Benson deems preseason opener a success - Chicago Bears
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BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – Running back Cedric Benson was pleased with how he and the Bears’ No. 1 offense performed in Saturday night’s preseason-opening win over the Houston Texans.
Benson rushed for 23 yards on five carries and caught three passes for 11 yards on two possessions before exiting with the rest of the starters in an eventual 20-19 comeback victory.
“It felt good to get out there,” Benson said. “I thought we looked good as an offense. We moved the ball up the field both series we had. We had some good runs and some good passes from Rex [Grossman]. I thought we got some things accomplished.”
On Benson’s longest run, an 11-yarder on the Bears’ second possession, he bowled over strong safety Glenn Earl before being tackled by linebacker Morlon Greenwood.
“The guys up front were firing off the ball, which I expected them to do,” Benson said. “I knew they’d come in the game fired up. They gave me some good looks up front.”
Benson looked like a natural receiver catching the ball out of the backfield and hopes to showcase that aspect of his game.
“Anytime I can be an outlet for Rex, I’d love to be,” Benson said. “It’s one thing I’m going to get a little better at. I can make some big plays off of that stuff. You get the ball and you’ve got only one or two guys in front of you, so that’s fun.”
Staying focused: Fullback Obafemi Ayanbadejo didn’t allow the four-game suspension that’s hanging over his head to adversely affect how he played Saturday night in Houston.
Ayanbadejo caught three passes for 11 yards including a 2-yard touchdown from backup quarterback Brian Griese that gave the Bears a 7-6 second-quarter lead. The nine-year veteran also registered two special teams tackles.
“I’ve got to keep myself confident, but I’ve got to remember why I’ve been playing so long and I’ve got to do what I do, whether that’s blocking or making tackles on special teams,” he said.
“I want to show the coaches that I belong here. It’s so important to me to show them that and playing hard is the way of thanking them for the opportunity.”
Ayanbadejo was suspended for the first four regular season games for violating the NFL’s policy on anabolic steroids and related substances after testing positive for a banned substance that was in an over-the-counter supplement he took.