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Cleveland Browns (2007 & prior)

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Browns center Bentley hurts knee first day of camp
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Bentley
BEREA, Ohio -- Pro Bowl center LeCharles Bentley sustained an injury to his left knee during the Browns' first 11-on-11 drill of training camp on Thursday.


Bentley got tangled in a pile of players as he was blocking on a running play for Reuben Droughns.


Bentley screamed, "No," before remaining on his knees as the Browns moved their scrimmage up the field so trainers could attend to the 6-foot-2, 309-pound player.


He stayed on the ground in a seated position for several minutes before Cleveland's medical staff immobilized his left knee and carted him to the locker room.


Bentley covered his face with a towel on the short drive to the field house as Browns players and fans looked on in shock.


The extent of Bentley's injury is not yet known.


Bentley, a five-year veteran, signed as a free agent with the Browns in March.
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http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2531239

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[FONT=arial,sans-serif]Thursday, July 27, 2006[/FONT]
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[FONT=arial,sans-serif]Source: Bentley to miss season
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3:03 p.m.

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Browns center LeCharles Bentley is comforted by defensive tackle Orpheus Roye as Ted Washington (92) looks on. For more photos, check out the photo gallery.
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A source close to Browns center LeCharles Bentley said that it appears Bentley has suffered a torn patellar tendon in his left knee and will be lost for the season.

The Browns have not confirmed the injury and Bentley is still at the Cleveland Clinic.

Browns GM Phil Savage will address the media before the 5:30 practice.

Bentley was injured during a team drill in Thursday's morning practice at Berea.[/FONT]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
 
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ABJ

7/28/06

Bentley's knee injury is blow to everyone

By Tom Reed

<!-- begin body-content -->BEREA - Cleveland native LeCharles Bentley told everyone how much it meant for him to be back on his home turf -- right up to the moment he was carted off it.
The two-time Pro Bowl center, arguably the NFL's biggest free-agent acquisition of the winter, suffered a season-ending knee injury Thursday.
It happened in the Browns' first 11-on-11 contact drill of training camp. It happened before players were armored in full padding.
It happened before America's most fatalistic fan base -- one that spends more time looking for dark clouds than the National Weather Service does -- even had a chance to utter: ``What next?''
Bentley's torn patellar tendon is the latest serious injury to bedevil a high-profile Browns player. Courtney Brown. Kellen Winslow. Gary Baxter. Braylon Edwards.
Owner Randy Lerner should forget about buying an English soccer team and invest in technology that would encase his players in Bubble Wrap.
Bentley's setback ranks as the most devastating injury since the franchise returned to Cleveland in 1999. Beyond losing the centerpiece of its revamped offense, it's a cruel psychological blow to the organization and its fans.
Bentley represents more than a possible perennial All-Pro entering his prime at age 26. He is a St. Ignatius High School graduate, an Ohio State product who wanted to come home.
Fans worry themselves sick over who will be the next Cleveland athlete to depart town. Every time LeBron James' Hummer crosses the Ohio line, conspiracy theories spread like California wildfires.
That's what made the signings of Bentley and receiver Joe Jurevicius (Mentor) special.
Watching Bentley being loaded onto the cart Thursday, unable to put weight on his left leg, you couldn't help but recall his joy at his introductory news conference in March.
``A lot of teams were interested, but when the Browns called, that's when my dream became a reality,'' said the former New Orleans Saints standout. ``I plan on helping this team get back to the glory days and establish the tradition of dominance, the days of Bernie Kosar and Webster Slaughter. I idolized those guys growing up, and now I want to be that guy.''
How well do fans think they know their local franchises? One blogger on March 14 wrote: ``As various Cleveland `That Guys' have learned over the years, being `That Guy' in Cleveland is like being `Extra Counselor' in a Friday the 13th movie.''
The fan's Web site? It's http://godhatesclevelandsports.blogspot.com.
General Manager Phil Savage astutely called Bentley the face of the Browns' free-agent class Thursday, but added the organization wants to stay above ``talk of negativity.''
Good luck. Savage might want to employ Vince Vaughn's method of yelling ``ear muffs'' to players every time a Browns fan curses the city's fate.
``We can't listen to `woe is me' around town. It's a choice that you have to make,'' Savage said. ``If myself and the organization believes that there's validity to that, then we're wasting our time.''
He is right, of course. The Browns' post-expansion struggles have been due largely to poor drafting, hiring and play. You can't, however, discount the element of misfortune. The continual injuries to first-round draft picks, which included jettisoned center Jeff Faine, have been astonishing.
Brown couldn't stay healthy. Edwards suffered a staph infection and a serious knee injury last season. Just as Winslow was practicing full go for the first time in two seasons Thursday, the player expected to anchor the Browns' improved line was leaving the field with a towel draped over his face.
The silence that enveloped the Berea complex was numbing. This on a day that coach Romeo Crennel chose to let players practice in shorts to decrease the chance of injury.
``How valuable is a center?'' Browns nose tackle Ted Washington asked rhetorically. ``He's like the heart of the line.''
The Browns' season hardly ends with the injury to Bentley -- the club has ample new additions to contribute -- but it's hard to imagine a worse possible start.
As Savage addressed the media, he was seated before a faux background featuring the club's logo and that of a main franchise sponsor, the Cleveland Clinic. Could there be a more fitting partnership?
Not unless they were the Cleveland Browns presented by Kleenex.
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ABJ

