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Bengals sign TE Kevin Brock to Roster


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Bengals sign Kevin Brock; Place Alex Smith on IR; Emmett Cleary to Practice Squad

 

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The Cincinnati Bengal have made several roster moves on Tuesday,the biggest of which being veteran tight Alex Smith going on Injured Reserve. He played in Games 1-2 of this season but suffered a biceps injury this past Sunday vs. Atlanta.

In his place, Cincinnati signed free agent TE Kevin Brock to the roster. Brock (6-5, 264; Rutgers) is a second-year NFL player. He opened 2014 training camp with the Bengals and was waived on Aug. 26. He has six games’ NFL experience from previous stints with Buffalo and Kansas City.

 

The Bengals also signed offensive lineman Emmett Cleary to the practice squad. Cleary (6-7, 324; Boston College) is a first-year player. He spent time in 2013 on the Tampa Bay practice squad. He was acquired by Oakland on waivers from Tampa Bay this past June 18, and he was waived by Oakland on Aug. 26.

Cincinnati also released TE Ryan Otten from the practice squad. A first-year player, Otten had signed to the practice squad on Sept. 10.

 

http://www.cincyjungle.com/2014/9/16/6242067/bengals-kevin-brock-alex-smith-Emmett-cleary-practice-squad

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From CBS

 

Overview

A raw prospect with a lot of ability, Brock is just scratching the surface of his talent. He had 26 catches for 300 yards and two touchdowns as a senior, despite being benched midway through the season for inconsistent production in the passing game and blocking effort. Still, Brock once again showed his potential in the PapaJohns.com Bowl against North Carolina State, as he made a nice catch down the seam and controlled defensive ends on the line of scrimmage.

Analysis

Positives: Good height and upper body build. Used as an in-line blocker and moving tight end and is effective blocking from either spot. Can lock his arms, move his feet and maintain balance even against a tough hand punch from a linebacker. Seals the edge by using his length and strength to angle the defender to the inside. Gets to top speed quickly, and will challenge the seam with his length and solid hands. Able to block downfield to spring long runs.

Negatives: His routes are rough, at best, as he will round or cut them off or misread the correct path. Does not have a second gear to run away from top NFL linebackers. Can lose leverage as an in-line blocker due to a lack of anchor and lower body strength. Hesitates instead of reaching second level in the running game. Inconsistent hands, and will lose concentration or let the ball get into his body. Played only two years of high school football. Work ethic and effort have been questioned.

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Notes: Bengals re-sign TE Brock as Alex Smith goes to IR; Inactive list may be full of inactives

Posted 3 hours ago

hobson60x60.jpg Geoff Hobson Editor Bengals.com

 

 

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Tight end Alex Smith, who scored a TD against the Browns last season, went on season-ending IR Tuesday.

The Bengals responded to the devastation at tight end Tuesday by re-signing Kevin Brock after they waived him late last month.

With tight end Alex Smith (bicep) going on season-ending injured reserve Tuesday and tight end Tyler Eifert going on injured reserve-recall last week, the Bengals desperately needed to fill a spot held down by just Jermaine Gresham and Ryan Hewitt in the last three quarters of Sunday’s 24-10 victory over the Falcons.

Also in response to injuries, the Bengals added former Boston College offensive lineman Emmett Cleary to the practice squad and cut tight end Ryan Otten. Right guard Kevin Zeitler (calf) was on crutches Monday and it doesn’t look like he’ll be ready for Sunday’s 1 p.m. game against the Titans at Paul Brown Stadium,

The 6-5, 264-pound Brock, who is on his sixth team since 2009, is here to take Smith’s position as a blocker. He has five catches in six NFL games and knows the Bengals system. He signed here the week of last year’s Wild Card Game after playing four games with the Chiefs in 2013.

Smith, a 10-year veteran with 121 games under his belt, had valuable experience in the run game. According to profootballfocus.com, of the 257 snaps he played last season (about 23 percent of the plays), he blocked the run on 176 of them. He caught three ballls for 12 yards and had a two-yard TD catch against Cleveland.

Brock had three catches for the Chiefs for 36 yards and had a 25-yarder. He took 76 snaps last season and PFF had him for 44 run blocks.

The 6-7, 324-pound Cleary came into the NFL as a free agent last year and spent time on the Tampa Bay practice squad. Oakland picked him up before this past traimnig camp and waived him in the first cuts. He's a versatille sort, a tackle who played some guard this preseason and is viewed as a potential Dennis Roland type down the road. 

INACTIVE LIST? The Bengals may truly have an inactive list with seven players who can’t go in Sunday’s game against Tennessee after last Sunday’s carnage against Atlanta.

Usually the list is made up of injured players and players who don’t play because of the head coach’s decision. But Sunday’s list could be all injured players, starting with two Pro Bowlers that may be able to use next week’s bye to get ready for the Oct. 5 game in New England. Wide receiver A.J. Green (right toe) left after five snaps and for the second straight week WILL backer Vontaze Burfict left after taking a shot to the head.

With tight end Alex Smith (bicep) the only guy placed on season-ending injured reserve Tuesday, that would indicate right guard Kevin Zeitler (calf) and defensive tackle Brandon Thompson (knee) are back at some point in a month or sooner. They don't appear ready to go yet. Linebacker Sean Porter missed the first two games with a hamstring injury. So did wide receiver Marvin Jones (foot) and running back Rex Burkhead (knee), both expected back for New England.

This is why there are inactive lists. If all 53 players were active, one team may be able to dress all 53 while the other may be able to only dress 49 because of injuries, or 46 potentially for the Bengals, and that is seen as disruptive to competitive balance.

 

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Notes-Bengals-re-sign-TE-Brock-as-Alex-Smith-goes-to-IR-Inactive-list-may-be-full-of-inactives/c5ed74d8-2475-4137-9b95-4f6cd3d263bf

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Well someone just asked Hobson that and here is his answer: 

 

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Do you think Hewitt is a viable option as a TE? He did an outstanding job blocking against the Falcons, but we haven't seen him in the passing game. Thank you. Jerry Webster, Brooksville, FL

JERRY: Yes, I think he is. He’s not as dynamic in the passing game as Jermaine Gresham and Tyler Eifert, but he’s solid and he’s better than Alex Smith, who is looking at season-ending injured reserve, in all areas. Hewitt has been terrific in his first two NFL games and he’ll probably get more chances to get the ball now.

But on Tuesday they’ll still sign a veteran blocking-oriented tight end to replace Smith because the sense is they’re still going to use Hewitt as a swingman at fullback and tight end. And it will be no surprise if that veteran isKevin Brock, who was here all of training camp and been with six teams since ’09. It’s nice when you have your own journeyman. And I mean that in a good way. He's been around and knows the system and I would think they'd want to stick in-house because he'll have to play Sunday.

 

 

 

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Hobsons-Choice-2-0-Bengals-try-to-beat-injuries-/b1371066-2149-49cc-9c78-4098316573f4

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