What about Bob?

Bears fans will be delighted to learn that Rex Grossman won't be their starting quarterback this season. Or at least until Kyle Orton either plays his way out of the job or is forced out by injury.

The Bears wasted little time telling Cedric Benson what they thought of his second alcohol-related arrest in a little over a month.

Buh-bye.

No wonder Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner was gushing over the weekend about running back Matt Forte. Turner probably knew it was only a matter of time before Benson would be 86'd and the Bears would be looking for a successor.

Hmmm. Wonder if GM Jerry Angelo is second-guessing himself by trading Thomas Jones to the Jets before last season.

I'm not saying that.

Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner is saying that.

So, why bring up Matt Forte one blog post after Cedric Benson? Because Forte might be the answer to the question: If the Bears whack Benson, who will take his place?

Turner has been gushing about Forte since the Bears drafted him in the second round in April. And with Benson coming off a second arrest for excessive drinking, Forte could be the guy.

But from the sound of things, he might not be with Chicago much longer.

In the wake of a second arrest within the last month for excessive drinking, the former first-round running back is on thin ice with the Bears. This time, he was nabbed for driving while intoxicated. Last month, it was boating while intoxicated.

Not sure there are many more vehicles applicable for these kinds of arrests, although I did hear about some bozo arrested last month for driving his lawn mower while intoxicated. He was wearing a tuxedo at the time of the arrest.

... knuckleheads, one and all.

After all, Bears RB Cedric Benson was busted this morning on charges of driving while intoxicated in Austin, Texas.

That's on top of his recent arrest for boating while intoxicated.

Our word of the week to describe Benson's situation, as well as all the other off-field crap the NFL has had to wade through this week: oy.

.
Rex Grossman.

Or Kyle Orton.

Head coach Lovie Smith won't decide between the two until late in training camp. Maybe even the week before the regular season opener.

It's certainly not the most enviable quarterback situation in the league. We all know about Grossman's issues - see: interceptions, lots of them. And Orton showed a few things three years ago in Grossman's injury-related absence. But he was certainly nothing to write home about.

In a word: oy.

... not!

The Bears' fourth-year running back, whose recent arrest for boating while intoxicated did little to endear himself to fans or teammates, decided to skip yesterday's workout with his teammates.

Ah, the beauty of voluntary off-season workouts.

Bears general manager Jerry Angelo has heard the outcry over Cedric Benson's arrest on May 3 on charges of boating while intoxicated. And Angelo has heard all the calls for him to simply release Benson, who has been a bust on the field and hasn't done himself any favors off the field with this latest incident.

But Angelo says he's not cutting Benson, and that he'll simply wait for the legal system to play out.

Smart call.

The Bears have invested far too much in Benson to simply release him over this incident (reminder: the charges were misdemeanors and will almost certainly not result in jail time). Besides, there are enough questions about this case expressed by people who were with Benson at the time that at least make it conceivable Benson ought to get the benefit of the doubt.

Benson will never win a popularity contest in the Bears' locker room, where teammates have questioned his leadership. But last week's won't determine whether he stays or goes. That will be up to his performance.

If the past three years are any indication, things don't look too bright for the former Texas star. But you still don't just toss the guy on the street. Especially not if you're the general manager who staked his reputation on the guy in the first place.

You let things play out on and off the field, and then see where you stand.

For those of you with a morbid fascination for things like this, here's a video of Cedric Benson being booked last weekend on charges of boating while intoxicated.

The fourth-year running back was arrested over the weekend for boating while intoxicated, but a woman who was with Benson at the time tells a far different story that might ultimately show Benson was not being as disruptive as police reports indicate.

See for yourself.

There has been plenty of sentiment from fans that the Bears simply release Benson, who has been a major disappointment on the field and a questionable chap off it. But that simply doesn't make sense, even in the wake of last weekend's incident. First, the charges are misdemeanor and will almost certainly not result in jail time. Second, if the woman's statements are accurate, Benson might not be in the kind of hot water the team initially feared. And third, he's the starting running back for a team one year removed from a Super Bowl run.

Rock sent us an e-mail last night that temporarily sent shockwaves through the Glauber household.

