Former Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith signs with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL

Former Ohio State and Glenville quarterback Troy Smith is restarting his football career with the Montreal Alouettes in the CFL.

By Doug Lesmerises, The Plain Dealer

August 14, 2013

COLUMBUS, Ohio - From Glenville High School to Ohio State to the Heisman Trophy to the NFL Draft to the Baltimore Ravens to the San Francisco 49ers to the Omaha Nighthawks of the UFL to the Pittsburgh Steelers to an internship at Ohio State.

Troy Smith's football career has taken him a lot of places. And now it's taking him to Canada.

The Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League announced on Wednesday night that they had signed Smith to a two-year contract.

"We welcome Troy to the Alouettes. We've been in discussions together for well over three months and have been patiently waiting for Troy to finish his commitments at Ohio State,” Alouettes General Manager Jim Popp said in a statement released by the team. “We'll have to fast track Troy in order to get him over the learning curve of the CFL and caught up to speed over the next several weeks. He's here to learn and grasp the game for future competition."

Smith had been around Ohio State for about a year, working last fall with the gameday operations crew, throwing to Ohio State receivers at their Pro Day in March.

“I totally have accepted the next stage of my life,” Smith said then, while making it clear he would still love to get a call from the Browns.

He was open to opportunity and staying in shape by throwing with the younger Buckeyes.

“You’ve got no choice but to look young and spry right with them,” Smith said then.

He's spry enough for the Alouettes. The CFL is in the middle of its season. Montreal is 2-4 with 12 more games in to play in a schedule that runs through Nov. 1.

Stock Rising After Preseason Game No.1: Running Back Rex Burkhead

Bengals running back Rex Burkhead had the chance to get some action late in the Thursday night preseason opener against the Falcons and took advantage of his opportunities.

By Anthony Cosenza

August 9, 2013

Coming into the 2013 season, all of the attention and fanfare, from a Bengals perspective, was placed on running back Giovani Bernard. It's not as if that sentiment isn't understandable, given that he was the first back taken in this year's draft and is expected to give the Bengals a nice punch in the running game with his shiftiness and speed.

The Bengals drafted another running back this year in sixth rounder, Rex Burkhead. The former Nebraska Cornhusker received some attention as well, though most of that centered around his philanthropic efforts with a youngster battling cancer in Jack Hoffman. Even though Burkhead has done some awesome things in that family's life, he was also a productive college player.

When the Bengals allowed Brian Leonard to leave in free agency this offseason and drafted Burkhead, it seemed as if there would be a smooth transition. And, even when Burkhead was doing the right things in Training Camp this year, he just wasn't focused on because of Bernard's play. He received his chance in the latter part of Thursday night's beatdown of the Falcons and made the most of it.

On offense, Burkhead led the running backs in both yardage and yards per carry. Though backup quarterback Josh Johnson was the overall leading rusher, Burkhead performed well and had Jon Gruden gushing in the announcing booth about his hard running style. On nine carries, Burkhead churned out 52 yards to the tune of almost six yards a carry. His long gain of the day was 15 yards and that wasn't his only nice run of the day.

What impressed me was the quickness that Burkhead showed when hitting a hole. Though he's a slasher and can be a north-south runner, he does have some elusiveness to him and doesn't shy away from contact when finishing a run. The one thing that I wished that I saw more of from him was his pass catching ability. If he truly wants to be the Leonard replacement, he'll need to flash that ability at some point.

Beyond that, Burkhead assisted on special teams. He recorded a tackle on a punt and was a staple in the coverage unit on Thursday. All in all, it was a solid day for the rookie back and he made some good headway towards becoming one of the backs on the final roster.

Ravens agree to terms with tight end Dallas Clark

Veteran tight end could fit into Ravens' plans

By Aaron Wilson The Baltimore Sun

August 11, 2013

The Ravens have agreed to terms with veteran tight end Dallas Clark, coach John Harbaugh said after practice today. Clark will take a physical Monday.

"Dallas Clark is on his way to Baltimore right now," Harbaugh said.

A former Indianapolis Colts Pro Bowl selection, Clark, 34, has strong connections to the Ravens through his relationship with offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell. Caldwell coached him in Indianapolis where Clark was one of quarterback Peyton Manning's favorite targets.

Clark should provide a veteran, sure-handed presence for the Ravens' injury-riddled tight end position following a season-ending fractured and dislocated hip for starter Dennis Pitta and a slightly torn hamstring that has sidelined Ed Dickson.

Although the Ravens have veteran Visanthe Shiancoe under contract, Clark is coming off a strong season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where the 6-foot-3, 252-pounder caught 47 passes for 435 yards and five touchdowns. Shiancoe is a former Minnesota Vikings and Morgan State star who didn't catch a pass last season during an injury-plagued year with the New England Patriots.

For his career, Clark has 474 receptions for 5,322 yards and 50 touchdowns for an average of 11.2 yards per reception. He won Super Bowl XLI with the Colts.

During the 2009 NFL season, Clark caught a career-high 100 passes for 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Clark is a 2003 Colts first-round draft pick from Iowa who's represented by Cleveland-based agent Neil Cornrich, who has long-standing relationships with the Ravens organization. Cornrich also represents Ravens Pro Bowl offensive guard Marshal Yanda, who signed a five-year, $32.5 million contract extension three years ago that included $10 million in guaranteed money.