As the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Kansas City Chiefs on the road Sunday, one of the largest felt presences came from 247 pound, 6’5’’ tight end Todd Heap. Heap, a tenth year veteran and first round draft pick out of Arizona State, missed three games this season. He left the first quarter of Baltimore’s December 5th 13-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers with a concerning hamstring injury incurred during the Ravens’ first play from scrimmage, and did not return to the game. His absence was felt through and through, as Baltimore held Pittsburgh to just 13 points but failed to produce on offense, missing Heap as both a receiver and a fill-in blocker for back Le’Ron McClain. Despite missing four games, Heap finished the regular season with 40 receptions, nearly 600 yards, and five touchdowns. The tight end is not unaccustomed to serious injuries and is often at the receiving end of gigantic hits, including the one he endured from the Patriots’ Brandon Meriweather in Baltimore’s Week Six outing in Foxboro (Meriweather was later fined $40,000 for the illegal head-to-head collision that left Heap temporarily immobile). Prior to this season, Heap has battled ankle and thigh injuries, as well as unrelated sicknesses. In his rookie season, Heap suffered a high ankle sprain in a Week 3 Baltimore-Cleveland meeting. He started every game the following year, and led the Ravens in receptions in two consecutive pro-bowl years, but in September of 2004, following an impressive 57-reception, 693-yard third season, Heap injured his ankle (ironically in a Ravens-Steelers matchup). He missed more than ten weeks of the following season, returning in Week 13 only to re-injure it before the final game of the season. After continuing to struggle with his ankle, Heap was activated in August of 2005, and became the franchise’s all-time receiving yards leader. He remained relatively healthy until December of 2007. In 2005, Heap pulled in 75 passes and chalked up 855 yards and 7 touchdowns. The following year, Heap helped the 2006 Ravens to the top of the AFC North, contributing 765 yards and 6 touchdowns to Baltimore’s efforts.
In 2007, however, Heap returned to the ranks of the injured. After tearing his hamstring in September, he attempted to play in two of Baltimore’s following five games, but was eventually forced to sit out the remainder of the season. He played in just six games until landing on injured reserve in December. After a heartbreaking 2008 AFC Championship loss to the Steelers, Heap struggled with nagging injuries in the 2009 season, but nevertheless was able to close out the season with six touchdowns prior to Baltimore’s second-round loss in Indianapolis. In 2007, Heap was all too eager to return to the field. While well intentioned, his desire to return to the game put his recovery process in jeopardy, and ultimately led to his missing even more of the season. His resilience, however, demonstrates that the tight end is not easily deterred by injury, and underscores his dedication to the program, a commitment that will come into play as the Ravens march deeper into this 2010-2011 playoff season.
In Sunday’s wild card victory over the Chiefs, Heap pulled in a franchise record 10 catches, gaining 108 yards in a single postseason game. On one drive, the tight end pocketed four passes from Joe Flacco, totalling nearly 60 yards, and throughout the afternoon the veteran was dependable, providing Flacco with a reliable target as receivers Boldin, Stallworth, Mason, and Houshmandzadeh struggled to evade Brandon Flowers and Eric Berry. Despite persistent ankle, thigh, and hamstring injuries, Heap has always been, when healthy, a uniquely dependable receiver. The tight end is not only a fantastic player, but a smart and experienced one who is often able to read coverage, sight openings, and gain crucial yardage that turns second and third down situations into new firsts.
Heap winces through his injuries and is more eager than many contemporaries to return to the field and produce for his team. While this work ethic may put the tight end at acute physical risk, a healthy Heap is indispensable to the Baltimore lineup. He possesses an awareness that the Ravens’ young tight ends do not yet have, and is one of the best ball-handlers on the team. He consistently protects the ball after his receptions and makes few turnovers, instead running a clinic in gaining post-reception yardage.
It is crucial that Heap remains healthy this playoff season, and Joe Flacco and Cam Cameron must capitalize off of his talent. Heap is not only a skilled receiver but also a warrior, one who refuses to sit back and watch. The Ravens must ensure that he is well protected, but also use Heap as an example of textbook receiving, one whose grit and endurance both on and off the field can and should be emulated by younger tight ends and receivers. Heap comes up big at clutch moments, and his potential to be a game-changing receiver cannot be overlooked, as his scenario-presence and experience performing on the big stage cannot be supplemented of replicated. While his doggedness and refusal to quit is certainly something for the Ravens training staff to be wary of, it is also a trait that must and will be embraced and appreciated by Harbaugh, Flacco, Purple Nation, and opponents alike.
With Todd Heap back in the lineup, the Ravens significantly increase their threat-level and add dimension to their offensive playbook. No stranger to physical adversity, Heap has returned healthy, and all of Baltimore certainly has its fingers crossed that his Steelers Curse ends Saturday, as beloved No. 86 may well be the “x-factor” as Baltimore returns to icy Heinz Field for the division rivals’ third matchup of the season.
[story available at Ravens Blackout]
(photos: boston herald, baltimore sports report, zimbio, espn)
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