ExtremeRavens Posted October 25, 2024 Posted October 25, 2024 Todd Heap couldn’t remember off-hand the touchdown when he set the Ravens’ franchise record. It was on Nov. 28, 2010. The Ravens were hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Heap, a tight end in his final season with Baltimore after the better part of a decade, exploded off the line of scrimmage and caught a floater from Joe Flacco in stride. The Bucs’ blown coverage left Heap with an open runway, and he outran three defenders on his way to a 65-yard score. Fourteen years later against the same team, the current tight end who grew up 20 minutes from Heap outside of Phoenix broke the Ravens’ all-time record in career receiving touchdowns, now up to 43. Mark Andrews is four touchdowns from tying Jamal Lewis’ overall franchise record (47). “We all know records were only made to be broken,” said Heap, who’s in Baltimore’s Ring of Honor. “It’s a great accomplishment. Anytime you score a touchdown in the NFL it’s an accomplishment and he’s had his fair share but those ones you remember a little bit because of the circumstances.” Heap, 44, watched from home as Andrews, 29, broke his 14-year-old record. He sent a congratulatory text as the current team boarded the plane out of Tampa Bay and got a quick response back. Andrews gave a nod to his predecessor postgame saying, “You got to look back at the guys like Todd Heap, and the guys that have done it before you and just be grateful that I’m in this situation and blessed.” Andrews tied Heap’s 41 touchdown catches earlier this month in a win over the Commanders. He screamed to the high heavens, dripping in relief after high-pointing an 18-yard strike from quarterback Lamar Jackson. Presumably Heap’s record was not front of mind. The emotional release was because before that, Andrews had been a minimal contributor to Baltimore’s passing game despite Pro Football Focus grading him out as the best blocking tight end in football. “He’s such a well-rounded tight end. He can do it at the line of scrimmage, he can do it down the field,” Heap said. “He runs routes that guys his size shouldn’t be able to run. That gives you such an advantage. He’s just kind of a mismatch out there for most defenses. That’s the nature of what you want in a tight end. You want a guy that can do it all. There hasn’t been that many tight ends in history that have done it that well.” Against Tampa Bay, Andrews took sole possession of the record on a curl route, which Heap pointed out how he found a pocket in the defense at the goal line. Then Andrews cashed in on a fourth-and-3 gamble because of a “fantastic route,” Heap said. For the first four weeks of the season, there weren’t many defenses keying in on Andrews. He was targeted only nine times over that stretch. He caught six passes and went back-to-back games without a reception against Dallas and Buffalo — a far cry from the days where he was Jackson’s top receiving target. Ravens tight end Todd Heap, top, celebrates on Nov. 28, 2010, after recording his 41st career touchdown reception, a franchise record that stood until Mark Andrews recently broke it. (Baltimore Sun file)After tying Heap’s record, Andrews talked about the challenges of learning to be patient while playing in one of the league’s most dynamic offenses. “It’s easier to be patient when you have so much talent around you,” Heap said. “It’s tough when you’ve got goals set for yourself [and] you’re not attaining or on track to attain those goals. But personal things go out the window, especially when you’re winning games.” Even if Heap didn’t quite remember his own 14-year-old, record-setting 65-yarder off the top of his head, there were plenty of other memorable moments from his 41 Ravens touchdowns that flooded back to memory while watching Andrews etch his name into the record books. Like his game-winner against the Chargers in 2006. He was lined up outside, essentially as a decoy — maybe Steve McNair’s fourth option. Heap caught a high pass and barreled through linebacker Shawne Merriman at the goal line with 34 seconds left. Those moments are behind him now and Heap has great admiration for the current group. He called Jackson one of the most exciting players in football. He watches Derrick Henry and recalls blocking for Jamal Lewis when he ran for 2,000 yards in 2003. Above all, he’s proud to see the continued lineage of successful tight ends in Baltimore, thinking back to Shannon Sharpe before him with Andrews and now Isaiah Likely in succession. “From the offensive line to the running backs to the receivers to the tight ends,” Heap said, “you can see how much fun they’re having out on the field. … As far as being a retired former player, you just see how much fun they’re having stacking wins and having a lot of success.” Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article Quote
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