TE Ben Hartsock (New York Jets)

[Buckskin86]

Falcons upstart avoids contrast
From Wire Services
Thursday, August 21, 2008

For anyone tempted to compare the starting tight ends for Tennessee and Atlanta on Friday night, Ben Hartsock would like to make one point clear.

"I'm not here to be an Alge Crumpler replacement," Hartsock said after Wednesday's practice. "That's not something anybody can do. He's a special type player."

Each tight end will be playing against his former team when the Titans visit the Falcons in a preseason game Friday night.

The Falcons signed Hartsock, the former Titans starter, in March after releasing Crumpler. Tennessee quickly signed Crumpler, a four-time Pro Bowl player with Atlanta.

Crumpler had knee problems last year and missed two games, but he still had 42 catches for 444 yards and five touchdowns.

Hartsock has only 24 catches in 45 career games, including 12 receptions with the Titans last year in a shared role with Bo Scaife .

Falcons upstart avoids contrast 082108 - The Augusta Chronicle

[Buckskin86]

Falcons land on post
Players keen to show military appreciation
By Chris Gay| Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Atlanta Falcons tight end Ben Hartsock said the military men and women at Fort Gordon had it backward.

"When we get here it's natural that people want to thank us for coming to visit, but really it's an opportunity for us to thank them for what they do," Mr. Hartsock said. "It's a thankless job they do, and a lot of times they're quickly overlooked."

Transported to the base by UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, Mr. Hartsock and his teammates -- right tackle Tyson Clabo, running back Jerious Norwood, punt returner Adam Jennings and center Alex Stepanovich -- came to commemorate the Sept. 11 observance. The Falcons players, along with eight cheerleaders, ate lunch with soldiers before holding a question-and-answer session at Alexander Hall. An autograph session followed.

Falcons land on post 091008 - The Augusta Chronicle

[BigWoof31]

Ben continues to play well for the Falcons and should be a continued source of pride for Buckeye nation.

The Falcons coaching staff has really taken to him and loves the tenacity with which he blocks. A great team player.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Link

Falcons? free-agent signees have been a bonus

By D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Friday, October 24, 2008

Falcons head coach Mike Smith knows that every football team needs some blue-collar workers.

BEN HARTSOCK
The deal: Signed four-year, $9 million deal with $2.25 million guaranteed.
Old team: Tennessee
Contribution: Has helped in the running game with his blocking. Has just two catches, but that?s not his forte.
Once the Falcons started to express some interest, I knew the staff they were putting together suited my skill set,? Hartsock said. ?We were just excited to come and try it out.?

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Link

Ben gives back



By LANCE CRANMER ? Assistant Local Editor ? November 3, 2008

Before he was a Falcon or a Titan or a Colt, before he was a Buckeye or even a Sherman, Ben Hartsock played for the Browns.
Not the ones in Cleveland.
The ones who played their home games in Yoctangee Park.
It's been two decades, but Chillicothe's own hometown hero never forgot where he came from.
"Ben's always been like that," said Scioto Valley Youth League president Harold Price, who coached that Browns team that Hartsock played for years ago.
Price, who has been involved with the SVYL for 37 years, recently got some good news from his most famous ex-player.
"Ben donated $5,000 to the Scioto Valley Youth League and the NFL has a player-matching fund," Price said. "They donated $5,000. And Ben's team, the Atlanta Falcons, is donating $5,000."

Continued.............

[Buckskin86]

Falcons TE Hartsock out for season with toe injury

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) ? The Atlanta Falcons put starting tight end Ben Hartsock on injured reserve Wednesday and brought back Jason Rader for the second time this season.

The 264-pound Hartsock, who had only three catches and was essentially another lineman for Atlanta's powerful running game, injured a toe in last weekend's 45-28 victory over Carolina. He is out for the season after making eight starts in 11 games.

"It's going to be tough to replace Ben," coach Mike Smith said. "Ben has done a very nice job in blocking. He's an integral part of our running game."

The Associated Press: Falcons TE Hartsock out for season with toe injury

[BigWoof31]

Tight end Ben Hartsock is set to get a second and third opinion on his big toe/plantar fasciitis injury that lead to him being placed on injured reserve.
?It?s definitely a long-term injury,? Smith said. ?It?s the great toe, the bottom of it, tendons, and plantar fasciitis. But we?ll have clarity on that next week.?

Tough loss. He was our #1 blocking tight end.

[BigWoof31]

Per ajc.com - Good news for Ben

No surgery for Hartsock
Tight end Ben Hartsock, who suffered a season-ending toe injury against Carolina, won?t undergo foot surgery.
?Right now, it?s a waiting game,? Hartsock said. ?The good thing is that we didn?t have to get the surgery. We were thinking we were going to have to get it fixed surgically, but they think it?s going to heal.?
Hartsock?s toe, which is in a cast, will be re-checked Dec. 26.
Hartsock was engaged in a block when the injury happened.
?The front of my foot ran down the heel of another guy?s foot and it just hyper-extended my toe,? Hartsock said. ?When it happened, I didn?t feel a pop, a snap or anything like that. I just thought I?d stretched my foot out. I came out and thought I?d walk it off on the sidelines. As I walked around I realized that it wasn?t getting any better and that it was getting worse.?

[Buckskin86]

-- Atlanta head coach Mike Smith praised former Buckeye TE Ben Hartsock, who the Falcons signed last spring. Hartsock had only 3 catches, but Smith said he was a major part of Atlanta's strong run game last season.

