Thread: Soon to be stars: Earl Bennett

I know have said it before, but bennett is a bobby engram clone, and really hope this time we do not let him get away as we did with Engram. He will never be the 'flashy" WR or TD maker, but he is that soldi, dependable WR that makes the clutch catches , makes the 3rd and 8 first down and keeps the chains moving.. he is IMO under-appreciated by the fanbase now, but hopefully the #'s keep improving and we sign him long term

Originally Posted by irishways

I like Bennet too. As far as what the Bears have, he is the best WR on the roster. That said, we still would do wonders for our Offense if we got a big, true #1. Not that I'm in the crowd of doing that through the first few rounds of the draft. We should focus first on OL. But maybe a mid to late round flyer...

yeah, bennett IMO will never be a #1, but he IS the solid possession and #2 WR... 60-80 catches 700-1,000 yards would be what expect from him in 2011.. and for a WR you need to get in F/A ala a malcolm flyod from chargers prob the best fit, esp if sidney rice isn't availale

Originally Posted by dabears54

Soon to be stars: Earl Bennett


By Matt Williamson, Scouts Inc.
Scouts Inc.'s Matt Williamson looks at NFC North players on the verge of a breakout in 2011.


Bennett
I strongly considered picking defensive tackle Israel Idonije for this honor, and the Chicago Bears have a slew of back seven defenders who do not receive the recognition they deserve, but wide receiver Earl Bennett is my choice because of his consistency and reliability. While he may never be a true “star,” I do now see him as a very competent starting NFL wide receiver -- and he should continue to improve in his second season in Mike Martz’s sophisticated passing attack.

Bennett did very little in the first six weeks of the season, but he picked up the pace and stayed quite steady after that first month and a half. The 24-year-old has a great history with quarterback Jay Cutler going back to their extremely productive days at Vanderbilt in the SEC. And while Bennett isn’t the prototypical quick and elusive Martz-type of wideout, his possession skills to move the chains and produce near the goal line set him apart from the Bears’ other wideouts. Bennett and tight end Greg Olsen are the Bears’ best red zone receivers and Chicago would be wise to feature Bennett more in this area of the field.

Last season, Bennett caught five or more passes in a game only twice. But though he lacks a lot of home run potential, the Bears should target him more often. It goes against Martz’s nature, but a controlled passing game featuring Bennett, Olsen and running back Matt Forte with some deep shots downfield could be a winning formula, considering how strong the Bears’ defense and special teams are.

Bennett runs sharp routes in the intermediate areas of the field and can go over the middle effectively as well. With Chicago’s woes in pass protection, Bennett is very important, as the Bears cannot stretch the field with their perimeter speed as much as they would like. Bennett does have sticky hands and is very reliable. He will never be a star, but the stabilizing presence he can bring to this offense and for his quarterback makes him very valuable.

Scouts Inc. watches games, breaks down film and studies football from all angles for ESPN.com.

You'd think that Martz would finally begin to pick up on this and use the talent he has more effectively. At the end of last season and during the playoffs he seemed to be doing that much better than he had earlier in the season. This is not St. Louis, we don't play on a rug, and the best receiving talent is bent around an intermediate passing game and not a downfield vertical game.

I'd love to see us pick up Malcom Floyd in FA and the rotate him with Bennett and Knox. Hester moves to the slot. We still have tons of downfield speed but much better utilized and we get Cutler his Brandon Marshall size target. Combine that group with throwing to Olsen more frequently, keeping him out of the backfield, and we get a nice potential improvement in our passing game.

That is as long as we give Cutler time to throw.

Originally Posted by soulman

You'd think that Martz would finally begin to pick up on this and use the talent he has more effectively. At the end of last season and during the playoffs he seemed to be doing that much better than he had earlier in the season. This is not St. Louis, we don't play on a rug, and the best receiving talent is bent around an intermediate passing game and not a downfield vertical game.

I'd love to see us pick up Malcom Floyd in FA and the rotate him with Bennett and Knox. Hester moves to the slot. We still have tons of downfield speed but much better utilized and we get Cutler his Brandon Marshall size target. Combine that group with throwing to Olsen more frequently, keeping him out of the backfield, and we get a nice potential improvement in our passing game.

That is as long as we give Cutler time to throw.

Agreed do think Floyd will be the FA WR( rice will prob not be a F/A)...and do think we see more of bennett in 2011- even martz admits this

do you guys think a trade for a wr is an option?

Originally Posted by motownbear

do you guys think a trade for a wr is an option?

can't trade for a player because no CBA now, and just IMO by the time that is settled, think teams going to be so busy just trying to get their cap in order, sign their players PLUS the UFA's and RFA"s.. that trading for a player just will not happen in the little time they will have before camp/season..