Some new info on LeCharles Bentley (1 Viewer)

[chris1969]

I'm sure you all heard that LeChuck passed his physical and participated in drills with the Browns today, but some other info has come out since then that may give you an idea of his progress. First of all, he mentioned that he had full contact drills in October (as part of his physical) with both D-lineman and LB's and passed those tests with flying colors. The guy is absolutely ripped! His arms are twice as big as I remember and probably twice as big as my leg, and I'm not a small guy. His upper body is much, much better than it's ever been! (I couldn't find a pic of his lower body). He failed his physical in October for 2 reasons. His 40 yard dash, (required in every Brown's physical) and his range of motion in his legs. Rumors are he would have passed the 40 test, but his running mechanics looked bad. Bentley ran the 40 about 20 times for his physical this time and passed with flying colors. Now for the negatives... Bentley stated to reporters that he thought he's as good now as he's ever gonna get. From what I'm hearing, his best 40 times were in the 7 second range. That's not the worst 40 time in the NFL for an o-lineman, but Bentley was famous for multiple down field blocks. I'm expecting a different LeChuck. He'll be more of a road grader like Dermonti Dawson if he stays at Center, but I believe the Browns will will move him to RG again. Fraley impressed us so much last year with his grasp of the game and Stienbach is also elite in the mental aspect. Bentley at RG would put the 3 leaders right in the middle of the line. I don't think Bentley will be able to pull anymore, but Lewis is the type of RB that you want to run up the middle anyway. I'm expecting the Browns to phase him in on first and second down and relying on Hadnot or Tucker on downs 3 & 4. The guy has been working hard with a personal trainer for 2 years and it shows. He'd make Hulk Hogan embarrassed that he only has 24 inch pythons. That's all I've got now, but I'll add anything else I hear later.

 

[Peak]

 

[knowledge dropper]

I just saw his workout/interview on television. His arms are huge, but it looks like he smuggled a beach ball into the Browns training facility under his shirt. That explains the 7+ 40 yard dash.

 

[cstu]

Bentley passes physical, conditioning test on road to rejoining BrownsBEREA, Ohio--Coming back from a situation that LeCharles Bentley described as "life threatening," the Cleveland Browns center was all smiles and confident Tuesday about his pending return to the NFL.LeCharles BentleyBentleyAfter a two-year hiatus that included a pair of left knee surgeries, the former Pro Bowl center passed his physical and conditioning drills in order to return to the Browns. One surgery was to repair his torn patellar tendon that he suffered on the first day of training camp in 2006, while the second was to clear out a subsequent staph infection.The second surgery is where things got dicey for Bentley. He wouldn't go into details, but said his emotions ranged from "not expecting to live," to "you'll be lucky to play again," to "things are getting better," where he currently stands today."It was really a test,'' Bentley said after the team's first minicamp practice. "So many times I wanted to quit, but I just couldn't quit. Honestly, now for the rest of my career and the rest of my time as a football player, I don't really think it's about me. It's not about me being the best or going to Pro Bowls. Right now I'm trying to show people that if you believe in something ... anything can happen."Bentley added that he's not worried about rust or his playing ability, and promises that he will be playing in 2008. Still, the Browns remain cautiously optimistic.Cleveland made a major investment in Bentley two years ago, signing him to a six-year, $36-million contract.That deal has since been shortened and now has one year remaining, in what is likely Bentley's last chance to play for his hometown team."He's made a lot of progress,'' Browns general manager Phil Savage said. "He wants to give it a go. We're willing to do that and we want to do that for him.''Bentley was regarded as one of the top centers in the NFL before his injury. He was expected to anchor Cleveland's offensive line long term but hard luck followed.Bentley injured his knee on the first day of training camp in 2006 blocking former teammate Ted Washington. The first surgery was expected to keep him out for one season but complications and a second surgery forced him to miss the past two years.Now Bentley looks healthy again. He appears to be near his playing weight and his arms are monstrous. At the very least, Bentley could provide depth at center or guard for the Browns if he's able to stay healthy."I'm as good as I'm going to get,'' Bentley said. "I'm ready to go. I did a little bit of stuff today and hopefully I can get better at some things. But the sky is the limit now for me. I'm going to end up being a better player behind all this. I feel much better, I feel more stronger and I feel more explosive than I've ever been.''

 

[BigSteelThrill]

Nice. Best of luck to LeChuck for a healthy life.

 

[Bri]

Good to hear, he was excellent. Hopefully he can return even better than you hope.

Have the Browns fired any members of their cleaning staph?

 

[Bri]

quickly turned huh?