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Hold the phone on Lecharles Bently....signs w/Cleveland
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InmanRoshi
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Our future at OL is a lot more flexible since we haven't ridiculously overpaid for an overhyped player at his premium value that we'll be stuck with for 5 years like Bentley. Knowing he was going to be a free agent I TIVO'd 5 Saints games on my Sunday package just to focus on him. He's just simply not as good as people want to make him to be. He's a solid spoke in the wheel, but he's not someone you spend $15 million of signing bonus on to be the centerpiece of your team. The Saints are showing they are going to be active players in free agency and have money to burn. They're going to land the premium free agent quarterback on the market. They weren't just being cheap when they let Bentley walk.
Z-Man
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Waaiiittt a minute. Didn't the Browns website have them signing 2 guys before the deadline last night that didn't prove to be true today???siegbach said:Browns | Team signs Bentley
Sat, 11 Mar 2006 09:55:37 -0800
Len Pasquarelli, of ESPN.com, reports the Cleveland Browns have agreed on a contract with free agent C LeCharles Bentley. Terms of the contract are not yet known.
AsthmaField
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CATCH17 said:
Parcells likes Johnson and Peterman a lot more than you do. I think both of them turn out to be good NFL players.
CowboyChris
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Bentley must not be too smart, why would anyone with his talent and skill rush into signing a contract with all the money that is available out there in free agency, and not to mention signing with the Clowns. oh well better than him signing with Philly.
Yakuza Rich
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First things first. The chances of anybody signing Bentley were pretty slim. He stated he wanted to go to the Browns because he's from the area and grew up a Browns fan. Given the amount of money they have under the cap, it would've been virtually impossible to get him.
Secondly, you'll be hard pressed to find a great FA that you can have around for 6 years. Think about it, La'Roi Glover was a great signing and we only got 3 very good years and one so-so year out of him.
Now Bentley probably will be good for another 6 years, but he's an exception....not the rule. And like I said, the chances of Dallas or anybody else signing him were pretty much nil. Then there's Hutchinson, but the Seahawks can match any offer given to him and have the cap room to do so easily.
Even if they signed Bentley, they'd still have 6 offensive starters in their 30's.
Relying on FA to bail out your team has historically not worked out very well. The big concentration should be providing a roster and atmosphere that will allow for the team to groom draft picks into good players.
Rich........
Yakuza Rich
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CowboyChris said:
Reports of Bentley's contracts are something like $6 million a year with a $12.5 million signing bonus. I doubt there's going to be a much better deal out there. And if there was, he's getting paid so much that he should take the contract because he'll be back home and playing for the team he wanted to play for.
Rich.........
CowboyChris
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Sean Jensen, of the Pioneer Press, reports Cleveland Browns OL LeCharles Bentley's new deal with the Cleveland Browns is a six-year, $36 million contract. Bentley had serious talks with the Philadelphia Eagles, but the Browns put the heat on him, offering a contract that includes $12.5 million in guaranteed money up front and averages $6 million per year.
DawnOfANewD
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Does the Bentley signing mean that the Browns will be looking to dump incumbent C Jeff Faine? He has had a few injury problems but he's only 24 and might be a worthwhile pickup for a low-to-mid round draft pick if CLE would be willing to go for that.
bobtheflob
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That's a lot of money, but he may be worth it. The Browns did have a lot of money to spend.
Concord
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Very Good...I wanted Him...But at least he's not going to Philly!
Browns agree with offensive linemen Bentley, ShafferBy Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com
With money to spend and holes to fill, the Cleveland Browns struck quickly in free agency Saturday, reaching agreements with a pair of high-profile unrestricted free agents who will dramatically alter the landscape of the team's offensive line unit.
The Browns have signed center LeCharles Bentley of New Orleans, the top-ranked player overall in ESPN.com's ratings of unrestricted free agents. The team also reached an agreement in principle with Atlanta Falcons left offensive tackle Kevin Shaffer, ESPN.com's 26th-rated free agent.
Financial details of the contracts were not yet available. While some details remain to be worked out on Shaffer's contract, it will be a seven-year deal worth more than $5 million annually.
Cleveland officials had suggested as the free agency signing period approached that they would be very active, and early on, in addressing key needs. The Browns had about $20 million in salary cap room even before the extension to the collective bargaining agreement added $7.5 million more per team. General manager Phil Savage and coach Romeo Crennel moved quickly in 2004 at the outset of free agency, and their Saturday forays will aid an offense that statistically ranked No. 26 in the league in 2005.
