I’ll tell you this: If LeCharles Bentley suits up this season, he’s my Comeback Player of the Year, hands down. The guy could be inactive for 16 games, and he gets my vote.

Consider his plight for a moment: Bentley almost had his leg amputated. Yeah. And he’s planning to honor his contract and fight back to play again, less than a year removed from a deadly serious virus and only 11 months from a potentially career-ending injury.

We hear so much about selfish athletes, but we must recognize the pride and determination in this man. He no doubt it doing some long-term harm to his body in order to return to the field, and he’s doing so to prove the doubters wrong, live up to the $36 million contract he signed two years ago and demonstrate his tremendous pride, talent and heart.

Young players, take notice.

The Browns need all the good luck they can get. They need a few breaks, as Romeo Crennel’s stay is in jeopardy past this season. There’s no clear number of wins the man needs to earn, but you’d have to put the over-under close to eight for him to survive, I’d guess.

I’ll be pulling for some good luck to splash down on them for once.

If you have been, like many fans of the NFL, showing but casual interest in the recent wave of stories considering the plights of former players suffering debilitating injuries and post-concussion symptoms that leave middle-aged men with the bodies and minds of octogenarians, then please do these men a favor by reading the fine feature by the Dallas Morning News' Chip Brown on former University of Texas and Houston Oilers star Earl Campbell.

It is gripping and a spot-on demonstration of the life of a former player who inflicted pain as an offensive player in his career but also one who has felt double that sum of pain as a crippled man, a shell of his former corporeal self.

I feel that the media is rising up its efforts to raise awareness, and current players and teams are beginning to wake up to the fact that the men who laid the groundwork for their extremely lucrative careers are suffering terrible fates in their older years as a result of the way they played decades earlier. Now the fans must jump on board to help fuel the effort.

It's not a pretty picture, but it's a worthy story to be told. Sometimes you need to hear the ugly right up in your face before you see how bad it is. Start with Campbell. Remember the way he ran in his eight-year career when you read the story. It will hit hard, I promise. 

With apologies to T.S. Eliot, John Feinstein is right: July is the cruelest sports month. Our salvation? The first training camp, that of the Steelers, opens in a mere 19 days, on July 24. Crazy. Most teams open camp between July 27-29.

So, short of talking points until then, here's something I am interested in hearing from you guys ... 

If you are the Bears, did you make a mistake by releasing Tank Johnson? The guy was not over the legal limit when he was pulled over, and yet the Bears did put him on notice the minute he stepped foot out of jail — no screw-ups, per Lovie Smith.

Let me hear what you think on the matter? Should the Bears have let him go? Was it the right move? Will they regret it at all?

I wanted to share this with all of you, in response to the motorcycle bit I wrote a little while back:

Pertaining to the bit about whether NFL Players should be allowed to ride motorcycles, I think you said it best during your article that you think it should be up to individual citizens to decide if they should wear seat belts or not. I think the same thing applies to motorcycles and athletes. They just need to use some common sense when riding them.
 
I've had my motorcycle license for approximately 25 years and have never had an accident. But when I ride, I am wholly concentrated on not only me and my bike ... but other drivers as well. And that's the way everybody should ride them. These fellas aren't any different than me and you. Problem is they don't seem to understand that aspect of life.
 
They're pro football players (come to think of it, this applies to ANY professional sports affiliation). They won't get hurt riding a stupid motorcycle. What can possibly happen?
 
Well, Big Ben found out cars don't move much when you hit them. Arrington found out the pavement is VERY hard. And Winslow found out being stupid on them can catch up with you quickly ... especially when you don't know what you're doing on them. You can't just jump on a bike and believe you have it mastered. It's like anything else in life, to be good at it you have to practice. I'm thinking these guys think they can do anything and that leads to some disastrous results.
 
Hope you have a good football season. I can't wait!!
 
Steve "Doggy" Winking
Springfield, Illinois

*Well said, Steve. Thanks for writing.

