Who is the Bears starter?

[sox 06]

Simple question, who is the Bears starting RB? Cedric Benson or Thomas Jones?

[moonhead]

gotta think jones. but mum is the word out of the bears' camp.

[SuperFly_ffc]

Bensons been on the sideline so right now I also agree that its Jones.

[SuperFly_ffc]

Bensons been on the sideline so right now I also agree that its Jones.

[SuperFly_ffc]

Bensons been on the sideline so right now I also agree that its Jones.

[ikemobb]

i didnt quite catch that

[Boot]

Bensons been on the sideline so right now I also agree that its Jones.

[Goatwhacker]

Simple question, who is the Bears starting RB? Cedric Benson or Thomas Jones?

Not a simple answer. Jones is the starter, but from a fantasy standpoint I think this is a risky situation. Benson is more talented than Jones in my opinion and may well take over at some point, especially given Jones injury history. I wouldn't take either one unless they drop to a lower round.

[Estarr01]

I'm taken back by this, most people at the cafe believe Benson is more talented and on the verge of taking over T. Jones position. I don't understand how this logic came about. The only arguement I could make for Benson becoming the starter is the fact that he was drafted #4 last year. Otherwise nothing he has done has convinced me that he could take over for Jones.

My opinion is that Jones is proven, he came in and won the job and put up over 1300 yards last year, where as Benson, even when given the opportunity, didn't seperate himself enough to justify taking over the starting position. To top it off many people have claimed that the team is backing Jones and not Benson, which further leads me to believe that this jobs is Jones to lose.

The only way I see Jones losing the job is if he gets injured to the point that he can't get on the field and Benson gets and opportunity to be the #1 guy and prove he is a better runner. Otherwise I think this is Jones job to lose.

Don't get me wrong though, I expect them to split carries 70/30, which should leave Jones with about 21 carries a game while Benson gets about 9.

[FatFoot]

I think it's a matter of wait and see. As a result of Benson not taking part in camp last year, and effectively not taking part in the preseason this year, no one (on this site) really knows what Benson is capable of on an NFL level. A few reasons to expect him to end up the starter this year:

1). Jones didn't look great in the preseason... he may have been taking it easy, so as to not get hurt, it may have been the play calling, or it could be that his hammy is causing him more trouble than we know.

2). The Bears are cheap. They poured a LOT of money into Benson. They will want to get some return on that investment.

3). Thomas Jones has historically been somewhat injury prone. Last year he recovered quickly, and played through pain like an iron man. But what happens if he gets a more serious injury? What happens if he's just ineffective?

4). Before the injury, the reports were that Cedric has come a long way in his blocking, and has learned the playbook.

DEFINITELY doesn't mean Benson will be an effective RB. Definitely doesn't mean he's better than Jones. But I think we're going to see him plenty this year. I hope in some starting capacity... raises his FF value. But as a Bear fan, I just want whatever works.