Bennett is in the dog house big time

[alldaway]

A lot of arguing for no reason. 

Bennett will be inactive when Dunn is healthy. 

Even he has been active, he hasn't seen the field much, and when he has, he hasn't done anything with the opportunity.

Sorry I respectfully disagree with the idea he has been given ample oppurtunity to showcase himself.

[Biggs3535]

Well, I didn't say "he has given ample opportunity to showcase himself," so there really isn't anything to disagree with.

People have been pining away for Bennett even when Dunn and Graham were running the ball very well.  When Dunn went down, everyone assumed that Bennett would get Dunn's carries, and that just hasn't come to fruition.  For whatever reason, Gruden doesn't trust or like Bennett as much as some around here do.  Maybe it's because of his little whiny rant earlier in the season or maybe the coaches like what Smith brings to the table more, I don't know.  It would seem that Gruden doesn't agree with your assessment that Bennett "is one of the smartest players on offense and understands the pass protections schemes better than a rookie like Smith" or he would probably be on the field over Smith.

The fact remains that Clifton Smith, an undrafted rookie free agent, has been given more playing time, and when Dunn comes back, Bennett will probably be the guy who will be inactive.

[SunnyD]

Bennett has looked awful when he has touched the ball this year.

I don't understand how someone can argue that.

[bizkitlimped]

How many of you experts are able to watch the bucs practice every week? My guess would be not one. Some of you don't even live in FL. My point is, Gruden is a firm believer in you have to practice to play. If you don't practice well and do the things you're supposed to do against a scout team defense, what makes you think he's going to trust you to do those things against starters in the NFL? There is no need for a 2 page argument about how much crap it is that Bennett isn't getting a shot. It's obvious and plain to see the he is being out-performed in practice by Clifton Smith.

[SunnyD]

he is being out-performed in practice by Clifton Smith.

And on the field

[bizkitlimped]

he is being out-performed in practice by Clifton Smith.

And on the field

Touche!

[ryan24]

As to his playing time as a RB....the guy has been a backup almost his entire career....very likely for a reason. He seems to have produced at Minny but KC didn't use him at all and his touches in Minny were limited at times also. As a Buc, other than preseason games(and Aaron Stecker always looked good in preseason so it means little), he hasn't done too much. He's also looked tentative this season. Part of that might be from underuse this season however the Bucs really don't have time to wait for him to get comfortable in the backfield. The same factor hasn't afflicted Clifton Smith, who's looked pretty aggressive out there...although the ball being put on the ground is a bit concerning on his part.

Very misleading post.

Let me address some of these points:

*He was productive as a Viking until he was injury plagued which forced the Vikes to look for other options. Changes in ownership, coaching staff turmoil was also a reason why he was lost in the shuffle (see Chris Hovan).

*When he went to the Chiefs he wasn't asked to be a primary ball carrier and they had talent in front of him.

IOW....wasn't good enough....what's changed.

*Bennett produced in regular season games last year with limited play book knowledge.

*The reason why Bennett/Graham did so well last year was because of Valero who is no longer with the team.

Bennett "produced" last season mostly in garbage time. Dunn/Graham have outproduced Graham and anyone else last season. So the coach point is pretty stupid.

*Bennett has proven he can produce in limited carries, but he has not been given a fair shake this year.

How long is the coaching staff supposed to wait to see if he'll produce? He's looked tentative in his limited carries. If he wants to play, that's not a real good way to get more opportunity.

*Bennett is one of the smartest players on offense and understands the pass protections schemes better than a rookie like Smith.

I have no idea of the intellect of Michael Bennett nor do I have an idea of how well he's picked up the playbook but Clifton Smith has looked much better in his limited opportunity than Michael Bennett has in his limited opportunity.

[SunnyD]

Clifton Smith
Total Touches:21
Total Yards: 436
Total TDs: 1

Michael Bennett:
Total Touches:8
Total Yards: 14
Total TDs:0


Isn't skewering statistics fun

[SWAGGANEER]

My bad Ryan...

When you stated return a kick/punt I thought you meant return for a TD...

4hrs of sleep with a teething 1 yr old does funny things to you...

I still think Bucs should see what he offers as a KR/PR...

