DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Bentley spends practice on the field (From main page)

http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/article.php?id=7032

Bentley spends practice on the field
Jeff Walcoff, Staff Writer
08.05.2007

LeCharles Bentley made his first appearance on the practice field in more than a year Sunday.

Bentley donned his No. 57 jersey and stood through all of practice, spending time with his offensive line, and holding a clipboard during all offensive and team drills.

It was the next monumental step in the return of the Pro Bowl offensive lineman who suffered a torn patellar tendon during 2006 Training Camp.

"I think (my changes of playing this year) are pretty good," Bentley told the media after practice. "I'm just staying the course. Things are going pretty well and we'll see how they turn out."

For full coverage of Bentley's return to the field and his comments after practice, stay tuned to ClevelandBrowns.com.

_________________________________________________________________

This is a far cry from saying he will be there Sept 9th against Pitt, but it's engoraging in itself to see him out there with the team.

Anyone go to camp today?

Doubt he plays this year. We should have him for the 2008 season though.

Bentley takes next step forward
Jeff Walcoff, Staff Writer
08.05.2007
Browns Pro Bowl offensive lineman LeCharles Bentley took the next step in his completing his unlikely journey back to football Sunday when he joined his teammates on the field for the first time in more than a year.

Bentley, whose last time on the practice field was the day he tore his patellar tendon on July 27, 2006, didn't practice Sunday, but he wore his jersey and stood by his team as they ran drills.

After practice he was asked of his chances of playing for the Browns in 2007.

"I think they're pretty good," Bentley said. "I'm just staying the course. Things are going pretty well and we'll see how they turn out."

Bentley passed a physical with Giants physician Russell Warren just prior to the start of Browns training camp. The day camp began, Browns general manager Phil Savage said Bentley would continue to rehab, spend time with the club, and would be reevaluated near the end of camp.

Bentley said Sunday this was an expected part of the process and that it's a misconception that he expected to immediately be cleared to practice.

"When I came here I didn't expect to come out here and run out and start practicing," he said. "I was well aware I had to go through the next four weeks and do what I was doing. Because once you get into training camp you start going down and I can't afford to go anywhere but up right now. That was fully anticipated."

Since camp began, Bentley said he has been spending his days in meetings with the rest of the offensive line, receiving treatment, and working out.

Sunday he stood at practice with a clipboard following the team through practice.

As for learning the club's new offense, he said he has some background to learn quickly. Jack Henry, Bentley's offensive line coach with the Saints from 2002-05, left for the San Diego Chargers in '06, where he coached with new Browns offensive coordinator and then-tight ends coach Rob Chudzinski.

Bentley said although the terminology is different, Chudzinski has implemented several concepts and ideas Henry employed in New Orleans.

"This offense is cake," Bentley joked Sunday.

Bentley also took time Sunday while talking to the media to clear up any confusion about the relationship between him, the team, and general manager Phil Savage.

He said there were a few "miscommunications" between his camp and the Browns but nothing that has caused anything resembling animosity.

"There's no hard feelings between myself, the organization, Phil, whomever," the Cleveland native and St. Ignatius graduate said. "I'm not upset with anybody. There's been no drama. I'm here to do what I want to do which is play and help the team win."

Bentley tore his patellar tendon on the first play of 11-on-11 drills during the club's first full-pad practice of '06 training camp.

His initial injury was complicated by a staph infection and several subsequent surgeries. It wasn't until about March, Bentley said, that he began thinking he might be able to return from the injury.

He admitted at one point things got so bad doctors considered amputating his leg.

During workouts with his trainer, Bentley said now he's doing cutting and offensive line drills similar to those his teammates do during practice.

He said his knee is somewhere around the high-60s to 70 percent.

"That 30 percent is a big 30 percent, but it'll never be 100 percent," he said. "I'm not expecting it to be. If I can get it into the 90s, that's good enough."

