Bentley out for 2007 - yet another shitburger for the Browns

[tipyerbartender1]

Bentley may need more knee surgery
By TOM WITHERS
AP SPORTS WRITER
<!--BEGIN ARTICLE-->BEREA, Ohio -- LeCharles Bentley will likely undergo more surgery on a serious knee injury that cost him last season, is jeopardizing another and could end his NFL career.
Cleveland Browns general manager Phil Savage said Bentley is considering another operation to repair the left patellar tendon he tore on the first full-contact play of training camp last summer.
"If he does elect to have the surgery, then obviously he won't be here for 2007 as an active player," said Savage, adding "it's more likely he will have surgery."
A two-time Pro Bowl selection in New Orleans, Bentley signed a six-year, $36 million free agent contract in March to play for the Browns, his hometown team. But he had his first season in Cleveland end freakishly.
While blocking on a running play, Bentley tore his tendon planting his foot. Following surgery, he contracted a staph infection, which caused further damage to his knee and required another operation.
Savage said even if Bentley has a third operation and can't play in '07, the team will carry him on their roster and reassess his condition next year.

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"We certainly owe LeCharles an opportunity to see where he's going to be," he said. "This time next year I think we'll have a much clearer picture in terms if he is really a legitimate piece of the puzzle here or has the injury been so devastating that he may never play again."

 

[Joe Public]

I feel horrible for Bentley, but I feel worse for the Browns. The guy was injured on the first play of training camp. Unreal. Talk about cursed.

Motherf**ker.

In a related story, Hank Fraley's agent has been seen walking around with an unexplained hard-on for the last 24 hours.

 

[tipyerbartender1]

It just never ends with this team, Joe. There's serious speculation around town that they'll make a run at Marty or Cowher without remarkable improvement in 2007, which could be a tall order, can't fix everything in one offseason. I really don't think Romeo's much of a HC and I think the cupboard's bare everywhere but LB anyway. I even think the receiving corps, which everyone seems to think is their strength, is below league average. No hands, not much speed, losing Northcutt anyway, and Edwards and Winslow are probably the two biggest cancers on the team.

It's like the '80's all over again with names like Marty and Cowher floating around as coaching candidates. And things are so bad, they actually sound pretty good.

 

[tipyerbartender1]

But back to the point, the loss of Bentley, again, is huge. Pro Bowl centers can hide a lot of warts, improved lines can make bad teams competitive .... ahhh .... improved lines .... sorry, just dreaming a little. This team hasn't won the battle at the line of scrimmage since 1994.

 

[frankiegotti]

probally longer than that. I made me sick when i read that because i am a harcore browns fan. This team seriously is cursed. If they take quinn in the draft then crennel is focused on keeping his job, if they take a trenches player than it is for teh long term and savage will remain there i believe.

I don't believe they have really gotten a break in a while. On the upside if they were to consolidate the browns maybe they could spare a couple of players for the cavs? But that is probally wishful thinking because they would probally die on the car ride over there.

 

[Joe Public]

It's f**ked up. It's tough for me to really judge Romeo because this team has has so many injuries. He didn't handle the Edwards situation well this year, nor did he handle the Carthon thing well, but on the field how can you really judge it. Frye's still only played parts of a season and he's done so mostly on his back.

I don't care what they say about Derek Anderson, but the truth is, Baltimore let him go. OK, Baltimore, who gave up on Kyle Boller, never even gave this guy a shot. So before anybody thinks he might be the answer I'd suggest they think about that.

I think unless they're going to can Savage Marty's got no shot no matter how Romeo does this year or how much people clamor for him. Marty's difficult to deal with, it's just the way he is, so pairing him with Savage would be a recipe for disaster.

Cowher, though, well he'll be the one everybody wants the team to take a run at and 8-8 may not save Romeo's job.

Thing is, with getting Fraley, center wasn't the position that killed this team this year.

It was just, you know, every other position.

 

[B.A.R.]

I would sympathize with you Brownies but I live in metro-Detroit....the sympathy should come this way

 

[frankiegotti]

I would sympathize with you Brownies but I live in metro-Detroit....the sympathy should come this way

I feel you but at the same time you don't have as many holes as us. We just have needs at almost every single position. lol.

 

[Joe Public]

The Browns just need some continuity. I actually don't think they're as hole-filled as some, but I'm an optimist when it comes to the Brownies.

However, I do think they're as snake-bitten as you can possibly get.

The Browns need to draft some O-linemen and get that line on the same page, they need one skill player who can start immediately with their top pick, and they need the guys to jell a bit.

If they could just get that to happen they could see some decent progress this year.