He wrote that Archuleta was sent packing, a reference we initially took to mean that David Archuleta was somehow out of the competition at American Idol. This in spite of the fact that last night's competition hadn't yet begun.

Rock was being silly, of course, and sent a link that Adam Archuleta had been released by the Bears, a transaction the Idol-obsessed Glaubers could care less about.

Adam A. has largely been a bust through a once promising NFL career, and we suspect he won't amount to much after being kicked to the curb by Lovie Smith, his former mentor in St. Louis.

As for David Archuleta, the future is bright. We're thinking Jason Castro gets the boot from Idol tonight, which would leave David A., Syesha Mercado and David Cook as the final three. Then again, there have been some shockers at this point in previous Idol competitions. If Castro somehow makes it through, it means there's a problem.

The Bears' fourth-year running back admits there was alcohol on his boat when police arrested him, but he said he was not drunk, that he passed field sobriety tests, and that police unnecessarily used pepper spray to subdue him.

"They gave me a field sobriety test, told me to say my ABCs and told me to count from 1 to 4 up and down," Benson told the Chicago Tribune. "I'm thinking, I passed all the tests, did everything right. Then the officer told me we needed to go to land to take more tests. I politely asked him why we needed to go to land to take more tests when I took every test. Then he sprayed me with mace, on his boat. I'm not handcuffed. I'm not under arrest. I'm not threatening him. I'm not pushing him. I'm not touching him. And he sprays me right in my eye."

Benson said by that time, he was far removed from the family and friends left on his boat, a group that included his mother.

"Nobody saw what he did to me," Benson said. "I started screaming for my mother to come. That's when they put me under arrest. And the officer threw a life jacket over my head.

"Once we got to land, the Travis County police grabbed me and kicked my feet from under me. So I landed on my back while I was handcuffed. They held me down and held the water hose over my face. I couldn't breathe, I'm choking, I'm begging the cops, 'Please stop. Please stop.' Then they picked me up and dragged me backward toward their car. And I'm still being polite, asking them, 'Sir, could you please allow me to walk like a man to your cop car?' They just kept dragging me on."

His arrest for boating while intoxicated, coupled with the fact that police had to use pepper spray to subdue him, makes for further troubles for the Bears' former first-round pick.

As we noted in a previous post, Benson is part of a 2005 draft that was absolutely horrendous at the top of the first round.

It will not surprise me in the least if this is Benson's last year in Chicago.

But he did tell a reporter earlier today that he has no plans to retire or demand a trade from the Bears, contrary to a previous report.

Among the draft prospects the Bears will visit with is Illinois running back Rashard Mendenhall, one of our faves in this this year's class.

With all the running back talk centering on Arkansas star Darren McFadden, Mendenhall is one of those under-the-radar players (if you can actually be under the radar in the first round) who we think will be a fine all-around pro.

And if the Bears take him in the first round, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, especially with all the doubts surrounding former first-round pick Cedric Benson.

Ok, so he isn't a household name like Randy Moss. Or even Plaxico Burress, for that matter.

But I'll be very interested to see where Bears receiver Bernard Berrian winds up in free agency.

The Bears would love to re-sign him before the free agency period begins in a few hours. But with slim pickings on the open market, Berrian has decided he'll get more cash by shopping his services in the coming days.

I suspect there will be some suitor willing to match his asking price. Berrian is a terrific speed receiver, which is so hard to come by these days in the NFL. He's still young and is still subject to occasional drops. But what receiver isn't?

Former Bears All Pro safety Shaun Gayle found out yesterday morning his pregnant girlfriend was shot to death in a suburban Chicago condominium after police responded to a neighbor's call about screams coming from the home.

Gayle, a member of the Bears team that won Super Bowl XX in 1985, was not considered a suspect in Rhoni Reuter's death and went to the Deerfield Police Department when he learned of the shooting, police said in a statement.

Rhoni, 42, sustained multiple gunshot wounds, and was pregnant when she died, said Lake County Coroner Dr. Richard Keller. Gayle was the father of the unborn child, police said.

Giants fans best remember Gayle in a 21-0 loss to the Bears in the 1985 playoffs. At blustery Soldier Field, Giants punter Sean Landeta missed a punt after a gust of wind moved it away from his foot. Gayle scooped up the ball and ran it in for a five-yard touchdown.