just read this on chicago sports.
-- Lovie Smith is fond of talking about "a starting rotation," but it was the Bears' coach who spun his wheels Wednesday during a good-natured, cat-and-mouse session with reporters.
As players trickled into Olivet Nazarene University in advance of Thursday's first training camp practice, Smith originally dodged questions about who his starting running back is. He merely said Cedric Benson, Thomas Jones and Adrian Peterson all would be out there "rotating in some form."
Pressed further, Smith relented.
"The starting rotation as we go into training camp will be exactly how it was as we finished OTAs," Smith said.
That means Benson is ahead of Jones, who skipped the organized team activities because of dissatisfaction with his contract. Jones also grew tired with Benson hanging over his shoulder despite his career-best 1,335 yards last season.
For good measure, that also means Leon Joe will be ahead of Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs. Expect that situation to last only slightly longer than Smith's stonewall.
Pressed even further, Smith revealed he felt uncomfortable talking about the depth chart before meeting with his players early Thursday morning.
Most players, however, didn't seem surprised by Benson's ascension. Fair or not, the perception has existed that general manager Jerry Angelo didn't burn the fourth overall pick in the 2005 draft and then lavish him with $16 million of guaranteed money for Benson to warm a bench.
How it sits if the running back rotation stays that way long-term would be interesting to monitor given Jones' popularity and respect within the locker room.
"Obviously, Cedric is a young guy who has a lot of talent and we're excited to see what he can do," quarterback Rex Grossman said. "And Thomas is a proven player, the emotional leader of our team in the huddle. So we're set at running back."
Grossman also praised Peterson. But his praise for Jones, who wasn't seen arriving Wednesday, spoke volumes about the running back's standing with his teammates.
Smith downplayed any friction developing, pointing to last season as an example. All three backs played prominent roles in victories, with Jones posting five 100-yard rushing games and Peterson one. Benson started the one game Jones missed with an injury.
"We'd even take a fourth one," Smith said. "You look at our history. We're a running team. We need as many good running backs as we can get. We have that. I'm anxious to see all three of them play."
And Smith insisted the competition would be exactly that.
"We're not getting ready to play a game," Smith said. "We're geared toward being ready to play Sept. 10. We're going to give all three guys a chance to prove what they can do. In time, you'll see everybody out there getting the reps."
Benson's will just come first.
"I know the playbook better," Benson said. "And I'm not going to focus attention or waste energy on the sideshow. I'll stay focused on the task at hand."
Benson's rookie season was a mixed bag, tarnished by the contract holdout that cost him the entire training camp. He then came on strong down the stretch of the Oct. 30 overtime victory over Detroit and rushed for 79 yards Nov. 6 against New Orleans before tearing knee ligaments after a 50-yard first half against San Francisco the following week.
After just 67 carries and 272 yards, some might think the jury is still out on Benson.
Asked if he thought he would relinquish the job to Jones eventually, Benson was succinct.
"No," he said.
Benson admittedly struggled with pass protection last year. But months after missing training camp, he participated in the voluntary off-season program. And offensive Ron Turner said it isn't an issue anymore.
"He worked hard at it and [running backs coach] Tim Spencer spent extra time with him," Turner said. "The running part of it, that comes naturally. That's easy. The protection part and passing part is what we have to put a lot of work into. And that's where he made his greatest strides."
Who makes the most strides without getting tackled could sit atop that magic starting rotation come the regular-season opener in Green Bay. Or maybe some other judging criteria will be used.
"A lot of things happened in the past, but it's training camp now," Turner said. "It's all about the team."
Thomas Jones not in pads in 1st day of camp
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