[dbtb135]

No one is arguing he is a quality starter, nor is anyone arguing he is the best next thing since sliced bread.  But what I am arguing is that he is better than what is falsely portrayed by many.  Very similar to Buenning's situation where he was benched for no reason.  Many argued he wasn't "good" enough, wasn't "smart" enough, or wasn't "healthy".

There was some serious talk about Buenning missing assignments, and that Mahan was favored because he was so smart when it came to that aspect. And I believe there was some missed time before the Dallas game where Buenning was legit injured. But I think it's night and day difference. Buenning was a stud for us as a rookie, and would have helped give a big boost to the running game. With Mahan and Wade and Trueblood yet to develop and I think there was even some Jeb Terry in there, it was a ridiculous notion to NOT have Buenning in there when he could probably outplay them all at that point.

With Bennett, it really doesn't seem like he brings a whole lot to the table to where our fans should be this concerned with his lack of PT. We certainly don't seem to be missing anything out there without him. Maybe he should be given slightly more chances, but I still question how much this reaction has to do with Bennett's good year in 2002, the hype pieces in the off-season, and the pre-season production which honestly does mean very little VS. what we are actually missing out on not having him out there on occasion. I think he's about as good as MOST TEAMS' third (or fourth) string backs. I just find it odd that every week, a portion of this fanbase is unsatisfied with Michael Bennett's opportunities.

[GameTime]

c'mon.  this whole argument is dumb.  bennett isnt losing carries due to talent, he just isnt getting carries.  and the guy has a resume and produced in preseason so we know he can.   the 7 carries he has this year, did he miss a hole, or did the OL not give him one?  and how about smiths lack of ball security?  he's leading our team in fumbles after 2 games.

what i would like to see is all our players given the opportunity to play.

[sammy8887]

c'mon. this whole argument is dumb.

I thought you were going to say our 3rd/4th string RB gets way too much attention...

[ryan24]

The one Bennett play which everyone remembers from the game was the pitch on 3rd and 2 where he got nowhere. In fairness to him, it was a horrible play call and the Defense had it snuffed completely. There was nothing at all that Bennett could do there.

He could have run hard. Instead he stopped, watched and dropped.

Whether he should be playing or why he's not playing is certainly debateable however that type of maneuver ain't going to help him.

[Biggs3535]

Well, I didn't say "he has given ample opportunity to showcase himself," so there really isn't anything to disagree with.

Of course you didn't say it but it was implicitly implied on your part. Thanks for playing champ!

I see your reading comprehension hasn't improved.  Let's break the quote down and see where you could possibly get that I implied what you said.

Even when he has been active, he hasn't seen the field much.

Hmmm, can't be there.  When Bennett is active, he hasn't seen the field much.  That's a fact.

When he has, he hasn't done anything with the opportunity.

Maybe there?  When Bennett has seen the field, Bennett hasn't done anything with his opportunity on the field.  That's fact too.  Nothing about ample opportunity being implied.

Anything else, Junior?

[dbtb135]

Settle down now...a couple of compliments and suddenly his head can't fit through the door...

Boid helpful as always...

Maybe if the door was equipped to handle greatness, we wouldn't have this problem...

c'mon.  this whole argument is dumb.  bennett isnt losing carries due to talent, he just isnt getting carries.  and the guy has a resume and produced in preseason so we know he can.   the 7 carries he has this year, did he miss a hole, or did the OL not give him one?  and how about smiths lack of ball security?  he's leading our team in fumbles after 2 games.

what i would like to see is all our players given the opportunity to play.

His resume hasn't been updated since 02. And we know he can produce because of what he did in the pre-season?! Come on! You know who people were RAVING about here in the pre-season? Brian "Pick 6" Griese. He was the next Brad Johnson, remember? People thought he looked All-World picking apart defenses for 4 yards a pop with some ridiculous completion percentage. Then regular season and real defenses came and he folded like a cheap tent.

People need to start looking at this situation with some objectivity. What did ANYONE here think of Michael Bennett prior to the trade? Prior to the hype pieces in the off-season? Or even WHY did we acquire him in the first place? It's likely not because he was someone who the FO liked for a while, or who they felt fit the system great, or could do big things if given the opportunity. It was because he was a relatively cheap, experienced RB when we had Graham and KEN DARBY at the spot.