Browns LeCharles Bently may be ready for 2007 season

Filed in archive on July 2, 2007

Courtesy Scout.com

In arguably the most remarkable comeback in pro football history, Cleveland Browns center LeCharles Bentley says he'll be in training camp in a few weeks and intends to be ready to play when the 2007 NFL season begins.

If a Bentley return comes to fruition, Browns fans and coaches will be shocked, as very few people counted on Bentley this season, and many experts believed he'd never play football again.

The All-Pro center tore up his knee in the Browns first practice in 2006, and he's had four surgeries since then. In fact, at one point a staph infection and virus in the knee became so severe that doctors considered amputating Bentley's leg. According to Bentley, he was so sick one night that doctors feared he might not live to see the next morning.

Now, just a few months later, Bentley, the most sought-after free agent of the 2006 off-season, declares he'll play in the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

If Bentley makes the starting lineup, Cleveland will sport one of the most improved offensive lines in the NFL, with first-round pick Joe Thomas and free agent Eric Steinbach joining Bently, to make up three-fifths of a completely revamped unit.

LeCharles Bentley might help the Browns be one of the biggest surprise teams of the 2007 season and, if so, he'll certainly be one of the year's best stories.