A heartwarming sport's comeback story by Plain Dealer Columnist Bill Livingston....
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Bill Livingston
Plain Dealer Columnist
As a boy, LeCharles Bentley watched his hometown team win and lose epic games in a stadium that, like the team itself, would soon be gone.
He wasn't quite 10 when his favorite player, tailback Eric Metcalf, hopscotched through the Bengals' defense near their goal line on a Monday night, showing the nation moves it had not seen even from his father, ex-NFL star Terry Metcalf.
As a teenager, Bentley cheered as Metcalf ran back two punts for touchdowns in a game in 1993, leaving Steelers clutching and gasping in his wake.
Maybe Bentley still has a future with the Browns.
Maybe he has only his memories of when wearing the "orange hat" on the field in Cleveland was as good as it gets.
He took his team physical Monday, although the results were not disclosed.
Bentley has been working out with his own personal trainer in Arizona, which reflects the strained relationship between the offensive lineman and the Browns. He has spent the past two seasons unable to play. He tore his left patellar tendon on the first play of his first day at training camp on 2006, then battled complications from the surgery to fix it.
He has his signing bonus and his paychecks, amounting to $16 million in all from the Browns. He also has a shortened contract, which allows him to become a free agent after this season.
He has told friends he is ready to play. A center, he can also play guard. If healthy, he would not be a spare part so much as needed depth. Even if he plays, his season might amount to an audition for free-agent suitors. Many teams would love to have a former Pro Bowler who is adept at two positions.
The medical soap opera with Bentley involves two of Cleveland's most powerful institutions. The Browns and Cleveland Clinic are on one side, and on the other is a popular local player, the nation's top center when he was at Ohio State, a Pro Bowler in New Orleans, a man who came home to complete what is almost a holy trinity of Ohio football at St. Ignatius, OSU and the Browns.
Clearly, the Browns and their caregivers have tried hard to curb the staph infections that have stricken six Browns players in recent years. They want the players back, healthy, as soon as possible. Moreover, Bentley is still on the roster in part because his signing as a free agent was so popular with the fan base.
At the same time, any patient has the right to a second opinion, or in his case, a second surgical option. His fourth and final operation was done by a New York Giants doctor.
If healthy, Bentley would have to mesh with the current offensive line. Bolstered by the imposing talent of Joe Thomas, the line finally possesses the elusive ingredient called chemistry. It cannot be summoned at will, but must be built on repetitions, interdependence and trust. The Browns teams Bentley loved were greater than the sum of their parts precisely because of such chemistry.
Perhaps this will end in the old, cold mantra that football is a business. But it also is about the covenant among the Browns, their fans, and their hometown players.
Bentley's goal is to play in the opener against the Dallas Cowboys. It wouldn't be like Metcalf ducking peril 15 years ago. What is? But it would be close enough.
*Update:10:05AM: Phil Savage (Browns GM) told the media today that LeCharles Bentley will be practicing with the team starting today. Bentley passed both his physical and the standard run test that the administered by the team.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Bill Livingston
Plain Dealer Columnist
As a boy, LeCharles Bentley watched his hometown team win and lose epic games in a stadium that, like the team itself, would soon be gone.
He wasn't quite 10 when his favorite player, tailback Eric Metcalf, hopscotched through the Bengals' defense near their goal line on a Monday night, showing the nation moves it had not seen even from his father, ex-NFL star Terry Metcalf.
As a teenager, Bentley cheered as Metcalf ran back two punts for touchdowns in a game in 1993, leaving Steelers clutching and gasping in his wake.
Maybe Bentley still has a future with the Browns.
Maybe he has only his memories of when wearing the "orange hat" on the field in Cleveland was as good as it gets.
He took his team physical Monday, although the results were not disclosed.
Bentley has been working out with his own personal trainer in Arizona, which reflects the strained relationship between the offensive lineman and the Browns. He has spent the past two seasons unable to play. He tore his left patellar tendon on the first play of his first day at training camp on 2006, then battled complications from the surgery to fix it.
He has his signing bonus and his paychecks, amounting to $16 million in all from the Browns. He also has a shortened contract, which allows him to become a free agent after this season.
He has told friends he is ready to play. A center, he can also play guard. If healthy, he would not be a spare part so much as needed depth. Even if he plays, his season might amount to an audition for free-agent suitors. Many teams would love to have a former Pro Bowler who is adept at two positions.
The medical soap opera with Bentley involves two of Cleveland's most powerful institutions. The Browns and Cleveland Clinic are on one side, and on the other is a popular local player, the nation's top center when he was at Ohio State, a Pro Bowler in New Orleans, a man who came home to complete what is almost a holy trinity of Ohio football at St. Ignatius, OSU and the Browns.
Clearly, the Browns and their caregivers have tried hard to curb the staph infections that have stricken six Browns players in recent years. They want the players back, healthy, as soon as possible. Moreover, Bentley is still on the roster in part because his signing as a free agent was so popular with the fan base.
At the same time, any patient has the right to a second opinion, or in his case, a second surgical option. His fourth and final operation was done by a New York Giants doctor.
If healthy, Bentley would have to mesh with the current offensive line. Bolstered by the imposing talent of Joe Thomas, the line finally possesses the elusive ingredient called chemistry. It cannot be summoned at will, but must be built on repetitions, interdependence and trust. The Browns teams Bentley loved were greater than the sum of their parts precisely because of such chemistry.
Perhaps this will end in the old, cold mantra that football is a business. But it also is about the covenant among the Browns, their fans, and their hometown players.
Bentley's goal is to play in the opener against the Dallas Cowboys. It wouldn't be like Metcalf ducking peril 15 years ago. What is? But it would be close enough.
*Update:10:05AM: Phil Savage (Browns GM) told the media today that LeCharles Bentley will be practicing with the team starting today. Bentley passed both his physical and the standard run test that the administered by the team.