Bentley said he's hoping he can be at 90 percent by the time he's reevaluated at the end of camp. Then, the Browns options would be to activate him immediately, put him on injured-reserve and declare him out for the season, or, more likely, place him on the physically unable to perform list and reevaluate him midway through the year.

However he is evaluated at the end of camp Sunday was regardless a big moment for a player who can finally see the goal at the end of a long journey.

"These last several months have been interesting," Bentley said. "There have been a lot highs and a lot of lows. Probably a lot more lows than highs thus far but it's not over yet. I'm going to continue to do what I've been doing and see what happens.

http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/article.php?id=7032

Quote:

---

Shows the drive these pro athletes have. If this was me, I'd take my money and run.

I see no reason to rush. Rest the begining of the year and see how the team does, if it looks like another 4-6 win season then sit this out and show up in 08 when we will be ready to make a run.

I hope that is the plan.

---

I agree and have been feeling this way all along. Next year would make more sense for both LCB and team. Also, hope Phil can pick up some extra picks to compensate for not having a number one pick in the deal to get BQ. JMHO

Quote:

---

Shows the drive these pro athletes have. If this was me, I'd take my money and run.

---

You and me both.

But unlike the current attitude towards many players, in the end, most of these guys are in it for the love of the game. No one wants to work for less than their value in comparison to their peers. That's part of the business end of it. But football players have been playing football since they were 8 or 9 years old. It's in their blood and they love it.

I don't think any other sport builds on the sense of "team" more than football. It's the most physical of games and it takes all 22 starters, the whole team in fact, to win a football game. Even those standing on the sidelines helped the team prepare for the game.

It's what they do...and when you face the end of anything you love, you try to hang on with everything you've got.

Quote:

---

It's what they do...and when you face the end of anything you love, you try to hang on with everything you've got.

---

Damn right. I know I'm gonna have to be dragged screaming and kicking when it's my time. Hopefully, that won't be for another 20 years or so...

Good for team morale to have LeC back on the sidelines- interacting, watching, learming, evaluating his teammates. Probably good for LeC's morale, as well. It's probably very difficult to feel like he's part of a team with so much solitary time in rehab.

Dawgs- with LeCharles trying to come back, Baxter on the field, Winslow on the mend, etc, there's no lack of inspirational stories in Berea at this time. It could be "just what the doctor ordered" for this team to break the old trends and to start some new (healthier) positive ones.

Welcome back, Mr. Bentley. You've been missed.

p.s. If staying out for the entire '07 season helps to get/keep him "in the 90's" I'm all for it.

Awesome! Too bad camp was moved indoors, we had to head home when we found out. Would have loved to be there to see LeCharles on the field.

Cleveland Browns center LeCharles Bentley's knee 70 percent
Monday, August 06, 2007
Mary Kay Cabot
Plain Dealer Reporter

Browns center LeCharles Bentley said Sunday he thinks his chances of playing this season are still pretty good despite the fact his surgically repaired knee is only about 70 percent healed.
"I'm just staying the course," said Bentley, who attended practice and spoke publicly for the first time since the beginning of camp.
"Things are going pretty well, and we'll just see how they play out."
Bentley, who is currently on the physically unable to perform list and not practicing, said he has a lot of ground to make up before he can pass his Browns physical at the end of this month.
"It's probably I would guess-timate in the high 60s, maybe 70 percent right now," said Bentley. "That 30 percent is a big 30 percent, but it'll never be 100 percent, and I'm not expecting it to be. If I can get it in the 90s, that's good enough. The target date is the end of the month."
If he passes his physical, he could be activated. If he fails, he could begin the season on the physically unable to perform list, which means he would have to miss at least the first six games of the season. The Browns would then have a three-week window during which they could activate him.
"Anything's possible," Bentley said.
Bentley, who's had four surgeries on his left knee in the past year, is attending meetings with the team but working out with his own trainer, Ian Danney, at a nearby facility. Danney flew here from his gym in Phoenix to train Bentley for the month.
Asked what he's able to do, Bentley kidded, "Leap tall buildings in a single bound."
In all seriousness, he said he's doing a lot of cutting drills and offensive line drills, similar to what he watched in practice Sunday.

