Todd Heap is accustomed to a comfortable, nurturing environment.
And it just so happens that Heap, the Ravens' first-round draft pick this season, landed himself a new one with the Ravens. A little over a week into his first professional training camp, the mentoring of near-certain Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe and enshrined Hall of Famer Ozzie Newsome, along with the coaching of Wade Harman and Brian Billick, have created a home-away-from-home atmosphere for the tight end.
"Every day, Coach Harman, Coach Billick, [Ravens executive] Ozzie Newsome and Shannon, they always have something to say to me," Heap said. "They coach me up. They find little things that really help me, and really make me look at things differently."
The motivation for Sharpe? He wants to see the same plays the Ravens run for him entrusted to Heap once he retires.
"He knows I'm going to try and pass along all the information that I've accumulated over my 12-year career," Sharpe said. "So, hopefully, by the time Brian tells him to step up, he's ready."
Heap's biggest problems so far are minor - a bit of homesickness and a poke in the eye that forced him out of yesterday's practices. Heap will return today with a protective shield in his facemask.
Outside of that, Heap is on schedule to be the second tight end behind Sharpe.
In fact, according to head coach Billick's best-case scenario, Heap could wind up with 40 catches this season, with many receptions coming out of a two-tight end set.
"That might be stretching it a little bit," Billick said. "But he's capable of that."
The first nine days of training camp have produced some highlights for Heap, among them a 17-yard touchdown catch in Friday's scrimmage. The number of drops can be counted on one hand, and Heap has done a decent job at finding the soft spots in the defense during drills.
"He's getting off the ball quick, catching the ball and picking things up real well," tight ends coach Harman said. "We've got more than we would have in for a normal game plan now, and he is handling it well. There [are] still a few wrinkles we have to make sure he gets some reps in on. But his development has been great."
Said Heap: "I feel good about how I'm improving. I'm getting better every day, picking up a few things. As long as I keep doing that, then I'll be happy with myself, but I'm never going to be satisfied. Sometimes, I come off the practice field and I'm upset because there is one thing I didn't do right. I'm not at the point where I want to be at yet, but I'm getting there."
That last statement can be applied to Heap's personal life, too. He's never lived more than 20 minutes from his home in Mesa, Ariz., a short trip from Arizona State in Tempe. He and his wife, Ashley, have been married for less than a month, and the two have already purchased a house in Maryland.
Even with the sudden move east, Heap keeps in daily contact with his family, which includes five siblings.
"It's hard going from a place where you have so much support, you have so many people around you," Heap said. "You can drop everything and go home to your family. But you come here, and it's just me and my wife, and we're doing everything on our own.
"Every day, I have something to say to them. The first week was difficult. You just want to have someone to talk about it, to help you get through it."
Heap, 21, met Ashley, who some think resembles pop singer Britney Spears, in junior high school, and the two started dating in college. She has become somewhat of a cult figure on Internet Ravens bulletin boards after the couple were featured on last week's debut of the Home Box Office series on the Ravens.
"It's pretty funny," Heap said. "I don't think she wanted any of that. But it's something you have to deal with."
Which is how Heap is approaching many things this camp. He is just dealing with being away from his family for an extended time for the first time, with trying to find time for his wife and with having to follow Sharpe's outstanding career.
"I look at it from my perspective, that I put pressure on myself," Heap said. "I don't listen to what other people say or be influenced by the expectations of other people. I put the pressure on myself. I expect myself to be the next great tight end."
