After scoring both of his team's touchdowns in the Ravens' 17-10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars yesterday, tight end Todd Heap would not admit that his reputation is growing in NFL circles.
"I don't know," Heap said. "Everybody else's job is to see how that goes. I'm just trying to go out and make plays. I can always play better. There are a lot of things that I can keep improving on as the season goes on, and I feel like I have been."
A first-year starter in his second season, Heap has gone from an underused weapon the first two games to the Ravens' primary receiving threat during the past month.
He tied for a team high with four catches for 39 yards against Jacksonville, including a 20-yard touchdown in which he bulldozed his way through defenders starting at the 5-yard line and stretched into the end zone.
"I was trying to make a move on that guy," Heap said. "He was the only guy there to stop me from getting in the end zone. All the receivers, I saw them blocking out in front of me, so I knew if I beat this guy, it should be a touchdown. I just tried to do whatever I could to get in."
The Ravens tried twice to match Heap against a smaller cornerback and go deep, but were unsuccessful both times. It looked as though the ball barely slipped through Heap's hands on the second play of the game, leaving the 2001 first-round pick with something to lament.
"Those are plays that I want to make, I'm used to making and that I should make," Heap said. "I just hope that we keep putting it up there, and I'm going to put the pressure on myself to make those plays."
"Coming out, the big thing with Todd was could he be a point-of-attack guy, or could he be a move guy?" coach Brian Billick said. "His blocking has been outstanding. He's as complete a tight end as there is in the league, albeit a young one."
Demps makes the play
Safety Will Demps counted his game-ending interception as one of the eight plays his coaches ask him to make during a game.
Demps picked off Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell at the Ravens' 1-yard line and ran the clock out. Brunell had marched the Jaguars to the Ravens' 25 with 10 seconds left.
"It was just one of those plays I have to make at that position," Demps said.
Kicked-off coach
Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin showed little faith in kicker Hayden Epstein.
Coughlin shunned field goals three times from inside the 31, including what would have been a 42-yarder early in the fourth quarter that would have cut the Ravens' lead to seven.
"Coughlin wanted to do what he wanted to do," Ravens linebacker Peter Boulware said. "It is our responsibility to stop them, whether they want to go for it on fourth down or kick a field goal. That's what we have to do as a defense."
Said Coughlin: "We didn't kick the ball very well, we didn't kick off well, we didn't kick field goals very well, we didn't punt the ball very well. We had chances to score and we didn't do that."
On fourth-and-two at the Ravens' 12 on Jacksonville's fourth possession, Coughlin chose to pass, but the completion gained no yards and the Ravens took possession.
Later in the second quarter, on fourth-and-four, he went with Epstein, who missed a 39-yard field-goal attempt.
On fourth-and-12 at the Ravens' 31 in the third quarter, Coughlin chose to punt, but Chris Hanson kicked it into the end zone for a touchback. And on fourth-and-seven at the Ravens' 24 in the fourth quarter, Coughlin watched a pass fall incomplete rather than give Epstein a try.
"We missed a 40-yarder -- in my opinion, right now with him, that's a long field goal. I was not going to do that at that time after missing a 40-yarder earlier," Coughlin said. "So I feel like we have a range."
Epstein, whose late 22-yarder pulled the Jaguars within 17-10 with 4:36 to play, said he is not worried about his job and didn't agree with Coughlin on what his range is.
"I'm not worried about it. Him going for it on fourth down, he makes the decisions," said Epstein, who has yet to connect from beyond 40 yards. "I feel I can [kick 50-yard field goals]."
Harris pitches in
When Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis went down with a shoulder injury against the Cleveland Browns, it gave reserve Bernardo Harris an opportunity to play last week at Indianapolis.
Yesterday, that playing time increased.
The eight-year veteran recorded nine tackles, deflected a pass and intercepted a pass that set up Matt Stover's field goal with 9:16 left in the third quarter.
"This week, I knew that Jacksonville was a more physical team. They like to run the ball, so I knew that my chances to play today were greater," Harris said. "It was fun to go out there and play in a physical football game and it was fun to help this team win."
Extra duty for Stover
The impact of the Ravens' offensive line woes reached the kicking ranks. Stover, who normally relaxes until it's time to kick field goals, had to handle kickoff duties yesterday when J.R. Jenkins was deactivated to make more room for linemen.
It was the first time that chore has belonged to Stover since a leg injury limited him a year ago.
"My timing was off a little, but I eventually got it down," said Stover, who performed four kickoffs in addition to going 1-for-2 on field-goal attempts and making two extra points. "There's nothing like game experience."
This time, no flag
One week after his controversial pass interference penalty might have cost the Ravens a victory in Indianapolis, cornerback Gary Baxter was near former Ravens receiver Patrick Johnson as they vied for a Brunell pass in the end zone when Johnson fell.
Baxter left last weekend certain it was an incorrect call, and he was confident that no flag would follow yesterday's early fourth-quarter play.
"I didn't expect a flag and I knew it was a good play," Baxter said. "I was running with Patrick and we looked for the ball and he got tangled up and there couldn't be pass interference."
Bad day for Brunell
Brunell, the NFL's seventh-ranked passer, offered no excuses for his subpar performance and said it had nothing to do with his being rocked last week against Tennessee.
"I felt fine. No problems from last week," said Brunell, who left that game with a concussion. "Everything was clear, no symptoms or anything like that."
Brunell (7-5 against the Ravens) had not thrown an interception since Jacksonville's opener --109 consecutive passes -- until being picked off by the Ravens' Adalius Thomas in the first quarter.
It was the first of three interceptions for Brunell. One by Harris -- off a tipped ball by Tony Weaver -- gave the Ravens possession at the Jaguars' 22-yard line and set up Stover's 30-yard field goal six plays later for a 10-7 lead.
'Three-step drop, you don't find lanes, you deliver the ball in time and a guy got his hands up and it was one of those things," said Brunell, who was 24-for-46 for 231 yards.
"The frustration is over the tipped ball. It's one of those things where you're trying to mix the three-step drop game so you have to audible every time the blitz is there," Coughlin said.
Sun staff writers Christian Ewell and Lem Satterfield contributed to this article.
Next for Ravens
Opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers
Site: Ravens Stadium
When: Sunday, 1 p.m.
TV/Radio: Ch. 13/WJFK (1300 AM), WQSR (102.7 FM)
Line: Off the board
Series: Steelers lead 8-4
Last meeting: Steelers won, 26-21, on Dec. 16, 2001, in Baltimore.