Posted by Ken Gordon on February 19, 2009

At the combine: Boone's battle (Blogging the Buckeyes)

[osugrad21]

Dispatch

NFL: Hartsock, rarely a receiver, caught on nicely in Atlanta

Monday, March 2, 2009 2:59 AM
By Ken Gordon


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH



Here's a sure sign that you're living the dream: Somebody buys you a 42-inch plasma television, and you can't find a spot for it in your house. "We don't have a need for another TV," Atlanta Falcons tight end Ben Hartsock said. "It's ridiculous how blessed I am."
Last season marked a career renaissance for Hartsock, a Chillicothe native and Ohio State graduate. He was a key component in the Falcons' resurgence from 4-12 in 2007 to 11-5 and a playoff participant (they lost to Arizona in the wild-card round).
In his fifth year in the NFL, Hartsock has carved a niche for himself as a run-blocking tight end. He had only three catches in 2008 -- bringing his career total to 27 -- but he helped open holes for running back Michael Turner to rush for 1,699 yards.
"Ben did a very good job in our running game," Atlanta coach Mike Smith said.
Hartsock called last season his most gratifying, despite ending his year in November after he suffered ruptured tendons in a foot.
He's keenly aware that his career could have been over three years ago. Drafted in the third round by Indianapolis in 2004, he found himself to be "a square peg in a round hole" with the Colts, whose offense did not require a blocking tight end.
Cont...

[Buckskin86]

The Falcons will be near full strength.

Tight end Ben Hartsock, who made eight starts in the first 11 games last season, has been cleared to return to practice.

Hartsock injured a toe in the 45-28 victory over Carolina on Nov. 23 and was placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the season. He initially had a cast around his foot that went up to his kneecap.

?We anticipate that he will be able to go through the mini-camp,? Smith said. ?We will have to wait and see how he handles back-to-back practices, but he?s been cleared to go.?

Reserve lineman Alex Stepanovich will not be available because he ?had a procedure done on his back last week,? Smith said.

Falcons rookies to be tested at mini-camp | ajc.com

[Buckskin86]

Ben Hartsock: Forgotten Falcon Tight End
by Dave the Falconer on Jun 10, 2009



There's no doubt in my mind that Tony Gonzalez is going to be the best tight end on the roster in 2009. He's got that Hall of Fame caliber set of hands, quality blocking skills and well-documented love of winning. We'll be talking about him all season, so I'm going to go in a little bit of a different direction today. Let's talk Ben Hartsock.

Hartsock, as you remember, was the former Tennessee Titan who the Falcons brought in to help with blocking. The dude might as well not even have hands for all the catching he does, but there's something undeniably appealing about a player who is good at exactly one thing and goes out there and just does it. Hartsock is to blocking what an idiot savant is to mathematics, and it showed on the field last year. He had three catches and served as essentially an extension of the offensive line, albeit one that can move around a bit. What he brought to the team was an additional accomplice to springing Michael Turner for huge gains and a guy who could put the brakes on an overzealous rusher hoping to get to our prized quarterback. It was his only role, and he proved time and time again that he's one of the best pure blocking tight ends in the league. With his obvious receiving skills and his status as an offensive weapon, Gonzo isn't necessarily going to be asked to do the same thing.

My point is that there's still plenty of room for Hartsock to have an impact this season, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the Falcons deploying more two tight end sets to get Ben on the field. Mike Smith values blockers--as is evidenced by the extension given to WR Michael Jenkins, an above average receiver who chops and hacks with the best of them--and Hartsock will only make everyone else's job easier. In my mind, he's the most underrated piece of the offense, and given his tendency for quiet days on the stat sheet, that's not likely to change. I'm glad to have him aboard.

Ben Hartsock: Forgotten Falcon Tight?End - The Falcoholic

[Magua]

Originally Posted by Buckskin86

Ben Hartsock: Forgotten Falcon Tight?End - The Falcoholic

two of the best blockers in the league at the WR/TE position. Which school did they both play for again? I'm having a hard time remembering.

[osuteke]

Great read, glad Smith is a coach that understands the importance of a great blocking TE. I'm glad another Buckeye is continuing to be respected in ATL. I'm not a big Falcons fan, but I root for them because they have so many Buckeyes on roster and in the past. I have to say the Falcons are going to be scary good next year.

[Buckskin86]

Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Falcons release three players
TE Hartsock, CB Hutchins, DE Evans cut as team reaches 75-player limit
By D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Flowery Branch -- Tight end Ben Hartsock and defensive back Von Hutchins were released by the Falcons on Tuesday.

The team also released defensive end Willie Evans. With the trade for cornerback Tye Hill, the team had 76 players on the roster. They needed to get to the league-required 75 roster limit by 4 p.m. today.

The release of Hartsock, Hutchins and Evans puts them under the limit with 73 players.

The team has to be down to 53 players by Saturday.

Over the 2008 offseason, when the Falcons sign running back Michael Turner, they also added Hartsock and Hutchins.

Hartsock, a blocking tight end who caught only three passes last season, signed a four-year, $9 million deal with $2.25 million guaranteed. Hutchins, who spent last season on injured reserve after suffering a Lisfranc (foot) injury), signed a four-year, $9-million deal with $2.35 million guaranteed.

Falcons release three players?| ajc.com