Bears should go get Rhodes

By Edward Kensik  |   Tuesday, September 08, 2009  |  Comments( 0 )

Chicago Bears
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Days before the Bears walk on the field at Lambeau Field, the team should do its due diligence to get another running back onto the team.

After the cuts the Bears appear to have one remaining spot open as of Labor Day and it would appear that it will be a running back.

The Bears are in this situation after it was announced that Kevin Jones out for the season because of a torn ligaments in his left ankle injury, the Bears should have been in the market to get a backup to Matt Forte.

The injury though saved the team some trouble because Jones was not going to be the answer to relieve the touches for Forte.

Jones was ineffective in the preseason going up against mainly second team defenses. On 24 preseason rushing attempts, Jones managed 77 yards for a 3.2-yard average, with a long gain of 9 yards.

He carried seven times for 25 yards Thursday night against a poor Cleveland Browns defense, for a 3.6-yard average and picked up 6 yards on his final carry.

The Bears cannot go into the season with Adrian Peterson (of course the other one not in Minnesota) and Garrett Wolfe as the backups. Peterson looked good in the preseason especially against the

Browns, but then again it was against second and third team defenses. It was also against a poor Browns defense in the last exhibition game.

The Bears should have learned from last year when Forte was out with an ankle injury that the running game suffered severely and Peterson and Wolfe are not the answers.

The one player that Chicago should go after is Dominic Rhodes who was let go by the Buffalo Bills. The only reason appears that the Bills released him was the saving of $2 million over the next two years.

The Bills are thin going into the regular season with their top back, Marshawn Lynch, suspended for the first three games and Fred Jackson as the lead back while he is suspended. The only other half back on the roster was Xavier Omon.
But of course this is the Bills so who knows.

If you look at the final cut list, there was a lack of experienced running backs that were let go by NFL teams so the numbers are thin, unless you call Aveion Cason who was released by the Detroit Lions.

Last season, Forte had 316 carries and caught 63 catches in his rookie year and wore down during the season that resulted in the injury.

Coming into the 2009 camp, the Bears management was aiming to give Forte fewer touches and not wear him down while giving some more of a load to Jones.

But that plan is out the window and both Peterson and Wolfe are not the answer.

Getting Rhodes might be difficult because there will probably be other suitors for him and also his agent might wait out and see what running back gets injured in the first week or second week of the season.

The cuts for the Bears were not much of a surprise.

The Bears reached the NFL’s mandatory 53-man roster limit by terminating the contracts of guard Dan Buenning, cornerback Rod Hood and linebacker Darrell McClover while waiving 16 players including wide receiver Brandon Rideau. Players who were waived included guard Johan Asiata, defensive ends Ervin Baldwin and Joe Clermond, offensive tackle Cody Balogh, quarterback Brett Basanez, cornerbacks Rudy Burgess, Marcus Hamilton and Woodny Turenne, fullbacks Jason Davis and Will Ta’ufo’ou, linebackers Marcus Freeman, Kevin Malast and Mike Rivera, receiver Eric Peterman, and center Donovan Raiola.


The team also placed three players on injured reserve included Jones and safety Dahna Deleston (hamstring) and defensive end Henry Melton (ankle).

The Bears though the next day brought seven of those waived for its practice squad in Basanez, Baldwin, Clermond, Asiata, Ta’ufo’ou, Turenne and Raiola.

The Bears will stick with two quarterbacks with Jay Cutler and Caleb Hanie. Hanie was impressive enough for the club brass in the preseason to rely on him in case Cutler goes down. Cutler has a history of not getting injury, but again that was the case with Tom Brady until he was lost for the entire 2008 season for the Patriots.

The Bears will be getting ready for the Green Bay Packers opener for Sunday night.
Hopefully, the Bears will have signed Rhodes later this week and or at least next week before the second week contest with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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