7/28/06

Hallen becomes starting center

Former Kent State player takes over position due to Bentley's knee injury

By Marla Ridenour

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->BEREA - Coming out of Kent State in 1998, Bob Hallen wowed the scouts with his strength and speed. The offensive lineman was drafted in the second round, 53rd overall, the school's highest pick since 1974.
Now the Browns hope that in Hallen's eight years in the NFL, he has polished those talents.
Hallen stepped in as the starting center Thursday morning after two-time Pro Bowler LeCharles Bentley tore his left patellar tendon during the Browns' practice.
``You never like to see your teammate go down the first day,'' Hallen said. ``It's unfortunate. It's the nature of the beast playing this game. The mind-set this whole offseason was to prepare myself like I am a starter so when your time's called you've got to go out there and pick up the slack.''
A Mentor High School product, Hallen fulfilled a lifelong dream to play in his hometown when he signed a two-year free agent contract in March. He was the primary backup at center and both guard spots.
Browns General Manager Phil Savage called Hallen ``a key pickup for us.''
``We felt he'd solidify the interior of our line,'' Savage said. ``We have confidence in him. He has about three seasons of starts under his belt. His experience will help. Other people are going to have to take on more of a load and do a little bit more.''
Besides Hallen, those people presumably include starting guards Cosey Coleman and Joe Andruzzi.
Hallen has played in 86 career games with the Atlanta Falcons and the San Diego Chargers, starting in 47. After suffering a torn pectoral muscle in September 2003, he's seen action in just 14 games the past three years and started five.
During his rookie season, Hallen played in 15 games, three in the postseason, as the Falcons reached the Super Bowl.
His career high was 15 starts at left guard in 1999. He said more of his pro experience has come at guard.
``Just the past couple years they've been switching me over to center. I played mostly center in college,'' he said.
Listed as 6-foot-3 and 302 pounds, Hallen weighed 220 pounds when he left high school. He doesn't appear as massive as Bentley, 6-2 and 309.
``If you take a look at him, he's strong, he's thick,'' Browns coach Romeo Crennel said of Hallen.
He was strong enough at the NFL scouting combine eight years ago to bench-press 225 pounds 43 times. As a KSU senior, his 40-yard dash time of 4.97 seconds was the fastest for any interior lineman in the country in USA Today listings. He was once clocked at 4.83.
Kent State Athletic Director Laing Kennedy called Hallen, a 4.0 student, ``the consummate overachiever.''
``He'll do a great job,'' Kennedy said. ``He'll outwork his opponent.''
Former Kent State coach Jim Corrigall said Hallen was dedicated to self improvement as he started 44 consecutive games for the Golden Flashes.
``God didn't just give him those gifts, he worked hard at it,'' Corrigall said. ``He made himself bigger and stronger, worked at his position, worked on his (footwork) and kept his nose clean.
``He'll go until the whistle stops. He has a relentless work ethic. He's very unassuming and a team player. His attitude, once things start getting tough, he'll stay out there and get after it. He's mentally tough. And if he makes a mistake, he probably won't make it again. In my humble opinion he's going to rise to the occasion'' for the Browns.
But Ohio State and St. Ignatius High School product Bentley, a four-year veteran and a second-round choice in 2002, was considered the Browns' best player and the top-rated free agent available this spring. Hallen knows he has a big challenge ahead.
``Bentley's the best in the business right now,'' Hallen said. ``He's big, physical, strong. I just play the best I can and try not to let my teammates down.''
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Dispatch

7/28/06

BROWNS NOTEBOOK

Baxter eager to put injury behind him

Friday, July 28, 2006

James Walker
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Linebacker Kamerion Wimbley, the Browns’ top draft pick, blocks during punt drills. </TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>
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BEREA, Ohio — Last season didn’t go as planned for Gary Baxter, so the sixth-year cornerback is eager to get the new season under way.