I'll try to chime in at least once this weekend, depending on what happens, but I will be out of the office tomorrow.

First off: Nice debate going on in the "comments" under the Tank Johnson entry. Some really sharp commentary going on there. My final word on the matter: I think the Bears wished they would have let Tank go back when this gun raid first went down, which also happened to be when they were gunning for a Super Bowl. They say you should do whatever it takes to win it all, but I don't believe that includes harboring a criminal who has had his share of second chances in the past, too.

Secondly, my token (short) Police review ... went to see Sting (Gordon to his friends), Andy and Stewart on Thursday at Wrigley Field, and considering the mixed reviews the tour had received to date, I rather enjoyed myself. I can be a bit of a music snob — in a good way, I think — but I thought the energy and interplay between the three men was good, strong even, especially considering they play virtually the same set each night.

I was unhappy that they dropped "Spirits in the Material World," one of their underrated hit songs, from the rotation. My favorite cuts from the show were "Message In a Bottle," "Walking On The Moon," "Truth Hits Everybody," "Can't Stand Losing You," "So Lonely" and "Next To You." Of course, I wanted some faster song; why not throw in a "Canary in a Coalmine" or a "Man In a Suitcase?" And instead of using your ponderous Iraq tribute to "Invisible Sun," try going with the far better "Bombs Away," one of the better Copeland-written songs in their library. Only two numbers were played from their most complete album, Ghost In the Machine, and they chose the wrong ones, to boot. I would have killed for a "Secret Journey" or a "Rehumanize Yourself," but those are the breaks.

On the Edholm Live Music Matrix, I give the show a solid B for a grade.

Back to football, where things — slowly — are cooking. Here's a medley of interesting stories on the wire today:

• The Broncos' Kenny Peterson faces long odds to make a crowded Broncos DL situation after being suspended four games for violating the league's drug rules. He becomes the third player suspended this week, joining Raiders RB Dominic Rhodes and Buccaneers CB Torrie Cox.
• The Tennessean's David Climer updates us on the sluggish talks for an extension for Titans head coach Jeff Fisher. 
• And while we're on the topic of extensions, St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Jeff Gordon (a fellow Mizzou alum, I might add) says the Rams must buck up for Marc Bulger.
• With only a week and change left for teams to agree with their franchised players on multi-year extensions, the clock is ticking, especially for guys such as the Patriots' Asante Samuel, writes the Providence Journal's Shalise Manza Young.
• And here's an interesting story by David Elfin about how two Redskins O-linemen have joined business ventures that help high-school and college players market themselves online. 

I am off tomorrow, but if anything interesting/newsworthy comes across the wire — to be honest, I think we'll have something to write about tomorrow; it has been quiet for too long — I certainly will chime in. I know you await by counting the hours and minutes ... 

Last things first: I am talking to Jerry Rice tomorrow, who is planning on walking the red carpet of the ESPY Awards wearing a suit made of — I promise I am not making this up — Crown Royal bags. Yes, those purple things. I, for one, can't wait.

But what I need from you is one more question to ask Jerry. What do you want to know? Readers: please email me (eedholm@pfwmedia.com) your suggestions, and I will ask him the best of the submissions. Thanks in advance for your help!

Now, onto some news ... 

A week after the Falcons signed Japanese WR Noriaki Kinoshita and the Eagles signed Mexican DT Mauricio Lopez (no relation to Mario, we hope), the league announced that 11 more international players will be signing with NFL teams, which are able to use an exemption spot to retain them, as part of the league's International Development Practice Squad Program, which is in its fourth year.

The European players will not count against the teams' eight-player practice-squad roster but are eligible to participate in practice and in preseason games. Eleven players from five countries will join teams in the AFC East, AFC South and NFC North divisions.