Landing the highly regarded Bentley is a huge acquisition for the Browns, who wanted more bulk and power on the interior of their offensive line. The signing represents a homecoming for Bentley, who is a Cleveland native, attended that city's St. Ignatius High School, and is a longtime Browns fan.
It had been rumored for about two weeks that Bentley would sign with Philadelphia once the free agent market opened for business, but those reports proved erroneous.
Bentley, 26, was the Saints' second-round pick in the 2002 draft. He began his career at guard and then moved to center in 2004. He earned one Pro Bowl berth at each position and scouts leaguwide agree that his best football is still ahead of him. The former Ohio State standout is a mauler, the sort of road-grader blocker the Browns need. At 315 pounds, he can take on the NFL's biggest nose tackle and has the power to drive defenders off the line of scrimmage.
In four seasons with the Saints, he played in 57 games, all as a starter.
The intention of the Browns at left tackle was to re-sign L.J. Shelton, who started all 16 games in 2005, while playing on a one-year deal. But when they could not land an extension with Shelton, the Browns quickly turned to Shaffer, a four-year veteran.
Although he struggled against speed-rushers at times in 2005, Shaffer is an emerging pass protector, as former seventh-round choice who made himself a solid player through hard work. The former Tulsa star moved into the Falcons' starting lineup midway through the 2003 season. A very good technician, and a player who figures to keep improving, Shaffer has played in 53 games and started 39 of them.
ESPN.com's Michael Smith contributed to this report
Browns agree with offensive linemen Bentley, ShafferBy Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com
With money to spend and holes to fill, the Cleveland Browns struck quickly in free agency Saturday, reaching agreements with a pair of high-profile unrestricted free agents who will dramatically alter the landscape of the team's offensive line unit.
The Browns have signed center LeCharles Bentley of New Orleans, the top-ranked player overall in ESPN.com's ratings of unrestricted free agents. The team also reached an agreement in principle with Atlanta Falcons left offensive tackle Kevin Shaffer, ESPN.com's 26th-rated free agent.
Financial details of the contracts were not yet available. While some details remain to be worked out on Shaffer's contract, it will be a seven-year deal worth more than $5 million annually.
Cleveland officials had suggested as the free agency signing period approached that they would be very active, and early on, in addressing key needs. The Browns had about $20 million in salary cap room even before the extension to the collective bargaining agreement added $7.5 million more per team. General manager Phil Savage and coach Romeo Crennel moved quickly in 2004 at the outset of free agency, and their Saturday forays will aid an offense that statistically ranked No. 26 in the league in 2005.
Landing the highly regarded Bentley is a huge acquisition for the Browns, who wanted more bulk and power on the interior of their offensive line. The signing represents a homecoming for Bentley, who is a Cleveland native, attended that city's St. Ignatius High School, and is a longtime Browns fan.
It had been rumored for about two weeks that Bentley would sign with Philadelphia once the free agent market opened for business, but those reports proved erroneous.
Bentley, 26, was the Saints' second-round pick in the 2002 draft. He began his career at guard and then moved to center in 2004. He earned one Pro Bowl berth at each position and scouts leaguwide agree that his best football is still ahead of him. The former Ohio State standout is a mauler, the sort of road-grader blocker the Browns need. At 315 pounds, he can take on the NFL's biggest nose tackle and has the power to drive defenders off the line of scrimmage.
In four seasons with the Saints, he played in 57 games, all as a starter.
The intention of the Browns at left tackle was to re-sign L.J. Shelton, who started all 16 games in 2005, while playing on a one-year deal. But when they could not land an extension with Shelton, the Browns quickly turned to Shaffer, a four-year veteran.
Although he struggled against speed-rushers at times in 2005, Shaffer is an emerging pass protector, as former seventh-round choice who made himself a solid player through hard work. The former Tulsa star moved into the Falcons' starting lineup midway through the 2003 season. A very good technician, and a player who figures to keep improving, Shaffer has played in 53 games and started 39 of them.
ESPN.com's Michael Smith contributed to this report
CATCH17
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I think they will be too. Johnson impressed me his 1st season but didn't help out much last year coming off the injury.
Peterman? I have no clue. Haven't seen much of him at all and neither has anyone else so nobody can hold judgement on him other than BP doesn't think hes good enough to be a starter and we used a 3rd round pick on him.
But other than being a hopefull Cowboy fan I have no reason to believe they can do it.