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http://www.bengals.com/news/article...les-odds/e0baceee-2a4a-48f4-a9da-3271db2af9ad
The NFL’s third preseason game is supposed to be the dress rehearsal for the starters. But for those living on the bubble in Bengaldom, Sunday’s game in Arizona (8 p.m.-Cincinnati’s Channel 5) is the play itself.
If you’re rookie fullback Nikita Whitlock, that still might not even be enough if the game doesn’t go the way you hope. With the Bengals trailing in the second half of last week’s 23-17 loss to the Jets, they opted to try to catch up throwing the ball and that meant just five snaps from scrimmage, half his special teams snaps.
Plus, it’s just the second game he’s ever played those positions on teams. And don’t forget, it’s just his third game ever on offense since high school. A dress rehearsal? It’s more like a Night at the Improv.
And the first cut, from 86 players to 75, probably happens Monday because it has to be done Tuesday by 4 p.m.
“It’s terrible,” Whitlock says of the frustration of knowing he can do it but not until he learns it. “It’s absolutely terrible. When you get in and Coach says do something and it’s something you haven’t done before and you try your best and the best isn’t good enough yet…You need the extra reps. It’s very frustrating.”
The good news is they love Whitlock’s strength, toughness, and willingness to do the job. The bad news is that between fullbacks and tight ends they’re probably going to keep four players at the final cut down a week from Saturday and fellow free-agent Ryan Hewitt appears to have one of those spots locked up next to Jermaine Gresham and Tyler Eifert. Veteran tight ends Alex Smith, Orson Charles, and Kevin Brock have tons more experience as NFL blockers, so he looks to be staring at a practice squad apprenticeship.
But the 5-10, 250-pound Whitlock brings a never-say-die defensive mentality to offense. A former first-team ACC nose tackle at Wake Forest, Whitlock sees the upside as long as the clock is still ticking.
“The bad thing is there’s a lot I need to learn,” he says. “But the good thing is there’s a lot I need to learn. That means I can progress through a full season, the second season or third season. It will be very hard for me to hit a plateau because there’s so much more for me to learn.”
Even though he was a speck compared to the large offensive linemen he worked against in college, Whitlock is used to blowing up plays with sheer will, strength, and leverage against jerseys right smack in front of him.
Now in an NFL offense, he has to find them.
“I have to learn how to navigate through the offensive line to get to our responsibility. Even figure out how the (line) backer scrapes from the offensive point of view and find him on an edge while blocking the play,” Whitlock says. “It’s hard to pick the hardest thing. The whole position is different. The one thing that’s the same is you get to be physical. I can do that.”
Which is why they like working with him. When he arrived back in May, the little big man hushed the weight room benching 495 pounds. But he still has to impress special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons in the wide expanses of NFL space and while Simmons is a big advocate of a one-time defender playing special teams, Whitlock still needs the reps.
He didn’t get any special teams in the opener in Kansas City because of a foot injury, which made the Jets game his teams debut.
Whitlock says he blocked two punts and two field goals up front in college, but now he’s learning other spots on teams. Field goal block is a defensive position now, so now he’s learning to play in space covering punts and kicks.
“Darrin is real particular. There’s a lot of information thrown at you,” Whitlock says. “It’s a totally different game.”
He’s had 11 snaps in two games at fullback. Not much tape there.
“I’m hoping this week we get up early and stay up,” Whitlock says. “I’d like to get 10-12 snaps to show my worth.”
A dress rehearsal for some. Everything for everybody else.
The NFL’s third preseason game is supposed to be the dress rehearsal for the starters. But for those living on the bubble in Bengaldom, Sunday’s game in Arizona (8 p.m.-Cincinnati’s Channel 5) is the play itself.
If you’re rookie fullback Nikita Whitlock, that still might not even be enough if the game doesn’t go the way you hope. With the Bengals trailing in the second half of last week’s 23-17 loss to the Jets, they opted to try to catch up throwing the ball and that meant just five snaps from scrimmage, half his special teams snaps.
Plus, it’s just the second game he’s ever played those positions on teams. And don’t forget, it’s just his third game ever on offense since high school. A dress rehearsal? It’s more like a Night at the Improv.
And the first cut, from 86 players to 75, probably happens Monday because it has to be done Tuesday by 4 p.m.
“It’s terrible,” Whitlock says of the frustration of knowing he can do it but not until he learns it. “It’s absolutely terrible. When you get in and Coach says do something and it’s something you haven’t done before and you try your best and the best isn’t good enough yet…You need the extra reps. It’s very frustrating.”
The good news is they love Whitlock’s strength, toughness, and willingness to do the job. The bad news is that between fullbacks and tight ends they’re probably going to keep four players at the final cut down a week from Saturday and fellow free-agent Ryan Hewitt appears to have one of those spots locked up next to Jermaine Gresham and Tyler Eifert. Veteran tight ends Alex Smith, Orson Charles, and Kevin Brock have tons more experience as NFL blockers, so he looks to be staring at a practice squad apprenticeship.
But the 5-10, 250-pound Whitlock brings a never-say-die defensive mentality to offense. A former first-team ACC nose tackle at Wake Forest, Whitlock sees the upside as long as the clock is still ticking.
“The bad thing is there’s a lot I need to learn,” he says. “But the good thing is there’s a lot I need to learn. That means I can progress through a full season, the second season or third season. It will be very hard for me to hit a plateau because there’s so much more for me to learn.”
Even though he was a speck compared to the large offensive linemen he worked against in college, Whitlock is used to blowing up plays with sheer will, strength, and leverage against jerseys right smack in front of him.
Now in an NFL offense, he has to find them.
“I have to learn how to navigate through the offensive line to get to our responsibility. Even figure out how the (line) backer scrapes from the offensive point of view and find him on an edge while blocking the play,” Whitlock says. “It’s hard to pick the hardest thing. The whole position is different. The one thing that’s the same is you get to be physical. I can do that.”
Which is why they like working with him. When he arrived back in May, the little big man hushed the weight room benching 495 pounds. But he still has to impress special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons in the wide expanses of NFL space and while Simmons is a big advocate of a one-time defender playing special teams, Whitlock still needs the reps.
He didn’t get any special teams in the opener in Kansas City because of a foot injury, which made the Jets game his teams debut.
Whitlock says he blocked two punts and two field goals up front in college, but now he’s learning other spots on teams. Field goal block is a defensive position now, so now he’s learning to play in space covering punts and kicks.
“Darrin is real particular. There’s a lot of information thrown at you,” Whitlock says. “It’s a totally different game.”
He’s had 11 snaps in two games at fullback. Not much tape there.
“I’m hoping this week we get up early and stay up,” Whitlock says. “I’d like to get 10-12 snaps to show my worth.”
A dress rehearsal for some. Everything for everybody else.