Ever since retired commissioner Paul Tagliabue uttered the faux name "Yao Fling," his fictional idea of the first Chinese quarterback who takes the league by storm sometime around the year 2025, the league — with new commish Roger Goodell's blessing — has pushed forward with the idea of global expansion. There have been hiccups, such as the canceled China Bowl game this preseason that likely will take place in 2008, but the NFL appears unwavering in its goal to broaden a game that has swept up most of North America already.

Among the intriguing 11 players are:

• German DE Ben Ishola, the NFL Europa National Defensive Player of the Year, who joins the Super Bowl champion Colts' practice squad after leading the Hamburg Sea Devils to a victory in World Bowl X. Ishola totaled 22 tackles, five sacks, one forced fumble, one pass defensed and three special-teams tackles this season in NFL Europa.
• Swedish LB Carl-Johan Bjork, who reportedly intrigued Bill Parcells last season on the Cowboys' practice squad, has signed with the Packers. Bjork ranked second on Amsterdam with 46 tackles and recorded one sack and two passes defensed this season.
• German DE Ulrich Winkler, who had 20 tackles, 4½ sacks and one pass defensed for Frankfurt this season, signed with the DE-needy Titans. Winkler spent 2006 with the Browns.
  

• Dallas Morning News’ Chip Brown did a nice feature on Vince Young.
• David White explains how the Raiders plan to use Donovin Darius.
• Pacman has another day in court, which means he will surpass Judge Wapner on the all-time list in that category. Congrats to him on that. Wapner, by the way, is still alive. I didn't know that until today.
  
• No shocker here: Mike Tomlin has scheduled a very tough training camp. The Steelers, also, are the first team to report, on July 24. They’ll have one stretch of 21 practices in 11 days. For once I am glad I am not Matt Spaeth.
• Here’s a good take on Tony Dungy’s new book by St. Petersburg Times’ Rick Stroud, one of the best in the biz, who explains why Dungy avoided talking much about the death of his son.
• Jeff Legwold talks to Rod Smith about his slow recovery from hip surgery.
• And, finally, Mr. Irrelevant 2006 has found work with the Giants.

So the supplemental draft is going on right now, and I’ll break in when I get something on it.

And I'll have the Jerry Rice Q&A up a bit later. You will want to see the pictures of him from the ESPYs, I promise.

But onward with today’s headlines of note …

• So here’s some interesting Eli news: Was Manning sort of calling out the now-retired Tiki Barber at Grand Central Station yesterday? You decide.
• For the first time publicly, Rams QB Marc Bulger has hinted at a potential holdout regarding his perceived lack of progress on a new deal, which he did on Sirius Radio.
• Pacman’s lawyer says the cops have it out for his client.
• The final stage of a multi-face renovation of the Superdome is almost complete.

PFW's Nolan Nawrocki has learned that the Chargers have used a fourth-round pick to take Georgia CB Paul Oliver. And the Ravens have spent a fifth-rounder in the 2008 draft to take massive Maryland OT Jared Gaither.

No other players, including Nebraska OT Chris Patrick, were taken. Patrick and eight other players who made themselves available now are considered free agents and can negotiate with any team. Consider that the Titans got a relative steal last year in FB Ahmard Hall, who made himself available for the supplemental draft, went undrafted, signed with Tennessee and started seven games as a rookie in 2006.

The Chargers have a strong roster, so Oliver might not be a factor this season. He likely serves as insurance in case Drayton Florence leaves via free agency after this season. The secondary was clearly an area the team had targeted this offseason as one to upgrade. Remember, the club traded up in Round Two of the April draft to snag Utah S Eric Weddle, who will have a chance to start from the get go.

Gaither is the more intriguing prospect of the two because of his rare size, but he too could be a player who sits and learns behind one of the best — Jonathan Ogden — who might hang up the cleats after this season. Gaither, a scout told me Tuesday night, probably could use a season to work on his maturity and work ethic, and being around a veteran group such as the Ravens appears to be a good environment.

Gaither and Oliver went right about where league people expected. The same scout told me Tuesday that it would have been a surprise if either guy went higher than the third round; he also said he expected both to get taken. Right on both counts.