Post by specialk1307 on Aug 23, 2006 0:42:34 GMT -4
Benson: 'I'm afraid to let my guard down'
Apologizes to his Bears teammates but isn't ready to trust all of them
By K.C. Johnson
Tribune staff reporter
Published August 22, 2006, 10:45 PM CDT
Cedric Benson has apologized to several teammates but said Tuesday he doesn't regret breaking a team rule by leaving the sidelines during Friday night's exhibition game and missing a team meeting afterward.
"Life teaches a ton of lessons, and you move along," said Benson, who was fined for the transgression. "It also showed me a lot about the situation and where I stand with the team and with some guys."
Benson's comment hints at an issue as big as his transgression, because the published report that brought the incident to light said two players volunteered information about his absence.
"I just think it [stinks]," Benson said. "I was talking to [coach] Lovie [Smith] once, and he said, 'I know you don't trust people. But you should let your guard down a little because there are people you can trust.'
"But damn. I'm afraid to let my guard down because the moment I do is the moment somebody will ... you know what I mean?"
Smith, upset and choosing his words carefully, said Benson had been punished for breaking the rule.
"We're not trivializing what happened," general manager Jerry Angelo said. "The two most important things going into the season are the health of the team and the chemistry of the team. When someone tries to undermine that, we're going to take it seriously."
Benson, still out with a left shoulder injury, is battling Thomas Jones for the starting tailback job. Jones practiced for the second straight day Tuesday, showing no ill effects on his recovering right hamstring from Monday's work. He is on target to play Friday against Arizona.
Asked if Benson's trouble would impact the depth chart, Smith was ready.
"No more than any of the other things that happen on a daily basis as far as the depth chart is concerned," he said. "It isn't good when you're not on the sidelines for a game.
"When a player does something and I can't live with it, he won't be on our team anymore. And that isn't the case right now."
Benson, who won't play Friday, said he might have let the emotions of not playing affect him but said he wasn't aware he had broken a team rule until teammates approached him and Smith rebuked him.
The incident adds an intriguing chapter to the saga surrounding the running back competition.
After a rocky rookie season that included him missing all of training camp over a contract dispute, a claim he'd take Jones' starting job by the second game and bits of success before hurting his knee, Benson said he didn't feel liked by all of his teammates.
Then Jones, one of the team's more popular players, skipped voluntary off-season workouts and dropped behind Benson on the depth chart.
Now this.
"I didn't stand up and do a big speech," Benson said. "But I spoke to quite a few of the guys. They were like, 'You made a mistake. Move on.' They made me feel better that they weren't making a big issue of it. So I feel no reason for me to make a big issue of it."
Is it important to Benson that he's liked?
"I really would love to give you my honest opinion on that question, but I can't," he said. "I had a talk with some people, and I think my honesty has been hurting other people's feelings. I have to stop doing that.
"I really like being able to express how I feel. I think it's important. There are other people on the other end of those cameras watching and listening, and that's mainly who I'm talking to. But based on some of the events that have gone on, I'm just kind of going to be the poster boy now."
The Bears survived the loss of their starting quarterback and a brawl between two starting offensive linemen to win the NFC North last season. So they're well-versed in putting off-the-field distractions behind them.
"It's not going to shake this team," safety Mike Brown said. "We have rules and regulations that everyone follows. If you break them, there are consequences.
"The business we're in is all on performance though. I think most of the guys in this locker room understand that."
The NFL fined Olin Kreutz $50,000 last season for his part in a fight with teammate Fred Miller at a shooting range. Players kept that incident secret from even the coaching staff for several days.
"We all make mistakes," Kreutz said. "I'm going to make mistakes this year. I made a mistake last year, obviously. I got fined. We'll get fined. We'll move on. That's the way it goes."
Quarterback Rex Grossman appreciated Benson's apology.
"I thought that was big of him," Grossman said. "To me, it's over."
Smith offered the same hope. But players still had to answer questions about Benson's acceptance.
"I really don't consider Cedric to be a cancer on this team," receiver Muhsin Muhammad said. "There are players around the league that are great players but are cancers. He hasn't had the chance to prove what he can do on the field yet. So talking about respect, you have to be respected for your play first."
That's something on which everybody can agree.
