Tight End

He is not usually the first tight end picked in fantasy football and is often an afterthought in conversations about who is the best, or even second best, at his position in the NFL. It is nothing new for the Ravens' Todd Heap. Taken with the next-to-last pick in the first round of the 2001 draft, Heap has caught more balls than any other tight end in the past five years aside from the Kansas City Chiefs' Tony Gonzalez and the New York Giants' Jeremy Shockey So why does it seem as if Heap, who has twice been selected to play in the Pro Bowl, doesn't generate the kind of attention outside the confines of M&T Bank Stadium that seem to follow players such as Shockey and the Cleveland Browns' Kellen Winslow?

The Ravens and New England Patriots agreed to a deal yesterday that would send tight end Lovett Purnell to Baltimore in exchange for the Ravens' sixth-round pick in the 1999 draft, the 180th choice overall.Ravens vice president of player personnel Ozzie Newsome and coach Brian Billick confirmed that the deal was close to being completed, with both teams basically waiting for the league to give final approval. Purnell, 26, has agreed to a one-year offer from the Ravens worth about $500,000.

Ravens tight end Brian Kinchen was beginning to feel like an invisible player.Two years ago, Kinchen caught a career-high 55 passes. But after Eric Green arrived in 1996 and got healthy last year, Kinchen's role in the offense never stopped shrinking. Until yesterday, Kinchen had only appeared occasionally in a two-tight-end set, and had not touched the ball on offense.That changed after Green left the game in the first half with a punctured lung. Suddenly, the 11-year veteran from LSU was back in the game plan.

Ravens tight end Eric Green has been listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Oakland Raiders because of a dislocated left pinkie suffered during practice Wednesday.Green injured the finger after getting his hand caught in a jersey while blocking on a running play. It was initially believed to be jammed, but because of the twisting way in which it was hurt, Green ended up needing surgery Wednesday night.In the operation, performed by team physician Dr. C. T. Moorman III and Dr. Andy Eglseder, a hand specialist, at Maryland Shock Trauma Center, the bone had to be extricated from soft tissue that had twisted around it.Green's finger was put in a cast to hold it in place.

With each crunching block, with each pass reception, with each display of athleticism so rare for a man so big, Ravens tight end Eric Green creeps closer to the player he used to be.The Ravens will gladly accept a reasonable facsimile of the player who threatened to terrorize the NFL for years when he broke into the league with Pittsburgh in 1990.Consider that, as a first-round draft pick out of Liberty, Green made five of his first seven NFL catches count for touchdowns. Three seasons later, he played in the first of back-to-back Pro Bowls.

HOUSTON -- The big guys up front had cleared things out, so Frank Wycheck didn't have to think once, let alone twice. There was nothing to size up, no adjustments to make. All the Oilers H-back/tight end had to do was react.Wycheck's job? Clear out the last obstacle between Ronnie Harmon and the goal line -- in this case, Ravens middle linebacker Ray Lewis. The matchup? It wasn't even close.Thirty minutes after the game, Lewis was sitting in front of his locker still trying to soothe his aching backside.

The Ravens, seeking to upgrade their tight end position, talked with former Pittsburgh Steelers standout Eric Green yesterday, and will get a visit from former New York Jet Johnny Mitchell today.Green met with coach Ted Marchibroda and Ozzie Newsome, the Ravens' vice president of player personnel, at the team's Owings Mills complex.Green, 6 feet 5, 305 pounds, a six-year veteran who played for Miami last year after spending his first five seasons with Pittsburgh, has been one of the NFL's most productive tight ends of the 1990s.

He played surprisingly well Sunday, heard the same nagging questions Monday.Can't make big plays.Can't handle the workload.Can't last as the Ravens' starting tight end."I don't think that comes from anyone on the staff," Brian Kinchen said. "I know the guys that coach me believe in me."You listen to him, you sense his commitment, you recognize that his entire career has been an exercise in mind over matter.You almost don't want to tell him what coach Ted Marchibroda said:"He really had a fine ballgame.

Every year a team tries to cut Brian Kinchen, whether it's the Miami Dolphins, the Cleveland Browns or the Ravens.Kinchen, 6 feet 2 and 240 pounds, is not your prototype tight end. He is either too short, not big enough or too slow. Or he can't block or run deep routes . . .It's always something."I've gotten used to it," said Kinchen. "Every year I get the runaround about my status, so I expect it. But if I get a level playing field, I expect to win."Kinchen is a winner because he is a survivor of eight years in the NFL after being selected in the 12th round by the Dolphins in 1988.

QuarterbacksBobby Hoying, 6-3 1/2 , 226, Ohio State: Stock soared in his senior year when he threw 28 touchdown passes and was intercepted only 11 times, but he doesn't have the arm to be a top pro prospect.Danny Kanell, 6-4, 216, Florida State: Passed for 2,871 and 2,957 yards the past two years and has a nice touch on timing patterns, but he lacks a big arm.Tony Banks, 6-4 1/2 , 222, Michigan State: Inexperienced and sidelined with a sprained ankle for three games last year, but he has the physical tools to improve with proper coaching.

