OWINGS MILLS — Cedric Benson has learned to bide his time, wisely allowing his blockers to run interference for him instead of bulldozing ahead immediately.
It’s a sign of growing maturity for the Cincinnati Bengals’ bullish running back who has experienced more than his fair share of legal problems.
“There is a big difference between college and the NFL,” Benson said during a conference call with Baltimore reporters. “I was probably patient in college as well but I think as a professional in this league, guys are good all the way up and down. From the defensive linemen to the linebackers, to the safeties in the box, you really have to be patient in setting up your blocks, almost kind of like helping the offensive linemen get on their blocks in a way.
“They are probably the least athletic guys on the field, the offensive linemen. You have to be really patient and really keen on your path to give those guys the best opportunity to get on the defense.”
Benson has learned a few other lessons the hard way off the field.
Benson pleaded no contest to assault charges in Texas earlier this year and served five days in jail and was suspended for one game.
A year ago, he allegedly punched a bartender in a face in Texas.
And when Benson was with the Chicago Bears, he was arrested for allegedly operating a boat while intoxicated and resisting arrest. He wound up being pepper-sprayed by police. He was also arrested for driving while intoxicated that year, but was later cleared of all charges.
Benson has stayed out of trouble for the past few months, a trend Bengals coach Marvin Lewis hopes is here to stay.
“I think he is a good story,” Lewis said. “Now, I think he is still finding his way. He has paid some heavy prices, and hopefully he will keep himself totally on the right track and be able to walk away from any kind of disturbance. That’s his biggest thing. The physical nature of his play, it’s been hard for him to turn off at other times.”
Inspired to perform musically at the Ed Block Courage awards in Baltimore last year, Benson said it was a meaningful moment for him.
It was more in step with the laidback personality many of his friends around the NFL have come to know.
“Any award I think is an achievement, especially considering the road I’ve traveled and the hurdles I’ve had to overcome in my life and the life lessons I’ve had come my way,” Benson said. “Just getting any award for me, I greatly appreciate it. The people were so friendly and so loose.
“They were in dire desperation of some entertainment, and I think in a way we’re their entertainment. They’re there to enjoy us, and we’re there to enjoy them. So, I just figured we might as well have a little fun while we’re here.”
Playing against Benson hasn’t typically been an enjoyable experience for the Baltimore Ravens.
Although they limited him to 41 yards on15 carries in the last meeting, he rushed for a pair of red-zone touchdowns.
In six career games against Baltimore, Benson has gained 426 yards on 130 carries with four touchdowns.
Two seasons ago, Benson hit the century mark twice against the Ravens’ traditionally stingy defense with two rare 100-yard rushing performances against them. He rushed for 120 yards and 117 yards with one touchdown run in each game.
Last year, though, he gained only 78 yards and 53 yards in two games against Baltimore.
“We don’t run it like we did in ’09,” Benson said. “We’re passing and rotating with another back on a lot of series. I don’t have the opportunity to be as much of a force as I was.”
Where Benson excels is using his stocky, 5-foot-11, 227-pound frame to full advantage by bashing into the defense wherever it’s most vulnerable.
“What he does well is he’s a very patient runner,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “He runs those zone schemes as well as anybody in the league. He picks his spots, he doesn’t get in a hurry, and he waits for you to make a mistake.
“So, two things: You’ve got to be patient when you’re playing gap control, as they say. You’ve got to control the man in front of you, stay square, tear off blocks and make plays. And you’ve got to create some things, some free-hitters in the backfield, to try to get some negative-yard plays if you can.”
The Ravens have contained Benson lately, but they still remember how he handled himself against them two years ago.
While splitting time lately with change-of-pace back Bernard Scott, Benson has still managed to rush for 1,016 yards and six touchdowns this season with a long run of 42 yards.
“Yeah, he’s a typical NFL back,” linebacker Jarret Johnson said. “He’s good all-around. He’s a one-cut guy. He can hit the perimeter. He’s a big jump cut guy and will also lower his pads. He’s very good.”
Pro Bowl outside linebacker Terrell Suggs recalled the Ravens being an inconsistent team two seasons ago when Benson thrived against them.
“We weren’t having a good year,” Suggs said. “Nobody wanted to be around here that much, but it has kind of changed these past couple of years. He is a good running back, he is an explosive back. I think the best part of his game is that he is patient. Backs that are more deliberate, they don’t have that much success against us.
“But when you have a patient back, the Maurice Jones-Drews, the Arian Fosters, the Cedric Bensons, they tend to be very patient, and then they will crack one on you, and you leave your secondary to try to make a tackle on a big back. He definitely is something we have to address, first and foremost, and try to get a wrap on this thing.”
The Ravens have allowed opposing runners to gain 100 yards three times this season.
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew rushed for 105 yards on 30 carries earlier this season.
And Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch rushed for 109 yards and Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hills gained 112 yards.
For the most part, though, the Ravens have shut down opposing running games.
They’re ranked second in the NFL against the run, allowing only 91.8 yards per contest.
Even the most patient runners have felt some frustration playing against the Baltimore defense.
“They don’t drive me nuts,” Suggs said. “This is the NFL. We are playing against the best players, the best backs every week. If you go down the line, every major back in the NFL this year, we had.
“It only gets frustrating when we’re doing something uncharacteristic, when we’re in spots where we know we always made this play, we’ve made it time and time again, and we do something uncharacteristic.”
During the past two weeks, Benson has uncharacteristically fumbled five times and lost two of them.
He’s been holding the football too far away from his body.
“If you get a shot, you go for the ball,” Johnson said. “We need him to put the ball on the ground a few more."
In the first game against the Bengals, the Ravens prevented Benson from generating momentum by shooting gaps.
In particular, inside linebackers Jameel McClain and Albert McClellan had strong games in place of injured middle linebacker Ray Lewis.
“They caught us with a couple of blitzes,” Benson said. “They are always good at shedding blocks. They are a good team, and they’ve played together for a while. They have a lot of veteran guys in the right spot. You have to be real precise.”
The Ravens are banking on stopping the run Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium and putting the game in the hands of rookie quarterback Andy Dalton.
“The key to is obviously stopping the run and forcing them to throw the ball,” Johnson said. “The thing is when he throws the ball, he’s pretty good. When they establish the run, they’re very good. You want to make them one-dimensional and take away the big plays.
“Keeping Benson in the box is a big deal, not letting him get on the edge. Anybody gets out of their gap, anybody gets cut or anything like that and he’s out of the gate and it’s a 60-yard run. We didn’t let him hit a big one, which was big for us. We’ve definitely got to do that again. When they are able to run the ball, they’re really good.”
