02-01-2016, 01:14 PM
(02-01-2016, 10:58 AM)fredtoast Wrote: Fans (including myself) fell in love with Benson when he was pretty much the only bright spot from the '08 team. We signed him off the street 5 weeks into one of the worst seasons in Bengal history. We started that seaons 1-11-1. But over the last three weeks Benson went crazy (463 yards from scrimmage), and we went 3-0. He was our only glimmer of hope over that long off season. His 3.5 avg for that year did not look very impressive until you know that our second leading running back that year, Chris Perry, who started 6 games for us that year, averaged 2.6.
He was a workhorse, but nothing special. Showed some burst on a few long runs early in his career here, but for the most part was nothing but a grinder.
Still has a place in my heart for one of the greatest individual playoff performances by any Bengal ever. His numbers were impressive (21 carries, 169 yds), but you had to see the way he gained them. He was busting tackles and flat out trucking defenders.
Benson was similar to Jeff Blake in a way. Nothing truly special, but they were competent starters who took over for historically bad players. So they both looked much better by default.
(02-01-2016, 11:21 AM)fredtoast Wrote: In '08 Chris Perry started 6 games for us and finished with a 2.6 avg.
True, but Perry only started 6 games with 104 total carries. Green had 15 starts and 215 carries when he averaged 2.7 ypc. At least Marvin was smart enough to pull the plug on Perry.
The training, nutrition, medicine, fitness, playbooks and rules evolve. The athlete does not.
