Earl Bennett Looks To Grow from a Cub to a Bear in 2009

To many, it was like he was not even on the roster. Throughout 2008 and into the offseason, many Chicago Bears fans have speculated over the absence of third-round rookie pick Earl Bennett. The Vanderbilt superstar set numerous SEC receiving records, but during his rookie season in the NFL, Bennett did not catch a single pass and saw little offensive playing time. Not knowing what to make of the it, fans have been speculating on the situation ever since the lack of talent at wide receiver grew from a hot topic to a raging inferno late last season. Some fans feel the Bears are such poor evaluators of offensive talent that they overlooked Bennett and were more awe-struck by guys like Marty Booker and Rashied Davis. Others say Bennett did something to anger the coaching staff. But it was Bennett himself who cleared the air this week in a Chicago Tribune article. "I struggled [learning] the plays last year," Bennett said Wednesday. "I was lethargic because of it. It probably took me until ... (link)