Baxter returned to practice this week for the first time since suffering a torn pectoral muscle five games into the 2005 season.

"It feels great (to be back)," Baxter said.

"You can’t control some things that happen to you. You just got to take it with a grain of salt. I feel good and I’m glad to be back out here with the team. … I am 120 percent, so I’m ready to roll."

Baxter was the first major signing last year under general manager Phil Savage, agreeing to a six-year deal worth $30 million. He finished the season with just 20 tackles and two interceptions.

Now he has another shot at being the team’s No. 1 cornerback.

"I think Baxter is all the way back," coach Romeo Crennel said. "He feels healthy and he’s excited about proving that he’s worth what we paid him to be here. He wants to show that."
New face , new surroundings



For the first time in 13 years, outside linebacker Willie McGinest is in training camp with a new team.

But McGinest isn’t flaunting the three Super Bowl rings he won with the New England Patriots. Instead, he’s working on getting the Browns to respectability.

"The rings mean absolutely nothing at this point," McGinest said. "You can keep reminiscing with what happened in the past. My main focus right now is here in Cleveland. I want to be a force within the division and be a part of the players who take this organization to the next level."
Brownie points



The Browns have 49 players on their training camp roster with two years of experience or less. … Rookie free-agent receiver Steve Sanders missed practice because of swelling in a hand. … The Browns are expected to wear full pads today for the first time in camp.

[email protected]
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ABJ

7/28/06

'64 Browns stick together

Group started to keep members of Cleveland's last title team in touch

By Zach Silka

Beacon Journal sportswriter

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Karen Schiely/Akron Beacon Journal
Jim Houston, a former Browns linebacker with the 1964 championship team stands before a Browns jersey with his number that hangs in his home Thursday July 20, 2006, in Sagamore Hills, Ohio.
More photos

<!-- begin body-content -->When Jim Houston recalls his teammates on the 1964 Cleveland Browns, one thing in particular stands out.
``Anytime we start talking about the 1964 group, I think of guys hugging each other,'' said Houston, a starting defensive end/linebacker on the Browns' last NFL Championship team.
That closeness has not diminished at all. If anything, it has grown the past two years because of Houston's efforts.
As the president of Cleveland Browns 1964 LLC -- created to benefit alumni of the team -- Houston has become the glue that holds this ``band of brothers'' together 42 years after hoisting its championship trophy.
Houston communicates with his former teammates mostly through e-mail and letters. Sent to an enormous address list that also includes Browns officials, Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel, members of the media and even former Indians ace pitcher Sam McDowell, his messages run the gamut from serious to humorous and convey both good news and bad news.
None of Houston's e-mails have been quite as solemn as one sent on a morning a week ago announcing the passing of Galen Fiss, the captain of the 1964 team. The letter even beat Browns officials to the difficult task of publicizing Fiss' death.
``I was really amazed this morning to see the e-mails sent out, not by me but by the team members to all their former teammates letting them know about it,'' said Dino Lucarelli, Browns director of alumni relations. ``That's nice that they keep in touch with each other.''
After coming together for the 40-year anniversary of their NFL Championship, the members of the 1964 Browns decided to create an organization that could maintain the squad's tight connection.
Finally incorporated last year, the Cleveland Browns 1964 LLC is collaborating with Browns Backers clubs to organize a trip with the team members and their fans in the Caribbean, Canada, Alaska and exotic locales. The group has also organized a few autograph signings in the Cleveland area.
The officers of the 1964 Cleveland Browns LLC all played vital roles during the team's magical season, which was capped by a 27-0 upset over the Baltimore Colts in the NFL Championship game, including Houston; Vice President John Wooten, a starting guard; Treasurer Bernie Parrish, a starting defensive back; and Secretary Monte Clark, a starting tackle.
``Since the '64 team has had all the success, we thought it would be nice to keep everybody abreast of things and invite them to participate,'' Houston said. ``We'd like to make it a little easier to get some income into some of the guys' hands who desperately need it.''
Parrish has been working with AAA Travel to plan a cruise in the western Caribbean for this December. Houston said the trip might be canceled or rescheduled, however, because the group hasn't gotten enough Browns Backers and other fans to sign up.
``If we're going to go for free with 42 players and about 25 wives, we're going to need about 600-700 people,'' Houston said.
Because he now resides in Gainesville, Fla., Parrish said he would relish any opportunity to be reunited with his former teammates.
``You sort of measure life by before winning the championship and then after,'' Parrish said. ``It's like the esprit de corps that you develop in any kind of a war. You are committed to the guys in the trenches with you, and that never leaves, especially if you are successful at what you are doing.''
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