Dorsett lays a hit on Benson
http://www.chicagotribune.com
Tony Dorsett watched Cedric Benson run wild at the University of Texas a few years ago and became one of his biggest fans.
Now the Pro Football Hall of Fame tailback wonders if Benson, who happened to be a rabid Cowboys fan while growing up in Midland, Texas, has the requisite attitude and desire to excel with the Bears.
"I thought that by now he would have made his mark in the NFL," Dorsett said Wednesday. "I haven't seen that much of Chicago and their offense, but I am sure they were expecting better results from him."
Benson earned the Doak Walker award as the nation's top college running back in 2004. He wound up his college career with 5,540 rushing yards to rank sixth all time in NCAA Division I-A history, and second only to Ricky Williams in school history.
"He is going to take the brunt of a lot of negative publicity because of that, I am sure," said Dorsett, who still lives in the Dallas area. "I hope it doesn't get to the point where he really collapses as a running back and as a person. But he has the skills from what I saw at UT."
One of the criticisms of the 5-foot-11-inch, 220-pound Benson is that he attempts to overpower defenders instead of trying to make them miss.
"You won't make a living in the NFL trying to run over people," said Dorsett, who gained 12,739 yards in 12 NFL seasons as a 5-11, 183-pound back. "You won't last long. This is not a league where you can overpower people like you can in high school and college. I am hoping that is not his mentality because it is not healthy as far as his career is concerned and it is not healthy as far as his health is concerned. I know he has pretty good speed.
"If he is trying to overpower people, he needs to listen to me: You better stop."
Tony Dorsett watched Cedric Benson run wild at the University of Texas a few years ago and became one of his biggest fans.
Now the Pro Football Hall of Fame tailback wonders if Benson, who happened to be a rabid Cowboys fan while growing up in Midland, Texas, has the requisite attitude and desire to excel with the Bears.
"I thought that by now he would have made his mark in the NFL," Dorsett said Wednesday. "I haven't seen that much of Chicago and their offense, but I am sure they were expecting better results from him."
Benson earned the Doak Walker award as the nation's top college running back in 2004. He wound up his college career with 5,540 rushing yards to rank sixth all time in NCAA Division I-A history, and second only to Ricky Williams in school history.
"He is going to take the brunt of a lot of negative publicity because of that, I am sure," said Dorsett, who still lives in the Dallas area. "I hope it doesn't get to the point where he really collapses as a running back and as a person. But he has the skills from what I saw at UT."
One of the criticisms of the 5-foot-11-inch, 220-pound Benson is that he attempts to overpower defenders instead of trying to make them miss.
"You won't make a living in the NFL trying to run over people," said Dorsett, who gained 12,739 yards in 12 NFL seasons as a 5-11, 183-pound back. "You won't last long. This is not a league where you can overpower people like you can in high school and college. I am hoping that is not his mentality because it is not healthy as far as his career is concerned and it is not healthy as far as his health is concerned. I know he has pretty good speed.
"If he is trying to overpower people, he needs to listen to me: You better stop."
posted by The Gryphon at 8:59 PM
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