Injuries again set tempo for long year

It was the seventh straight year they had 10 or more players out for season.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Shortly after signing a massive free agent contract, Pro Bowl center LeCharles Bentley showed up at his news conference wearing a sports coat with a new Cleveland Browns jersey underneath.
He never got to wear it in a game.
Bentley suffered a freakish knee injury -- he blew out his right patellr tendon planting his foot -- on Day 2 of training camp, triggering an avalanche of injuries for the Browns (4-10), who enter Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with 12 players on injured reserve.
More painful for the Browns: This is the seventh consecutive year they have had at least 10 players on IR by season's end. It's not a coincidence they've produced just one Pro Bowl player (Jamir Miller, 2002) in that span.
Made it impossible to win
Typically, good teams are healthy ones, too. True, there are always exceptions, but the Browns' never-ending rash of medical setbacks has made it nearly impossible for the team to win consistently.
"We're toward the end of the season in the NFL. Everybody's banged up and beat up and generally play through it," coach Romeo Crennel said. "A lot of our injuries have come at the same position, which makes it a little worse. It's tough to have depth."
Bentley's knee injury and a subsequent staph infection that could threaten his 2007 season was only the beginning of hardship at center.
The loss of Bentley was followed by Bob Hallen's stunning retirement, Alonzo Ephraim's suspension for substance abuse and three trades -- all before September -- before the acquisition of Hank Fraley from Philadelphia finally solidified what was expected to be one of the team's strongest positions.
Domino effect
Bentley's loss had a debilitating domino effect. It made second-year quarterback Charlie Frye more vulnerable and weakened the offensive line. A unit that produced the fewest points in the league last season hasn't done much better in 2006.
Just this week, the Browns placed running back Jason Wright and offensive tackle Kelly Butler on IR, running their total of lost starters to eight.
Before Crennel's arrival prior to last season, the Browns weren't any healthier. Since 2000, they had placed 14, 16, 12, 13 and 15 players on IR. He hired former New York Jets strength and conditioning coach John Lott, deemed as one of the league's best.
Still, the Browns are breaking down.
"We are serious about our strength and conditioning program," Crennel said. "We try to get these guys in the best condition that we can to play an NFL season. Sometimes things happen that you have no control over. I think some of this is just a coincidence when you see it build up at a certain position, like the defensive back position. [Kelly] Butler broke a bone in his foot and I don't know how much you can do about that."
On Friday, Crennel angrily shot down reports that Frye has a broken right wrist, insisting the second-year QB has a bone bruise. Crennel also took exception to the idea that he hides injuries.
"The perception is we're trying to hide something," he said. "We're not trying to hide anything. You guys [reporters] don't believe what we tell you. Maybe you don't trust us. Maybe you don't trust me. I tell you it's a bone bruise and you say, 'Hey, it's a fracture.' One way or other, you look bad or I look bad. None of us really need to look bad, because the truth is the truth."
Bucs also have injury problems
The Buccaneers (3-11) have had their own injury problems, resulting in one of coach Jon Gruden's most challenging seasons.
"Injuries, unfortunately, are a big part of pro football," he said. "Some are harder to overcome when you have a lot of them. You hate to be a coach who makes excuses, but we've had our share. It has certainly played a role in where we are now.
"Simeon Rice, Brian Kelly, your right tackle, left guard, wideout and quarterback -- after a while, it gets harder to overcome. We've played a very difficult schedule, as well, and that is the way it is in this league."
After losing quarterback Chris Simms to a ruptured spleen, Gruden turned to rookie Bruce Gradkowski, who went 3-8 as a starter and got pulled in the second quarter for Tim Rattay in last week's overtime loss in Chicago.
Rattay, who will start Sunday, rallied the Buccaneers to 28 points in the final 16 minutes of regulation at Chicago -- this from a team that has scored just 186 points, the same amount as San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson.
"He's smart, he's an accurate passer and he's tough," Gruden said. "When you have those three things, throw in the word experience and you have a chance to have some success. We think he has some upside, certainly."
For Gruden, there's an added bonus. He was born in Sandusky, Ohio, and is looking forward to being back near home on Christmas Eve.
"I'm looking forward to seeing Lake Erie," he said. "I caught a walleye there once. It was bigger than my head."