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There is all this discussion about how we need to draft/sign wide receivers and it seems that we drafted a young, talented wide out last year in Earl Bennett. Now as most football fans understand, it typically takes 3 years for a WR to really start making an impact. As Earl Bennett enters his third year with the Bears and with the obvious open competition at WR, I have a couple questions about Earl Bennett.

What can we expect from Earl Bennett this year?
How does Jay Cutler affect Earl Bennett's performance?
Bottomline: Does Earl Bennett make an impact his 2nd year?

Some Quotes on Earl.

Earl on his struggles last year: "I had a problem learning the plays at the beginning," Bennett said. "I struggled with it a bit, just like I struggled with it my first year in college. But as of now, I feel real comfortable with the playbook. I could just about play any position on the field. I feel like I've got the playbook down, and I'm ready to go."

Earl on his progress: "I feel like I've progressed a lot since last year when I first came in," he said. "This was a big opportunity to get in there and showcase what I can do, and hopefully I showed the coaches what I can do."

Lovie on Earl after Mini-Camp: "Earl has looked good," coach Lovie Smith said. "At the end of last year we thought he had made a lot of progress. It's not all new to him now. He's fitting in fairly well. Earl has talent. He's getting an opportunity to show exactly what he can do."

Jay on relationship with Earl: "We're very close. He's one of the first guys I called to tell him the news. I think I had to call him 4 times to get a hold of him. He's a great guy. I got one year at Vandy with him and I thought so highly of him that I helped him out on his Pro Day. I look forward to his future here."

Jay on Earl's struggles last year: "I checked on him throughout the year last year just to see how he was doing. Rookies struggle. I struggled my rookie year whenever we started mini-camp, training camp, and the beginning of the season. Sometimes it takes some time to click. I think he is feeling more comfortable in the system and the city. He left school early so he was a little young coming in. It's going to be exciting for him."

I agree, I think Earl Bennett takes a significant step forward compared to last season. I think 40 catches and a couple TD's is certainly attainable.

Not saying he will be a stud, I just think this puts him in an even more comfortable situation than before and some familiarity will help him progress faster.

DJhitek wrote:I agree, I think Earl Bennett takes a significant step forward compared to last season. I think 40 catches and a couple TD's is certainly attainable.

Not saying he will be a stud, I just think this puts him in an even more comfortable situation than before and some familiarity will help him progress faster.

That would seem rather reasonable. Also keeps him in line for a 3rd year break out. Right now, he probably looks like our #3 receiver. I think picking up a FA wide out and drafting one will set the receiver position for a few years. Assuming we can get someone like Kenny Britt in the 2nd round we'd have a pretty solid core of players.

Just for giggles, say we sign Holt.

WR1: Holt
WR2: Hester
WR3: Bennett
WR4/5: Davis/Britt

We've discussed Earl a bunch this offseason over here.

What's troubling is the revelation that he had trouble learning the playbook and didn't feel comfortable until mid-season by which time the staff had understandably buried him.

I'm hoping the addition of Cutler - who he has a rapport with from the Vandy days - gets him out from the shadows. And, let's face it, we're pretty desperate at the moment. He's going to get a every opportunity to show what he's got in camp. If he doesn't shine, he's got nobody to blame but himself.

Good subject, Wookie.

Bennett must have been real slow learning the playbook, because there weren't a heckuva lot of stud receivers ahead of him on the depth chart. No doubt, this is a red flag.

In his defense, he's not known as a speed guy, so having the playbook down cold is kinda critical.

Watching tape from him in college, he has some pretty nice skills...catches with his hands, runs excellent routes, fearless in traffic and very good run after catch ability. Not sure how good he is at getting into his route quickly against bump-and-run coverage.

Cutler's arrival could make a HUGE difference for Bennett next season. Not only have they kept in touch on the phone, they also both worked out with Vandy's strength and conditioning coach this offseason. They're buds.

If Bennett isn't going to be one of the top 3 receivers this season, I'll be surprised. I expect that Cutler and Bennett will see a lot of each other in the next few months and they'll develop the kind of rapport you love to see between a QB and a wideout.

If the Bears sign either Holt or Burress, than the WR corp is perfectly fine. You have your go to guy and then guys who do different things. But if you don't get those guys and no one becomes available who can be a #1 next year, than you could see some struggles. I like Bennett, but to count on him to be your third WR next year is asking an awful lot. Basically he is a rookie next year who knows the playbook, but has no game experience.

In fact, I want the Bears to sign two WR; either Holt or Burress as a #1 and then guys like Toomer, Juervicus, Williams, Bennett or Furrey to be that #2 guy who goes across the middle. You then have Hester as a #3 and Bennett as a #4. You wouldn't need to take a WR early (something Angelo hates doing) and the Bears can address the defensive line.

