks had a little more patience, but he got tackled behind the line of scrimmage more. The point of our running game isn't to break of chunks of yards. AR and company do that better than ANYONE. The point of our running back is to make sure AR isn't looking at 3rd and 11. We want him looking at 3rd and 4 or better. Grant was great at making that happen, as unspectacular as he was.

I liked Grant, but I'm definitely happy to have Benson too. I don't know a ton about him, but Brandon's stats on his pass protection make me feel really comfortable. He looks like a really good fit for this offense.

[Lurker64]

I suspect it is all about pass protection and $.

I actually think it's more about money than anything else. It's not a secret that Grant wants to get paid like an NFL starter (at 29, this is really his last chance for this, so it's reasonable) whereas Benson, for a variety of reasons, needs that NFL check and is almost certainly willing to work for close to the vet minimum.

I would not be at all surprised if the Packers decision makers have a slight grudge against Ryan Grant and his agent after they way they exploited the Favre drama in 2008 in order to secure a more lucrative contract from the Packers. I can see why that would make you less willing to deal with a player in the future.

Considering how the Packers have a lot of core players in line for contract extensions, the #1 thing we're looking for out of the running back corps is "cheap". Though if Benson signs, and makes the team, it may no longer be the case that all of the RBs combined are making less than Kuhn.

[rbaloha1]

If Brandon is right about this, the signing makes all the sense in the world; especially with a bit of uncertainty at LT and concern about depth overall on the O-line. If Benson is that good at pass protection, I am 100% for signing him.

This is an excellent point. Although imo cb was signed mainly for tough running style.

[King Friday]

Yet. Grant had a 47 yard run for a TD last year and an 80 yard reception for a TD. It would seem that he still has some speed left.

I remember a Patriot OL player nearly scoring against us on a kick return a couple years back. With that kind of speed, maybe we should get him to be our RB.

[Iron Mike]

I agree with I.M.

[Patler]

I would not be at all surprised if the Packers decision makers have a slight grudge against Ryan Grant and his agent after they way they exploited the Favre drama in 2008 in order to secure a more lucrative contract from the Packers. I can see why that would make you less willing to deal with a player in the future.

I doubt that. It's just business. Grant did not take advantage of the team anymore than teams take advantage of restricted free agents, or exclusive rights free agents. They didn't have to pay Grant if they didn't think he was worth it. It seems it was the teams own fault that it lasted into the time of the Favre drama. According to Grant and his agent, the team made little to no contact with them until just before camp. They could have negotiated long before the Favre drama occured.

Besides, Grant agreed to a significant salary reduction last year, too. The team should appreciate that, and realize that he is reasonable.

[Patler]

Yet. Grant had a 47 yard run for a TD last year and an 80 yard reception for a TD. It would seem that he still has some speed left.

I remember a Patriot OL player nearly scoring against us on a kick return a couple years back. With that kind of speed, maybe we should get him to be our RB.

But Grants runs weren't against the Packer KO coverage team!

[PaCkFan_n_MD]

I think the Benson signing is more to shake things up rather than a shot at Grant. Starks and Grant bring many of the same things to the table and we already saw what it is like with them splitting carries. With that said, I would rather have re-signed Grant. Benson has 12 fumbles in the last 2 seasons alone. With how effective our passing game is and how good Rodgers is at protecting the ball, the running backs first priority should be ball security. Grant rarely fumbles which shouldn't be taken lightly. I used to get really frustrated with A. Green and his fumbles and he was a total beast in almost every other aspect of the game in his time.

[pbmax]

Pulling a partial woodbuck here, but not sure which thread people will continue to read today:

https://twitter.com/jasonjwilde/status/234496037161664512

Jason Wilde @jasonjwilde
If Starks, Green, Saine are OK soon, they can cut Benson at end of camp if they want. I am told Thompson doesn't want to do that to Grant.

Sounds too cute to be exactly the thinking, but if coupled with differences in contract demands, could be serious. Wilde admits he is not sure if this line of thinking holds if Starks is out longer term. By the logic of that post, it seems the Packers might not consider Benson a season long answer.

[Patler]

Pulling a partial woodbuck here, but not sure which thread people will continue to read today:

https://twitter.com/jasonjwilde/status/234496037161664512

Jason Wilde @jasonjwilde
If Starks, Green, Saine are OK soon, they can cut Benson at end of camp if they want. I am told Thompson doesn't want to do that to Grant.

Sounds too cute to be exactly the thinking, but if coupled with differences in contract demands, could be serious. Wilde admits he is not sure if this line of thinking holds if Starks is out longer term. By the logic of that post, it seems the Packers might not consider Benson a season long answer.

I suggested somewhere (here or another board) that this could be a 2-3 week tryout for Benson, with Grant probably still available from them to pick up later. They know Grant, and can get a better look at Benson this way.

They need somebody. They can't hardly run a practice with so few RBs available.

[Joemailman]

Pulling a partial woodbuck here, but not sure which thread people will continue to read today:

https://twitter.com/jasonjwilde/status/234496037161664512

Jason Wilde @jasonjwilde
If Starks, Green, Saine are OK soon, they can cut Benson at end of camp if they want. I am told Thompson doesn't want to do that to Grant.

Sounds too cute to be exactly the thinking, but if coupled with differences in contract demands, could be serious. Wilde admits he is not sure if this line of thinking holds if Starks is out longer term. By the logic of that post, it seems the Packers might not consider Benson a season long answer.

My guess is that Benson isn't signed yet because they're discussing guaranteed money. Benson isn't going to want to come here and just be a camp body until the young guys are ready to go. He'll want a contract that pretty much makes sure he makes the 53 man roster.

[KYPack]

I'll "pull rank" on people as I have seen Benson play live a good bit in the last 4 seasons.

Cedric is a mixed bag. A tough football player on the decline.

I wouldn't have signed him, but given our current circumstances, we have our backs against the wall and have to do something.

Brandon has a good point (maybe that boy does know where the bear shits in the buckwheat). Ced is a good hand in pass pro. He is not quite as sterling a pp guy as the one year Brandon points out, but he can do the job, far better than say, Starks. Ced does have a tendency to sulk if he doesn't get a lot of carries. When he sulks, he slumps in pass pro.

Ced has started fumbling in recent years. This stems from him trying to make more out of a play and not maintaining good ball position. It's an error of trying to get more yards, but he needs to knock it off and hold onto the pill.

He's great on screens, but other than that, not much of a reciever out of the backfield.

I would call him in and sit him down. I'd say, if you go down to Austin or Houston and get in any shit, just stay down there cause you won't be a Packer anymore.

I totally agree with the "shake up the team" theory. The Benson signing has got to motivate the other backs more than resigning Grant would. We need production and pass pro out of the RB spot. Benson's addition should yield both, at least for one season.