"My biggest concern is my shoulder and getting it ready," Benson said. "Once that happens, all this other stuff will fade away."
Apologizes to his Bears teammates but isn't ready to trust all of them
By K.C. Johnson
Tribune staff reporter
Published August 22, 2006, 10:45 PM CDT
Cedric Benson has apologized to several teammates but said Tuesday he doesn't regret breaking a team rule by leaving the sidelines during Friday night's exhibition game and missing a team meeting afterward.
"Life teaches a ton of lessons, and you move along," said Benson, who was fined for the transgression. "It also showed me a lot about the situation and where I stand with the team and with some guys."
Benson's comment hints at an issue as big as his transgression, because the published report that brought the incident to light said two players volunteered information about his absence.
"I just think it [stinks]," Benson said. "I was talking to [coach] Lovie [Smith] once, and he said, 'I know you don't trust people. But you should let your guard down a little because there are people you can trust.'
"But damn. I'm afraid to let my guard down because the moment I do is the moment somebody will ... you know what I mean?"
Smith, upset and choosing his words carefully, said Benson had been punished for breaking the rule.
"We're not trivializing what happened," general manager Jerry Angelo said. "The two most important things going into the season are the health of the team and the chemistry of the team. When someone tries to undermine that, we're going to take it seriously."
Benson, still out with a left shoulder injury, is battling Thomas Jones for the starting tailback job. Jones practiced for the second straight day Tuesday, showing no ill effects on his recovering right hamstring from Monday's work. He is on target to play Friday against Arizona.
Asked if Benson's trouble would impact the depth chart, Smith was ready.
"No more than any of the other things that happen on a daily basis as far as the depth chart is concerned," he said. "It isn't good when you're not on the sidelines for a game.
"When a player does something and I can't live with it, he won't be on our team anymore. And that isn't the case right now."
Benson, who won't play Friday, said he might have let the emotions of not playing affect him but said he wasn't aware he had broken a team rule until teammates approached him and Smith rebuked him.
The incident adds an intriguing chapter to the saga surrounding the running back competition.
After a rocky rookie season that included him missing all of training camp over a contract dispute, a claim he'd take Jones' starting job by the second game and bits of success before hurting his knee, Benson said he didn't feel liked by all of his teammates.
Then Jones, one of the team's more popular players, skipped voluntary off-season workouts and dropped behind Benson on the depth chart.
Now this.
"I didn't stand up and do a big speech," Benson said. "But I spoke to quite a few of the guys. They were like, 'You made a mistake. Move on.' They made me feel better that they weren't making a big issue of it. So I feel no reason for me to make a big issue of it."
Is it important to Benson that he's liked?
"I really would love to give you my honest opinion on that question, but I can't," he said. "I had a talk with some people, and I think my honesty has been hurting other people's feelings. I have to stop doing that.
"I really like being able to express how I feel. I think it's important. There are other people on the other end of those cameras watching and listening, and that's mainly who I'm talking to. But based on some of the events that have gone on, I'm just kind of going to be the poster boy now."
The Bears survived the loss of their starting quarterback and a brawl between two starting offensive linemen to win the NFC North last season. So they're well-versed in putting off-the-field distractions behind them.
"It's not going to shake this team," safety Mike Brown said. "We have rules and regulations that everyone follows. If you break them, there are consequences.
"The business we're in is all on performance though. I think most of the guys in this locker room understand that."
The NFL fined Olin Kreutz $50,000 last season for his part in a fight with teammate Fred Miller at a shooting range. Players kept that incident secret from even the coaching staff for several days.
"We all make mistakes," Kreutz said. "I'm going to make mistakes this year. I made a mistake last year, obviously. I got fined. We'll get fined. We'll move on. That's the way it goes."
Quarterback Rex Grossman appreciated Benson's apology.
"I thought that was big of him," Grossman said. "To me, it's over."
Smith offered the same hope. But players still had to answer questions about Benson's acceptance.
"I really don't consider Cedric to be a cancer on this team," receiver Muhsin Muhammad said. "There are players around the league that are great players but are cancers. He hasn't had the chance to prove what he can do on the field yet. So talking about respect, you have to be respected for your play first."
That's something on which everybody can agree.
"My biggest concern is my shoulder and getting it ready," Benson said. "Once that happens, all this other stuff will fade away."