Monday, June 16, 2008

NFL odds: Browns' Jurevicius could miss start of season


Joe Jurevicius, expected to be the Cleveland Browns' No. 3 receiver this year, might not be ready to start the season, at least according to a report in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Jurevicius, who already had planned to make this his final NFL season, has had multiple procedures on his knee in the offseason and is still rehabbing. He's not participating in minicamp, and it's not yet known what he'll be able to do in training camp. Jurevicius underwent arthroscopic surgery in January and suffered a staph infection soon after. He had the staph surgically removed and then underwent another more recent procedure.

Originally, the Browns said they thought Jurevicius would be back in time for the OTAs, which began in mid-May. But during OTAs, Browns coach Romeo Crennel said the goal was to "try to get Jurevicius to training camp."

Well, according to Jurevicius, training camp will be when he's back."It's been reported that my knee is worse than thought," Jurevicius said. "I think it's important for the fans of Cleveland to know that I will be back.

"The most important thing is the staph infection is gone and I'm on schedule for training camp.

He said the additional rest might be a positive.

"At this stage of my career it might be a blessing to miss the OTAs," he said.

Meanwhile, the Browns have released center LeCharles Bentley, one of the worst free agent signings in NFL history.

Bentley practiced with the team Tuesday for the first time in two years after suffering a major knee injury and a life-threatening infection. But he was released Wednesday when his agent requested it.

He signed a six-year, $36 million free-agent contract with the Browns after spending his first four years with the New Orleans Saints, then was hurt on the first play of his first full-pad practice in training camp in July 2006 and never played a down with Cleveland.

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