Heiden will again carrry much of the load

[89rabbit]

One of SDSU's favorite sons will be a big part of the Browns offense again this season.  Here are highlights from an ESPN story.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/column...C-DT9705204233

Heinrich also undergoes ACL surgery

By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com


BEREA, Ohio – One of the few remaining ambulatory tight ends on the Cleveland Browns roster, six-year veteran Steve Heiden walked though the locker room on Tuesday afternoon sporting a T-shirt that bore the following message across its back: "Get Your Mind Right."

But as the Browns conclude a mini-camp this week, the final mandatory activity before training camp starts in late July, it's the bodies at tight end – or, more accurately, the dwindling numbers – that are of far more concern.

Head coach Romeo Crennel revealed following practice that three-year veteran Keith Heinrich had undergone surgery earlier in the day to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament -- the same day that Kellen Winslow underwent a procedure to repair the ACL tear that he sustained during his now-infamous motorcycle accident.  .  .  .

"Maybe we are a little jinxed (at tight end)," allowed Heiden, who figures to again share the position with Aaron Shea. "We've sure had some problems, haven't we?"

The Browns signed free agent Keith Willis last week, giving them a fourth healthy tight end on the roster. But Willis and rookie free agent Paul Irons have zero regular-season appearances between them, leaving the bulk of the work once again to Heiden and Shea.  

In truth, the pair is considerably better than most outsiders likely realize. They're part of what cornerback Gary Baxter, one of the Browns' key offseason free agency additions, refers to as the "hidden talent" on the roster. Last season, with Winslow sidelined for the final 14 games because of a broken ankle, Shea and Heiden combined for 54 receptions and nine touchdown catches. If they can duplicate those numbers, the Cleveland coaches likely will be pleased, said Crennel, who was typically pragmatic about the loss of Winslow.  .  .  .





Age: 28
Born: September 21, 1976, Rushford, MN
Experience: 7 years
College: South Dakota State

Height: 6-5
Weight: 265 lbs.
Pos: Tight End


Best of luck to Steve!

Go State!  ;D

[MilwaukeeJacksAlum]

Re: Heiden will again carrry much of the load

I was just talking to Steve last week about all of this. He said his role won't really change much regardless of Winslow's injury, etc.

Before Winslow was hurt, the plan was to have Steve play in most of the 1st and 2nd down sets and all 2 TE sets. Winslow would have been the 3rd and long TE and would have handled most of the receiving duties. If you watched any of the Browns games last year, you'd have noticed Steve played a similar role last year and has played that role since he signed with the Chargers. Like last year, Shea will again be filling the receiving TE role. The reason why he doesn't get much love in his receiving skills is because he's so d@mned good at blocking. He is a force as a run blocker and is just as good at pass blocking. Thus, he's been type-casted as a blocking TE. Not a bad thing to be known for. Lets just hope more teams come out against the Browns with a cover 2 package. It was against the Bengals and their Cover 2 last season where he piled up those 90+ yards and 3 TDs while basically running seam routes down the hashes.