"I'm just doing it with my trainer and trying to make everything a little bit crisper, a little bit better, a little bit stronger and a little more explosive," Bentley said. "But that's that last 30 percent that has to come, so I'm hoping it all kicks in."
Bentley, who suffered a torn patellar tendon on the first contact drill of camp last season and then developed a life- and limb-threatening staph infection that resulted in three more surgeries, made no promises about what he thinks will happen.
"I'm just here to play ball," he said. "That's all I want to do. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, then I'll pack my [stuff] and go home. That's just the way it is."
Bentley said there are no hard feelings between him and the Browns. The two sides did not have much contact after Bentley opted to have his fourth surgery performed by Dr. Russell Warren, the New York Giants team physician.
"No, I'm good. I love everybody," Bentley said. "I'm not upset with anybody. There's no drama that you may want to create. I'm just here to do what I want to do, which is to play and help the team win. I don't have any type of hidden agenda or anything like that."
Bentley said the perception that he and the team weren't on the same page came from miscommunication.
"I think everyone wanted me to get better, and I wanted to get better," he said. "As far as the ultimate goal, the parties were pretty much united on that front. When you're dealing with a lot of different people, the message isn't always relayed the way its supposed to be."
He said it's been a tough 11 months since he was told in August that he had to have emergency surgery to have the staph cleaned out.
"These last several months, there have been a lot of highs, a lot of lows," Bentley said. "Probably a lot more lows than highs, thus far. But it's not over yet. I'm going to continue to do what I've been doing and see what happens."
He said the extra four weeks of rehab were all part of the plan when Warren cleared him to resume football activity last month.
"That was fully anticipated," Bentley said. "Once you get to training camp, you start going down, and I can't afford to go anywhere but up right now.
As for learning the new offense, Bentley said "its cake." He said he's familiar with the line calls because his former offensive line coach from New Orleans, Jack Henry, went to San Diego and implemented the calls there, where he worked with current Browns offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski.
"Some of the terminology is a little different, but it's not new," he said.
Browns coach Romeo Crennel said it was good to see Bentley back at practice.
"He wants to be a Brown, and we're glad to have him around so he can get to know his teammates," Crennel said.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
mcabot@plaind.com, 216-999-4670

Doesn't sound as promising as I thought it would. 70 per cent... Got my fingers crossed though. Damn staph infections.

Yeah, but now that he's alive and has two legs (obviously that's great), my main concern is can he play football for the Browns?

Watching the interview with Bentley, he doesn't sound as confident as he has in the past few weeks.

And all this 70%, 90% business??? K2 can only get to 90%, LCB will only be able to make it 90% back.

Donnie Mac is somewhere like 75%.

These guys need to lay off the percentages. I don't even know how to grasp these descriptions.

Quote:

---

Watching the interview with Bentley, he doesn't sound as confident as he has in the past few weeks.

---

I wasn't aware that he gave any interviews that were posted anywhere for you to compare,,, did I miss one?

If you are talking about the written word that we've read in the paper, then I still don't know how you could tell..

On the main site.

Yeah, I know, but what are you comparing it to so you can say he doesn't sound as confident?

I heard his first interview on 850 when he was saying he was going to return, he sounded a lot more confident. I don't know if there is anywhere where that interview would be archived though.

Ahh, so I did miss one,, I'll go on thier website and see if they have it in the archeives.. Thanks

he has stated that it will never be 100% again. But he is targeting his rehab to bring it back to the 90's.

"It's probably I would guess-timate in the high 60s, maybe 70 percent right now," said Bentley. "That 30 percent is a big 30 percent, but it'll never be 100 percent, and I'm not expecting it to be. If I can get it in the 90s, that's good enough. The target date is the end of the month."

So if he's cleared to go at the end of August we know he's in those 90s again. Glad his comeback made a turn-a-round, almost losing his leg to infection is a horrible thought.