 

[tipyerbartender1]

Joe-

I can't give Romeo a pass. True, the Browns seem to have impactful injuries every year, but they are the only team that comes to mind that never seems to overcome their injuries, every year. We've had worsts-to-firsts in the league, back-up QBs leading teams to playoffs, teams winning Super Bowls with practice squad secondaries. There can be no excuses for not winning in the division and playing your worst football at home. Home games are just fucking ugly. And boring. You feel like leaving and going to a bar to watch another game.

There's little doubt in my mind that had there been an obvious candidate to replace Romeo who wanted the job, the Browns would have made the move. Savage already shitcanned half the guy's staff, head coaches don't fire that many friends in one offseason.

I like Savage, even though he got off on the wrong foot here with his first pick. (I wouldn't care if they cut Edwards' ass. His 5th-round talent and rebuilt knee aren't worth the sideshow.) Savage reminds me of a Belichick at the front office level, not particularly smooth, nose-to-the-grindstone, just-let-me-work kind of guy. Always on the road scouting. I think he's the best drafter, the most qualified drafter, the team has had since returning, and actually since long before (... They have NEVER been strong in the draft).

I don't think Romeo's half the coach Butch Davis was, and I wouldn't want Butch back. Romeo just seems like the latest coordinator to get peter-principled, there's probably a reason the guy never got a HC job before, and it's probably not all the color of his skin.

If they stay at 3 or 4, I want Joe Thomas or Calvin Johnson. If those guys aren't going to be there, I want to trade down and get Levi Brown and picks. If they draft a QB or Peterson at 3 or 4, they're crazy.

 

[Joe Public]

I'm fine with your draft picks, Tip. I'm actually holding out hope that if Thomas isn't there that they do take Calvin Johnson if only because I'm starting to think Braylon's attitude may end him in Cleveland.

Of course, that is something I do pin on Romeo. He's let both Winslow and Braylon run that locker room. Frye's got enough to overcome without having to fend off those two every day crying for the football.

Shocking how once he and Anderson stopped listening to them and started to throw the ball to Joe J., catches not only got made, but they started to move the football down the field.

I wasn't happy about Ruben to begin with, but I thought he'd proven me wrong. Now it just looks like that one year he was playing for a contract. But still, with the line this bad, it is hard to tell.

It's like Houston. Yeah, other teams turn things around, but you look at the Jets. The Jets turned it around quick because of two things. One, they got two absoute studs on the O-line in the first round of the draft who bothe turned out to be instant starters. Two, they had a soft schedule. Their defense was still soft, but it didn't matter because almost every week they were lining up against piss poor teams.

Houston, on the other hand, is sort of in the same boat as the Browns. With two good teams in their division and a s**tty line, they're f**ked and have been for a while.

I personally think Romeo might be too soft for the job, but that they did need to give him one more year to try this thing. I agree about the coordinator thing, however, that offense was going to be turned over anyway given the mistake of Carthon's hiring. And, as much as I like Savage for on the field talent, he's the guy hiring Romeo's staff and I have not liked what I've seen there.

Draft Calvin Johnson, get some linemen, and get back to work rebuilding this franchise or Cowher will come in next year and do it for ya.

 

[frankiegotti]

i agree with you joe,

let romeo have his way with the draft and hopefully grab some type of skill player that will be able to start next year. Offensive linemen would be very good and defensive linemen.

 

[Joe Public]

Yeah, I think the choices need to be.

1. Joe Thomas.
2. Trade down for multiple picks.
3. Calvin Johnson

The reason I'm coming more around to CJ is that there is no other guaranteed pick at that spot. He is said to be 'the' guy. Peterson might be great, he might not. Quinn might be great, he might not. But other than Joe Thomas, Calvin Johnson seems to be the single biggest 'can't miss' guy.

No one is going to fault this team if they hit with someone like that or if they trade down and bring in multiple guys. Even if they don't strike gold at eight or 10 or 14--or wherever they end up--everybody will be more understanding of that because of where they drafted and because what they were trying to do was fill as many holes as quickly as possible.

Conversely, if they stay where they are and draft a Peterson, and he busts, they're going to be marching on Berea with pitchforks and I might just fly out to join them.

 

[frankiegotti]

Yeah, I think the choices need to be.

Conversely, if they stay where they are and draft a Peterson, and he busts, they're going to be marching on Berea with pitchforks and I might just fly out to join them.

I agree with you i may be there. I was reading over some of peterson's numbers and in the summer he ran a 4.37 40 yard dash. If he runs that in the combine that i don't think i would be that opposed to taking him. Joe, what do you think about his rare combination of size and speed.