Line blocked center's bold comeback
Monday, June 16, 2008
Terry Pluto
Cleveland Plain Dealer Columnist
About LeCharles Bentley
We'll never know all that happened between LeCharles Bentley and the Browns, but it began to go bad when the center came down with a staph infection. It followed a knee operation, the result of an injury that Bentley sustained in his first practice in 2006. Staph infections are scary. When Bentley was told that he could possibly lose part of his leg -- they usually give the worst case scenario before surgery -- it naturally terrified him. You can say that odds are it won't happen, etc., but just the mentioned of even a slight possibility of losing a leg would freak out most of us. Bentley lost faith in the Browns' medical staff after the infection. He decided to train on his own. The Browns would have preferred that he remain under their care, or at least working out at the Berea facility with their trainers. But Bentley believed it was best for him to do it his way, with his own trainer and doctors.
Bentley had four knee operations to clean up the infection and repair the damaged knee. He wanted to come back last season, but when he was given the same test as last Monday -- running 40-yard dashes -- it was obvious the knee was weak and he wasn't close to being ready in the opinion of the Browns. They wanted him to take his time and make sure the knee was strong. If he suffered another setback with the knee -- his comeback would probably be over.
The Browns paid Bentley $12 million in a bonus and salary in 2006. He received another $3 million in salary in 2007. Some fans think the Browns "didn't want" Bentley to come back. That's ridiculous. They had $15 million and a large chunk of their salary cap invested in the Pro Bowl center. They put him under the care of Cleveland Clinic, one of the best medical institutions in the world. Certainly, the team didn't want him to blow out his knee in his first practice, or to get a staph infection. The plan was to build the offensive line around him.
This was the first major injury of Bentley's career. It frightened him. It bothered him that Phil Savage never called Bentley during his first trip to the hospital. The general manager was allowing Romeo Crennel and the coaching staff to be in contact with Bentley. His general rule was it's best for the coaches to deal with players, and he deals with the coaches. Sort of a chain of command. Savage now admits that was a mistake, and did apologize to Bentley for not making some calls. But that didn't help the trust issues between the player and the team.
Nor did Bentley's decision to train away from the facility and be absent from the team for months at a time. Contact between the two sides was sporadic, the Browns realizing the best move was to give Bentley freedom to control his own comeback, because that made him the most comfortable. In this case, distance did not make the heart grow fonder.
Bentley returned to the Browns last weekend, and passed a Monday night test of running 20 sprints of 40 yards, several times in the 7-second range. That's impressive for a 300-plus pounder with his knee history. It was the same test that he failed badly the year before.
The Browns welcomed him back, but as Bentley said, this was not the same team that he joined in 2006. Bentley was signed as the hometown hero, the guy from St. Ignatius and OSU who will help revive the Browns. But in his two years mostly away from the facility, the once-depleted offensive line has been rebuilt into one of the best units in the NFL. In Bentley's own mind, he sees himself as the Pro Bowl player before the injury. The Browns see him as a guy coming off a major knee injury who still has to prove his knee can handle contact. He has not taken part in any sort of football game since 2005.
Offensive linemen are very close and protective of each other. Hank Fraley was brought in to replace Bentley at center. While not an All-Pro, Fraley has made every snap the last two seasons. He was voted a team captain by his fellow linemen. The Browns were not about to move Bentley ahead of him on the depth chart, at least not until Bentley proved he could play.
Bentley also discovered that other than Ryan Tucker, all the key Browns offensive linemen have changed since he signed. In a sense, he was an outsider. It was difficult for him to hear that he would begin as a backup at center and guard, that he had to work and earn playing time. Bentley believed his pre-injury performance should count. After being released, he talked about not seeing any All-Pros in front of him. That's true, but Fraley and right guards Seth McKinney and Tucker are solid and respected by their fellow linemen and coaches. Newcomer Rex Hadnot has played so well that he may win the right guard spot even when Tucker recovers from his hip surgery.
Bentley would have been third string to begin, behind Fraley and Hadnot, both capable of playing center. Behind Tucker and Hadnot at right guard. McKinney also plays some center and right guard. That was tough on his pride.
It bothers Bentley when anyone would say "if he come back," or "we'll see how strong he comes back." Bentley took that as a lack of faith. The Browns believed they were just being realistic. It's the same approach they have taken with Gary Baxter, the high-priced free agent cornerback who is trying to come back from reconstructive surgery on both knees. Baxter has stayed close to the team. He is currently listed as a third-string safety, and working to find a spot in the defensive backfield, even if it's in nickel and dime packages as opposed to starting.
The Browns were shocked when Bentley requested a meeting with Savage Wednesday morning and asked for his release. He told them that he thought it was best he moved elsewhere, echoing what he said Tuesday about "playing somewhere." It was a very thoughtful, even pleasant, conversation. Bentley believed the team had changed, and he really didn't fit. His agent later said Bentley didn't want to be "an insurance policy," which he correctly sensed would be his role with the Browns -- at least at the start of veteran camp. The Browns didn't want to prevent him from trying it with another team. So they agreed to the release, rather than have a discontented player in camp.
So fans wondered why the Browns didn't try to trade him. Missing two full seasons and with his medical history, he has little value. Rather than hold up Bentley or limit him finding the right situation, they believed the fairest approach was the release. Some of the best, most cordial meetings, between Bentley and the Browns came during his final few days because it was now clear: Both parties had moved past each other.
The Browns reworked his contract after 2007. He signed for the minimum of $605,000. If he took 65 percent of the snaps, it began to escalate and could have been worth as much as $4 million. By being released, he does not count against the cap, nor is he paid more than the $15 million he received over the first two years. Obviously, having a contract primarily based on playing time made sense for the Browns, but it didn't exactly thrill Bentley -- especially when he saw all the linemen in front of him.
I feel the same way. At that time it was tough to get quality FA's to come to town. I appreciated his efforts and hate the way it all turned out. I wish him the best. I'm sure he'll get a shot somewhere though.
