Bodden Had Surgery, Will Miss Camp

Hey, at least we're not the worst team, right? In ESPN's offseason power rankings that were released yesterday, the Cleveland Browns were ranked 31st in the league, only ahead of the Oakland Raiders. Here is what they had to say about the Browns:

How we sign Eric Steinbach and Jamal Lewis, and then go on and draft Brady Quinn, Joe Thomas, and Eric Wright and drop one spot in their rankings is beyond me in terms of logic, but it's not as if these things deserve merit all the time either. For the record, ESPN ranked the Baltimore Ravens at #4, the Cincinnati Bengals at #10, and the Pittsburgh Steelers at #13. In other words, ESPN still believes we're light years away from the caliber of those teams.

In other news, was anyone else surprised that Leigh Bodden suddenly had surgery on his right ankle recently? The surgery will result in Bodden missing June's minicamp, but he should be good-to-go by training camp. Bodden stated that his ankle was hurting rather than healing in the offseason, but he is feeling a lot better since the surgery.

"My goal is to stay healthy and play all 16 games this year," he said. "I thought last year was going to be a big year for me, but I'll just have to do all of those things this year."

Bodden also stated that he was encouraged by the willpower that cornerback Gary Baxter continues to show in an attempt to recover from two torn patellar tendons, a feat that has never been accomplished in the NFL. On Thursday, Baxter's spirits were high once again.

"My rehab is going great," he said. "If things continue to progress and continue to go as planned, I will be back for the 2007 season."

And now, the rest of the news regarding our beloved Browns:

1. Mark Your Calendars: We'll know by June 5th whether or not center LeCharles Bentley will have surgery or not on his patella tendon. Bentley is scheduled to have the surgery on June 4th. If he goes through with it, he may miss up to two years. If he doesn't go through with it, we'll have to await further details on his status.
2. Getting Serious: Apparently, Browns receiver Braylon Edwards believes he's ready to get serious. "This year I want to be the guy that they drafted," Edwards said. "I want to be what Romeo Crennel deserves. I want to be what the city expects me to be."

Good luck to the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight, who are trying to eliminate the New Jersey Nets to advance to the Conference Finals. If the Cavs lose, I'll be very nervous when the teams collide in game seven.