JMHO

Bent doesnt sound as overjoyed as Baxter sounded...

seems like Bax took the "glass is half full" approach, and Bent took the the "glass is half empty"

I can't say that I blame him with everything that he's been through.

Ignoring medical counsel
Report: Bentley blew off docs' idea for more surgeries
Posted: Sunday August 12, 2007 6:54PM; Updated: Sunday August 12, 2007 6:54PM
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/fo...tml?eref=si_nfl

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Browns center LeCharles Bentley, attempting a comeback from a career-threatening knee injury, stopped going to the Cleveland Clinic after two outside surgeons told him he had an infection and needed an immediate fourth knee surgery, a newspaper reported Sunday.

Bentley's first season with the Browns ended on his first full-contact play in training camp last summer when he tore the patellar tendon in his left knee.

He had his first surgery the day after the injury in late July 2006, and then two more as a staph infection attacked the knee. He was released from the Clinic in mid-October with a small incision that was draining fluid.

The Clinic said in a statement that doctors felt the incision might close on its own, or could require further surgery after Bentley healed more, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reported.

Bentley sought a second opinion, flying to New York to see Dr. Russell Warren, the team physician for the New York Giants, and also stopped going to his Clinic appointments, the newspaper said.

Warren found that Bentley's knee was still infected and needed another surgery right away, according to Bentley and his agent Jonathan Feinsod. A third doctor, Dr. James Andrews of Birmingham, Ala., also examined Bentley and agreed with Warren, said Bentley's financial adviser, Mark Callahan, who attended Bentley's appointment with Andrews.

The Clinic said in a statement that Andrews' evaluation was consistent with recommendations made by Clinic doctors: that Bentley should continue rehabilitation and wait to see if surgery was necessary.

Andrews declined to comment.

Warren performed the surgery in November, Bentley's fourth since last summer's injury. He considered a fifth operation in early June, but after seeing the two-time Pro Bowler's improvement in May, decided against it.

After returning home from the fourth surgery, Bentley's follow up treatment was done at University Hospitals of Cleveland.

Bentley returned to the Browns' training camp, but has only been attending meetings and watching drills from the sidelines. He's due for a team physical at the end of the month which could help determine whether he'll play for the team again.

I just don't like the tone of the above article, and frankly I am behind Bentley 100 percent to get the second opinion.

Despite the renowned reputation of the Cleveland Clinic, after 3 surguries, and an open wound, I would certainly seek another opinion. The reality is that his career was (and still is) in jeopardy.

He did not seek outside advise from a doc in the box on some street corner. He went to doctors that are well established and have superior credentials, espicially in the case of Andrews.

We all know that the staph infection was a far greater concern than the patella tear.

Bentley needs to understand his football career is over and to shut it down, he's going to have a messed up knee for the rest of his life if he doesnt quit soon.

[quotethe same could possibly be said about the person in you sig

---

LOL!

I agree with Pit - you have to reach for your dreams. If you don't you'll only be siting aroun wondering what could have been.

has anyone ever noticed that:

Lecharles Bentley wears number 57...

and that...

Kevin Bentley also wears number 57...

Noticed that last night watching the Seahawks.. lol

Just thought I'd bring it to you alls attention.

Yup, but he wore 59 with the Browns, Holdman wore 57.

Warren performed the surgery in November, Bentley's fourth since last summer's injury. He considered a fifth operation in early June, but after seeing the two-time Pro Bowler's improvement in May, decided against it.


I don't get what U guys are upset about..he had the surgery..now it's time to see if he can play..

I think the point of the story is this :


" Warren found that Bentley's knee was still infected and needed another surgery right away."

This was right after being sent home from the Clinic with the drain hole.....

Could anyone blame LeCharles if he doesn't quite trust the Clinic?

In the clinic's defense, too, isn't staphylococcus the most anti-biotic resistant strain of bacteria?

one of them, yes you are correct. TB being another....