Don't you both mean, "b1 rather than c3"?  
I would perceive the Benjamin thing as being like a Tarrasch where White is behind on tempi, but able to develop his kingside straightforwardly.

I would still have some doubt about the soundness of that Blackmar-Diemer with the extra Bf4.  That placement strikes me as sub-optimal (might be an impediment in the f-file, might be a target for a ...Nd5 exchanging maneuver) ...

Kylemeister, surely that's the main line of the Steinitz French but with White's knight on g1 rather than f3, is it not? (Thus White has lost 3 tempi, f3-f4 and Bg5-f4-e3, and Black two Nf6-e4-f6).

I recall some people like, I believe, Joel Benjamin doing well with White after something like 5...e6 6. e5 Nfd7 7. Be3 c5 8. c3 Nc6 9. f4 Qb6 10. Qd2, though.     

But you never responded to my suggestion 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bf4 d5 4.f3 Nf6 5.e4!? dxe4 6.Nc3 Nd5!? 7.Nxd5 Qxd5 8.Bxc7 Nc6 9.c3 Bf5 10.Qb3 Qd7 11.Bg3 - see

http://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1170628234/2#2

my last post in that thread.
Was my suggestion that lame?

The late GM Edmar Mednis said white has full compensation for the pawn after 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bf4 d5 4.f3 Nf6 5.e4 dxe4 6.Nc3 exf3 7.Nxf3. He said the extra piece developed at f4 made it sound. I believe it was GM Velimrovich that used this successfully against other GMs back in the 80s. I saw the games in Tom Purser's BDG WORLD along with some others where Black played 5... e6 to transpose into a French.

hello, as a sometime tromp player, would say 2... e6 is most annoying since prevents messy positions White is in the mood for (Stefanova/Prie's 3. Nd2 is not such a big deal: see Cox's d4 deviations book). Although it's not a very KID move, i do remember reading that Top prefers to avoid his opponents' strengths!?

2... Ne4 3. Bf4 d5 4. f3 Nf6 5. e4 looked barely just enough compensation for White last time I looked at it when Wells book was published.. my feeling was a hard-working Black can find a good defence.  You also need to know what to do against 4. e3 c5 5. Bd3, which is not that great, but Jobava lost two games in a row against Ivanchuk and Bruzon last year after going for the most combative 5... Nc6!? 6. Be4 de4 etc (probably Black should try the safer 5... cd4).

Otherwise I think 2... d5 is a pretty solid response. Most sources (Gallagher, Wells, Davies etc) recommend Bxf6/g3/Bg2 etc as most promising for White, but this is not so convincing if Black delays castling, and rams the h-pawn down for a mating attack (see NIC yb 74).

1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bf4 d5 4.f3! Nf6 5.e4! 

5..dxe4? 6.Nc3 seems like BDG with a Bf4 plus. It is useful move.
After 6..exf3 7.Nxf3 e6 white can even transpose to the regular
Euwe with 8.Bg5!?, but of course he can play better than giving
a tempo back.

I feel like 5..e6! is the correct reply. French like position where
f3 and Bf4 are not too much useful moves. Game can continue
something like 5..e6! 6.e5 Nfd7 and now white´s bishop should
be on e3 and pawn on f4. I prefer to play black position here as 
the plan is very simple, according to basic rules of playing
French defense.