We need to talk about Todd Heap.

[jonboy79]

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/te.php

Someone else that has agreed with me... Never better then 5th... Usually MUCH lower.

[StingerNLG]

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/te.php

Someone else that has agreed with me... Never better then 5th... Usually MUCH lower.

Wellllllllll, again we're using nothing but numbers to determine worth and production. And as we all know, numbers alone don't say everything.

I would put Gates and Gonzalez ahead of Heap. I might put Witten and Shockey ahead of him too. But no way in hell is Alge Crumpler better than Todd Heap. Same with Calvin Cooley or McMichael.

[Sephy]

The key to that list is "We cannot yet fully separate the performance of a receiver from the performance of his quarterback. Be aware that one will affect the other."

The only TEs who gets into the top ten without decent QB play are Gonzalez and Crumpler. And arguably Gates, who is a much better TE than Rivers is a QB.

Interesting that he ranked as the worst TE in the league in 2003, but I guess that can't be helped when you're the only option on a team QBed by a rookie Boller and Wright.

[ClericBlackDave]

Greg, I think you are missing my point.

Heap, as much as I like him, has suited up many times and played either and 1/4 to a 1/2 of some games. In fact, he's done it twice this season.

And that can be even more detrimental than actually being inactive.

PP

I agree. Its the game where he is active and the starter and cannot complete the game that are especially a problem.


Honestly, obviously this team has/had bigger concerns than at TE. This includes issues at QB, O-line, RB, WR, etc


But with Mason, Clayton, DWill, and darling under contract, that position is now relatively stable

RB, McGahee is the guy, like it or not, for a while

At o-line, we have the future with Terry/Yanda/Gaither and Brown/Chester/Grubbs


But with Wilcox nicked up / injury prone and heap also, TE is becomming a point of concern.


Sypnewski is showing better hands than I'd expect, but also guilty of a killer fumble or two and also not great at getting separation


If we had to choose between paying heap the same and drafting another TE, at this point, i think you'd have to consider drafting a new TE. If he took #2 type TE money, then fine. But right now this contract is more paying him for what he did first coming into the league more than what he's done recently.

[RustonRifle]

Todd Heap is a warrior, this guy over the years has taken shots from defenders that hurt just watching 'em. He's been on the recieving end of throws over the years of passers that stared down their primary read enabling the DBs and Linebackers to get clean big shots on him. The QBs if anything have contributed to Heaps injuries all though I don't see them as significant all things consider'd . Part of the QBs job is to protect their recievers, this doesn't happen here.

Todd Heaps place in the NFLs top ten tight end list can be debated but anyone who has paid even a little bit of attention to Raven games over the years can never question this mans heart or willingness to go to war for his teammates.