Browns like FA ’backer Benard

By Tony Grossi

The Cleveland Plain Dealer

BEREA

The Browns selected linebackers in the second and fourth rounds of Eric Mangini’s 2009 draft, but the player making the biggest strides is one they did not draft.

Marcus Benard, signed last year as an undrafted free agent out of Jackson State, is navigating his way through a crowded position group. After leading the Browns in tackles in the Green Bay game, Benard was promoted to the No. 1 defense this week in practice.

The reconfigured linebacker alignment in the wake of D’Qwell Jackson’s pectoral injury has Scott Fujita moving inside to join Chris Gocong, and Matt Roth and Benard at the outside spots. This grouping essentially replaces Eric Barton’s smarts with Benard’s speed.

Benard burst out of the anonymity of the practice squad last year when he sacked Ben Roethlisberger two times in the Browns’ slump-busting win over Pittsburgh on Dec. 10. He has been on the coaching staff’s radar screen ever since.

“Where Marcus is now versus Marcus a year ago, it’s night and day,” Mangini said. “He was about as raw as you can get, in terms of a college player, and his development as a player and as a person has been tremendous.”

At Jackson State, Benard played defensive end and just chased quarterbacks in the historically black Southwestern Athletic Conference.

“They all run 4.3s [in the 40]. They’re glorified running backs,” Benard said. “At college, all I did was rush. When I came here, I had no clue. I was out of my element. I just ran hard. I ran hard and fast as I could and I did what I was supposed to do.

“This year, the game has slowed down. And I’ve slowed my body down. I’m not breathing as hard. My heart’s not beating because I was [worried about] —where am I supposed to be?’ Now I know what I’m supposed to do and I’m trying to be a technician.”

There is no room in Mangini’s defense for a specialist. So for Benard to work his way into the starting unit, he had to develop his game as a complete linebacker. Evidence of his growth in the first preseason game was his seven tackles — one for a loss SEmD to go along with a sack, forced fumble and a quarterback hurry.

“I’m working every day on becoming a complete linebacker because you have to be in a 3-4,” Benard said. “You have to cover in a 3-4. You can’t rush every down.”