One year after Todd Heap endured his most painful playoff season, the Ravens tight end launches his most promising postseason Sunday. His timing could not be better.
For the past month, Heap has been a major threat in the passing game. He has caught passes for distance (at least one catch of 20 yards or more in each of the past five games) and for touchdowns (four in the past three games). In the process, he supplied relief to a distressed receiving corps suffering from injury and occasional ineffectiveness.
Heap didn't make the Pro Bowl this season, but he did make a difference. And he could be the equalizer in Sunday's AFC wild-card playoff game in New England against the AFC East champion Patriots. His on-field rapport with quarterback Joe Flacco is at a two-year high.
"I think Joe and I have a good chemistry going on right now," Heap said Friday. "When the quarterback has faith in you to make a play, you want to go make sure you make that play for him. You want to make sure that he understands when there's a time in the game, when you get down to the end zone, that he can count on you to go make a play for him."
When Heap pulled down two touchdown catches against the Chicago Bears last month, and two more the following week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, it marked the first time in his nine-year career that he had multiple scores in consecutive games.
With 53 catches and six touchdowns this season, he re-established himself as a playmaker.
A year ago, Heap had just 35 catches and three touchdowns, and played three playoff games with a lower-back injury that was the most painful of his career. He spent much of the offseason trying to remedy his injury problem, working with a physical therapist in Phoenix.
The outgrowth of those sessions is a stretching routine Heap uses before practice and games.
"There are certain things I've carried on through this whole season every day," he said. "I think it's been important to my health. I don't know if it's the whole reason, but I think it's helped in the day-to-day routine."
Heap's health was never more valuable to the Ravens than this season. For the sixth time in nine years, he has played every game. The Ravens acknowledged their draft interest in Oklahoma State tight end Brandon Pettigrew, and they signed free agent L.J. Smith. But Pettigrew was drafted by the Detroit Lions and Smith, often injured, has made little impact.
It was up to Heap not only to be an intermediate target for Flacco, but also to help the team's offensive tackles in pass protection, especially against good pass-rushing teams. His reward is the playoffs.
"I think the most enjoyable thing is that we've got a great group of guys that understands the concepts of team, who have done what it takes to make the playoffs," he said.
This is Heap's fifth postseason with the Ravens, and at 29, he knows there are only so many in his future.
"The further on you get in your career, you realize the limited amount of opportunities you really do have, and they're not easy to come by," Heap said. "I haven't played in a Super Bowl yet, and that's one of the things I wanted to accomplish before my career is over. You realize you need to really relish these moments, and when you put yourself in that situation to be successful, you want to take advantage of it."
DeCosta sticking around
According to a report on NFL Network, Ravens director of player personnel Eric DeCosta has declined an interview to become the general manager for the Seattle Seahawks. He was one of four finalists for the job and was scheduled to interview next week.
The fact that he withdrew his name suggests DeCosta is comfortable with his long-term future in Baltimore, where he could be in line to become general manager Ozzie Newsome's successor when Newsome retires. Neither Newsome nor DeCosta has spoken about the Seattle position.
No focus on flags
In his final meeting with the media this week, coach John Harbaugh again addressed the perception that the Ravens have to fight not only the Patriots, but the officials as well.
"We don't believe that," he said. "We're going to go play the football game. We've got a tough, hard-nosed, hard-playing bunch of guys. We play good, clean football, and we're capable of playing good, clean, smart football."
It's a family affair
The first cousin of Ravens running back Willis McGahee is Patriots rookie cornerback Darius Butler. Although they are good friends, McGahee said there will be no advice this week.
"I don't want to give him any playoff advice because if I give him playoff advice, that means we're out of it and they're still in it," McGahee said. "So the thing is, good luck. That's my playoff advice."
Modell misses out
Art Modell, the former majority owner of the Ravens, didn't make the cut as the Hall of Fame committee announced its 17 finalists. Shannon Sharpe, who played tight end for the Ravens in 2000 and 2001, was named a finalist for the second straight season.
The selection committee will announce the inductees Feb. 6, the day before the Super Bowl.
Modell has been a semifinalist for six of the past seven years. His candidacy has been a hot-button issue with voters because of his unpopular relocation of the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore in 1996.
Modell was a finalist for the Hall of Fame in 2001. He was a semifinalist in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010.
The Ravens' majority owner from 1996 to 2004, Modell sold the team to Steve Bisciotti. He is now a minority owner of the Ravens.
Besides Sharpe, the other 16 finalists are: wide receiver-returner Tim Brown; receiver Cris Carter; coach Don Coryell; running back Roger Craig; center Dermontti Dawson; defensive end Richard Dent; guard Russ Grimm; defensive end-linebacker Charles Haley; linebacker Rickey Jackson; defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy; cornerback-coach Dick LeBeau; running back Floyd Little; defensive tackle John Randle; receiver Andre Reed; receiver Jerry Rice; and running back Emmitt Smith.
Injury report; Moss sits
The Ravens aced the week's final injury report Friday. All injured players practiced, and all are listed as probable for the game. Although Flacco had a slight limp in the locker room and left practice 10 minutes early for treatment on his bruised hip, he said the hip "feels great right now. I've just got to make sure it stays that way."
Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata (ankle), linebacker Jarret Johnson (back), safety Ed Reed (groin) and right guard Marshal Yanda (right knee) all had full participation in Friday's practice.
The one notable absence from the Patriots' practice was wide receiver Randy Moss, although it was not injury-related. Quarterback Tom Brady made the injury report again for his right shoulder, right finger and rib, but practiced. Moss and Brady are listed as probable.
Baltimore Sun reporters Jamison Hensley and Edward Lee contributed to this article.