Green Bay Packers: Why Signing Cedric Benson is the Perfect Move
People know about Cedric Benson as much, if not more, for his problems off the field as well as his ability as a running back. He’s been a bad boy at times, but as a player, we are talking about a quality running back that the Green Bay Packers have just signed.
Cedric Benson isn’t going to be anyone’s choice for the Hall of Fame. He wasn’t flashy. He didn’t break rushing records. He didn’t win rushing titles. He didn’t even make a Pro Bowl.
He was just a hardnose powerful runner who is near the end of his career and has 5,769 rushing yards in his career. You can see his statistics here.
But, Benson possesses key attributes that have quietly made him a top seven running back over the past five years. Benson has durability and consistency; the two most important keys to success in this league.
You know Cedric Benson will give you the same type of performance every year, and his durability history gives assurance that he will not likely be injured.
Now, Benson is 29 and conventional wisdom says that he will not be the 1,000 yard rusher he has been in Cincinnati for the past three years. But, that’s the beauty of the move. He isn’t required to be that kind of back for the Packers because of their offensive gameplan.
If you have ever watched the Packers play football, you’ll see that they are not going to live and die solely by the run. Their bread and butter is Aaron Rodgers and his arm.
However, any one-dimensional offense is a bad offense. Don’t confuse bad with weak. I’m sure the Packers could destroy plenty of teams even if they never ran the football. But, that wouldn’t make them a good offense in terms of strategy.
The running back position has steadily declined over the years as offenses move more to the passing game, but the running game cannot ever be nonexistent. The Packers know this. Even two years ago in the playoffs, Head Coach Mike McCarthy made it a perogative to always run the football. Even if the running attack should struggle, McCarthy was going to insure that run plays were called.
The offense of the Packers has met its success because it isn’t one dimensional. Teams know that they must defend the run and pass or the Packers will beat them. That keeps defenses guessing and makes them focus on both forms of attack. That gives Aaron Rodgers and the passing attack less difficulty to succeed because the defense cannot just focus on a pure pass defense.
That’s why Benson fits this system like a glove. He isn’t a back who will demand 30 touches a game, but when he touches the ball, he can run through a defense that is caught by surprise. He adds that certainty that defensive coaches will respect him enough to remind their linebackers to cover the gaps and for defensive linemen to plug up the holes instead of just straight pass-rushing every down.
Benson doesn’t have to be Adrian Peterson to be a focal point of an offense. He just needs to be a good running back. The Packers have had struggles with James Starks and the other players at running back now that Ryan Grant is gone. The Packers strategy of a balanced offense cannot work if there isn’t any threat in the backfield.
Cedric Benson may be old. Cedric Benson may not be elite. And Cedric Benson may not be the key to this offense. But, he’s a threat. He’s a guy who, if you let him, will beat you on the ground a few times a year. He is the guy that provides that balance to the offense while causing imbalance to opposing defenses.
Benson may not get 500 yards rushing this season, but his impact gives a legitimate consistent rushing attack to the Packers, a capable blocker in pass-protection, and the balance he provides to the offense will help out the passing attack.
And that’s what the Packers need.