Minnesota tight end Visanthe Shiancoe wears Vikings purple, but his heart is still close to Morgan State's orange and blue. "I take a lot of pride when it comes to representing Morgan State in the NFL," said Shiancoe, whose Vikings will face the Ravens on Sunday. "Whenever someone asks me, 'What school did you go to?' I tell them, 'Morgan State.' My experience at Morgan State was extremely good when it comes to academics and football and friendships and relationships." One of the best players produced by the Bears program, Shiancoe, 29, is beginning to mark out his own path in the NFL. Shiancoe, 6 feet 4 and 250 pounds, has caught 13 passes for 116 yards and a team-leading three touchdowns this season.

Whether it's the presence of veteran Kelley Washington or a lack of productivity in practice, Demetrius Williams has been relegated to onlooker status through the Ravens' first two games. The fourth-year receiver has yet to catch a pass this season. He was targeted once in the team's season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, and he did not play in the team's 31-26 victory over the San Diego Chargers on Sunday. "I can't really do anything about it," said Williams, the club's fourth-round draft pick in 2006.

The Ravens' 2008 season had just ended in frigid Pittsburgh in January, and Todd Heap, a solitary figure along an empty row of lockers inside Heinz Field, was among the last players to dress. He sat there, rigid, struggling at length to pull on a pair of jeans. The dazed expression in his eyes mirrored the pain in his lower back. This was Heap's January reality: paralyzing back pain, sleepless nights and endless painkillers to get him through the days and the nights and the games. This was Heap's reality last Sunday: pain-free, romping through the Kansas City Chiefs' secondary for five catches and one big touchdown, while a repeated chorus of "HEAP" rolled through the stadium.

The Ravens' receiving corps took another hit Tuesday when veteran Derrick Mason dislocated the middle finger on his right hand trying to scoop up a low throw from quarterback Joe Flacco. Mason suffered the injury during the team's morning practice, went to the locker room for treatment and returned later in street clothes with a wrap on the finger. Coach John Harbaugh said Mason jammed the finger but that "we don't anticipate any problems." Whether Mason, 35 and in his 13th season, will play in Thursday's preseason opener against the Washington Redskins is uncertain, but the shortage of wide-outs could be problematic.

L.J. Smith is learning that some labels are stickier than others. For a few years when he played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Smith had developed a reputation as one of the better pass-catching tight ends in the NFL. In 2005 and 2006, Smith caught a total of 111 passes for 1,293 yards and eight touchdowns. But the next two seasons were marred by injury and low production (59 total catches for 534 yards and four touchdowns), and it's that characterization that has been following Smith - who was signed by the Ravens three months ago - for longer than he would have liked.

The Ravens have begun another passing camp at The Castle, and the team hopes it will find some answers heading into training camp. Decades ago, training camp was the time for experiments. But offseason mini- and passing camps are for experimentation and installations, and training camps have become more for fine-tuning and building team chemistry. So, with that in mind, here's a look at the Top 10 questions or issues facing the Ravens before they open the season in early September at home against the Kansas City Chiefs: 1. Can receiver Demetrius Williams become the deep threat the Ravens desperately need?

The Ravens have not declared a tight end state of emergency yet, but they are keeping a cautious eye on the position. Who is the Ravens' starting tight end? Is it Todd Heap or L.J. Smith? Maybe it's Edgar Jones. No one knows for sure, and the answer might not come until after training camp when coach John Harbaugh takes a body count at the position. As of right now, Heap appears to be No. 1, followed by Smith. But if the Ravens had a game today, those two probably couldn't play because of injuries, and neither could blocking tight end Quinn Sypniewski, who had surgery last week to repair an aggravated knee injury.

INDIANAPOLIS -The NFL draft sometimes is stranger than fiction. As in Todd Heap, the best tight end of his class, falling to the Ravens as the 31st pick in 2001. Or Ed Reed, the best safety of his class, dropping to the Ravens as the 24th pick a year later. A rational voice would say that lightning won't strike three times in Baltimore in one decade, that Oklahoma State tight end Brandon Pettigrew will be long gone by the time the Ravens make the 26th pick April 25. But strange things happen in NFL draft rooms every year.

It appears the Ravens are close, possibly one player away, from a Super Bowl after a strong 2008 season that included reaching the AFC championship game. But appearances can be deceiving. The Ravens, though, are smart enough to realize it. "We're not content," said Eric DeCosta, the director of pro personnel. "We do have holes. We're not one player away. That was obvious in the Pittsburgh game [the AFC championship]. "We have a lot of question marks, but we have good leadership and we already have a good plan in place.

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson has said he wants Brett Favre to be the team's quarterback next season, but some players seem to be bristling at the thought. Days after the Jets' 1-4 finish left them out of the playoffs and helped trigger Eric Mangini's firing as coach, running back Thomas Jones blasted Favre's final-game performance and suggested the quarterback's play - nine interceptions and only two touchdown passes in the final five games - called for his benching. "We're a team and we win together ... but at the same time, you can't turn the ball over and expect to win," Jones said in an interview Tuesday with New York Hot 97 FM. Favre threw three interceptions in the Jets' season-ending 24-17 home loss to Miami that clinched the AFC East for the Dolphins.