Cincinnati Bengals
Benson is back and busy again
By Scott Priestle, CNATI.com Posted December 6, 2009 6:32 PM ET
Cedric Benson was not sure how many carries the Bengals coaches planned to give him Sunday, but as the game dragged on and the number ticked higher, he was sure of one thing: He had no intention of asking for a play off.
"They know I don't need a break," he said with a smile. "They know I can run all day."
The Bengals seemed intent on proving so. Despite the fact the Detroit Lions loaded their defense to stop the run -- and the fact Benson missed the previous 2 ½ games due to a hip injury -- Benson ran the ball 36 times Sunday in a sloppy 23-13 Cincinnati win.
Afterward, he expressed disappointment that the offense committed so many mistakes, but he was happy to absorb the punishment that comes with being the featured back. He touched the ball 38 times in all and gained 125 yards: 36 carries for 110 and two catches for 15.
Cedric Benson
"I always feel great after those kinds of games, ironically," Benson said. "Whatever the team needs me to do, I'm all for it. I love carrying the ball that much. That usually just means we're putting a team away, and I love putting a team away. You've got to put the hay in the barn. That's what my old high school coach used to call it. Any time you carry the ball that much, that means we're putting the hay in the barn."
It also put to rest any doubts he had about his role.
While Benson recovered from the hip injury, the Bengals signed former Pro Bowl running back Larry Johnson, then gave Johnson 22 carries last week in a win over the Cleveland Browns. Benson seemed irritated by the thought that Johnson might earn a timeshare in the backfield; at least, he seemed irritated by reporters' questions about a possible timeshare.
Johnson got only two carries Sunday, for four yards. Benson got the ball on more than half of the team's offensive snaps.
"I think the last thing they want to do is make it a competition," Benson said. "I'll quiet those things real quick. I know they want to keep me fresh. Having him there to relieve me, that's kind of how we see it."
Benson ranks among the NFL leaders in carries, despite missing 2 ½ games. He showed why Sunday.
The Bengals threw the ball on four of their first five offensive plays and eight times total in the first quarter, but they did not score. Their first offensive touchdown came in the second quarter, on a drive that began with six straight plays to Benson: five carries and a short pass.
"That's when we've been successful," he said. "I think at times we tend to shy away from that. We have good receivers and a great quarterback, so it's almost natural to want to execute in another phase of the game. But we know what we're good at. We know what makes us great."
Benson carried the ball seven times on the first possession of the second half, and the Bengals drove to a field goal. He had 10 carries during a 17-play drive bridging the third and fourth quarters, as the Bengals kicked another field goal and took a 23-7 lead.
"He didn't look like he missed any time," quarterback Carson Palmer said. "He had his explosiveness and his quick cuts back. He was running powerfully and falling forward at the ends of runs. It was great to see."
Benson said he is not concerned about carrying such a heavy load for the remainder of the season. He sticks to a weekly exercise routine, and Bengals coaches generally limit his repetitions during practice.
"I'll be fine," he said. "I do everything necessary throughout the week to make sure I'm as fresh as possible on Sunday."
Categories: Cincinnati Bengals, Featured Stories, News
Tags: Cedric Benson, Larry Johnson
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