Cedric Benson Is Sort Of Crazy, Part 423

Bengals running back Cedric Benson is experiencing a career renaissance this season; he’s rushed for 531 yards in 2009, good for the third-most in the NFL, after being cast off by the Bears for being an unproductive, surly headcase.

The unproductive bit is gone, but when it comes to Benson’s feelings about the Bears — who Benson will see this Sunday when the Bears travel to Paul Brown Stadium — it’s good to see the crazy half is still all there:

Cedric Benson believes the Chicago Bears did all they could to prevent him from signing with another team. […]

“I heard all the rumors that were said coming out of Chicago,” Benson said. “Even the Bengals told me all the things, that they would call and inquire about me and get nothing but negative things. Just that I didn’t work hard, that I was I guess a prima donna or I didn’t work hard on the field, just wasn’t focused, just anything negative that they could say, it was said. I’m sure that contributed largely to me not getting picked up right away.”

Those all sound like accurate descriptions, and I’m not sure you can call it “blackballing” if everything negative people say about you is true. What’s more, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis says Lovie Smith gave him a positive review about Benson’s potential, which should just about settle that.

In any case, it’s beside the point: The Bears found a capable rusher last year in Matt Forte, and Benson found a place where his teammates don’t dislike him for numerous real or perceived reasons. Win-win. And also: grudge match time!