Anyone else thinks Ron Turners playbook is probably complex to learn? We saw it with Hester, Wolfe, Davis, and Benson (but Benson just seemed like he didn't even want it), and now with Bennett

Towel Manager wrote:Anyone else thinks Ron Turners playbook is probably complex to learn? We saw it with Hester, Wolfe, Davis, and Benson (but Benson just seemed like he didn't even want it), and now with Bennett

Hester was a converted DB learning a new position - Bennett doesn't have an excuse.

Both scored a whopping 18 on their Wonderlic which is borderline (Please Use More Appropriate Word) so you might want to point your finger at the player and not the play book.

Edited for Wonderlic score change.

Chewie wrote:

Towel Manager wrote:Anyone else thinks Ron Turners playbook is probably complex to learn? We saw it with Hester, Wolfe, Davis, and Benson (but Benson just seemed like he didn't even want it), and now with Bennett

Hester was a converted DB learning a new position - Bennett doesn't have an excuse.

Both scored a whopping 12 on their Wonderlic which is borderline (Please Use More Appropriate Word) so you might want to point your finger at the player and not the play book.

12? Yikes!

By the way, where are the scores published?

I have hope Earl Bennett is going to have a breakout season this year reconnecting with his former QB. He would be a big lift if he could have a nice season.

transplant wrote:

Chewie wrote:

Towel Manager wrote:Anyone else thinks Ron Turners playbook is probably complex to learn? We saw it with Hester, Wolfe, Davis, and Benson (but Benson just seemed like he didn't even want it), and now with Bennett

Hester was a converted DB learning a new position - Bennett doesn't have an excuse.

Both scored a whopping 12 on their Wonderlic which is borderline (Please Use More Appropriate Word) so you might want to point your finger at the player and not the play book.

12? Yikes!

By the way, where are the scores published?

They're not published, actually. They're leaked! They're kept separate from the other combine data and sent to a high ranking official (GM or president) for each team. And it's a good thing you called me on it as I had to look up my source again and found they both scored 18 which puts them right above the security guard level. Wiki averages :

* Chemist - 31
* Programmer - 29
* Journalist - 26
* Sales - 24
* Bank teller - 22
* Clerical worker - 21
* Security guard - 17
* Warehouse - 15

It was Nicks that scored 12 at this year's combine. It was Vince Young's 8 score that made national headlines a couple of years ago. People who score 8 have to remind themselves how to breathe.

I edited my OP, BTW.

I should add that an 18 score is actually better than the league average for the WR position (sadly) so that really took the wind out of my "they're too dumb to figure out the playbook" theory.

Again, per Wiki :

* Offensive tackle - 26
* Center - 25
* Quarterback - 24
* Guard - 23
* Tight end - 22
* Safety - 19
* Linebacker - 19
* Cornerback - 18
* Wide receiver - 17
* Fullback - 17
* Halfback - 16

Hey Chewie...Maybe you should take that test?

emperorjones wrote:Hey Chewie...Maybe you should take that test?

Heh. Judging by a sample of these softball questions, I think I'd fare just fine.

http://espn.go.com/page2/s/closer/020228test.html

The ninth month of the year?? REALLY? Embarrassing. Vince Young is still scratching his head on that one.

I wouldn't mind taking the actual test just for comparisons.

Step up to the plate. There's a link to a 10 question, 2:20 timed Wonderlic sample test within. The normal one is 50 questions in 12 minutes. Gots me a 40.

http://www.thephinsider.com/2009/2/22/767551/sample-wonderlic-test-how

EDIT: Wife got a 40, too. I knew there was a reason I married her.

Chewie wrote:Step up to the plate. There's a link to a 10 question, 2:20 timed Wonderlic sample test within. The normal one is 50 questions in 12 minutes. Gots me a 40.

http://www.thephinsider.com/2009/2/22/767551/sample-wonderlic-test-how

EDIT: Wife got a 40, too. I knew there was a reason I married her.

45... I'm a genius.

40 D:

Edit: I probably could have gotten the last question if I didn't decide to scroll up to see how much time I had left. Bad idea.

Magilla_Gorilla wrote:
45... I'm a genius.

I always thought to myself....y'know that Magilla is no more than about 5 Wonderlic points smarter than me. This confirms it.

No Skyy wrote:Edit: I probably could have gotten the last question if I didn't decide to scroll up to see how much time I had left. Bad idea.

Heh heh. Did the same friggin' thing! I hate the timer aspect ! Wasted 3 seconds scrolling up and freaked out when I saw it at 17 !