Re: RE: Bentley to Cleveland?
 

He's no longer under contract, so the only options are resign him, FRANCHISE HIM or let him go.

I say franchise and trade him. We coudl get at least a late first or early second for him. Then draft Nick Mangold or whoever is the top center with the first pick. Let Jacox man the center position for a year while the rook get acclimated. Bentley will cost a lot to keep, and although I would love to have him, we can draft a center. UNLESS, they plan to move him back to guard. In that case, I pay him and keep him. Put him next to Jamaal Brown and away we go. But if the thought is to keep him at center, i'd franchise him, then trade him for the late first or early second. I don't believe there is any way on this earth we are getting two firsts for him.

No one's going to trade for him without a long term contract and No one's going to want to trade for him under a Top 5 1 year salary deal. That's why he needs to see what the market will bear for a Pro-Bowl center. If the Browns offer him X, then we give him that contract or franchise him. If he accepts the contract, then he's eminently more tradeable. Bently's agent has to have at least SOME smarts, unless it's Drew Rosenhaus.

I gotta wonder, though, since he's been the center calling the shots, the line has regressed. He may play well, but his blocking calls have been suspect. Brooks had to run backwards a lot this year. Maybe there's a correlation between his not having a contract and overall line play?

Ever since he took over Center in the 04 season the line has regressed not only in the running game but also in pass protection. I hope he is kept and moved over to guard. As a center there were more issues with the exchange between quarterback and center but maybe he was still learning the position. I would hate to see another skilled lineman go. He was the the best this team has seen since Roaf. And may be the best we get for awile

See Peerless Price. If we franchise him, a team can have a deal done with his agent, and work out the compensation to us. We then just sign him to the deal, and trade him. It's much easier to trade him should we franchise him, cause all teams will have to negotiate with us, as well as LeCharles and his agent. If we sit back while he accepts and offer, we can't then decide to franchise him. If he accepts that offer, he's gone. So we either franchise him, or hope he WANTS to stay here. I vote to franchise him, then work something out in trade. He only makes top 5 OL money until a deal is agreed to, which would be a week. No big deal.

I wouldn't mind a trade for Bentley if it involved a first-round pick, because I think that he's worth that and more. If we did that, we would be able to use some of those picks on a TRUE center (ie Mangold).

But I do like Bentley, and I want him to stay. I think he's young and talented and can be a good anchor for the future. However, is there anybody else on this team that we need to franchise?

Whodi, I'm not being argumentative, but are there other examples of franchised players being traded while under franchise, or long term deals negotiated? I don't keep up with that, but what little impact that aspect has had on my consciousness doesn't ring in many success stories. It seems to me that franchising a player only pisses him and his agent off (and that really doesn't make much sense to me either).

I wouldn't want to pay him top 5 OL money because a OT makes MUCH more than a top 5 guard or center make. I would be willing to pay him top 5 money of a guard or center though. We need to get him to WANT to stay and become the guard that he is. Draft a center or get one in FA

I don't recall too many franchised players being traded period, that's why I went with the Price example. BUT, we had Howard under franchise last year, and Dallas was negotiating a salary with is agent, until the deal fell through cause of compensation to us. So the only way the amount he is paid under franchise matters is if we decide to keep him, and don't do a long term deal. Besides, we can afford it. It's not like it's gonna strap us. The state of the city will do that more than a tag on LeCharles. There is no way he sees a day of FA if I am the GM. Franchise him as soon as the option is available.

... the way I see it, LeCharles may be a great guard, a position he hasn't played in 2 years, but I don't think he is that great at center. I'm not saying he's a bad center, just saying he isn't great at it. If he is going to stay at center, I think that franchising him would be a waste of money.