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''Going into the offseason, we have to be cognizant of the fact that he may or may not be back when we want him back,'' Crennel said. ''Each situation and injury is different. Guys recover from them differently. Well play it by ear and see how it goes. They said Braylon (Edwards) was going to be (out until) October before he would be back and he played in the first game.''
Edwards' right ACL was torn in a game against Jacksonville on Dec. 4, 2005. Surgery was put off for a month because swelling was so severe. Edwards returned on Aug. 26, about six weeks ahead of schedule.
Bentley is still unable to walk. During the early part of his recovery, he was not able to put any weight on his leg.
''What they told me is that this is an injury that is going to take some time,'' Crennel said. ''It's going to be at least a year before we know anything. The way they did the reconstruction, the knee had to be immobilized for a while. With that, it doesn't give you the kind of flexion you wanted.
''Now, they're working on getting the flexion back. That's one of those things that's slow. Gradually, it comes along. He hasn't been able to run or anything like that. I cant say if it's on schedule or not.''
The injury devastated the Browns on the first day of training camp. Since then, Bob Hallen, Alonzo Ephraim, Ross Rucker and Lennie Friedman played center.
On Sept. 2, the day rosters were trimmed to 53, the Browns traded a sixth-round draft choice to the Eagles for Hank Fraley. Fraley has been the starting center since the trade. Of the four others, only Friedman is still with the Browns.
JSchudel@news-herald.com
