"Since the Ravens moved to Baltimore for the 1996 season, only running back Jamal Lewis and quarterback Kyle Boller have taken more vicious hits than tight end Todd Heap.

So last week when some teammates were vacationing, Heap was seeing a chiropractor about neck and shoulder injuries. He also got acupuncture, muscle stimulus and ultrasound treatments.

When the Ravens returned to work Monday, Heap was back on the field and as good as new. Well, almost.

"I got a little rest, a little treatment and I feel good," said Heap, declaring himself fit for Sunday's game against Miami. "My legs feel good and my body feels good. I'm ready to go."

Before the bye week, there were major concerns about Heap's health. In the third quarter of the Buffalo game on Oct. 24, Heap dropped at the line of scrimmage without being touched as if a sniper shot him from the upper deck of M&T Bank Stadium.

Heap later returned, but came out in the fourth quarter when he had muscle spasms around his neck and shoulders. The injuries first occurred on Oct. 17 after a helmet-to-helmet collision with New England safety Brandon Meriweather.

"I was in a lot of pain at that moment, but I wanted to go back in and see how I felt," said Heap of the Buffalo incident. "Once it went into spasm and later stinger mode, that's when I called it a day."

If I were Heap, I would have retired by now. In fact, as soon as I came off the field against Buffalo, I would have acted like boxer Roberto Duran, and uttered "no mas" to coach John Harbaugh.

But Heap is different. Once criticized for being soft earlier in his career in Baltimore, he has become the team's ultimate tough guy. With Heap, though, there are no pretenses like listening to hard rock and banging his head on lockers before the game.

He hasn't been tazed a couple of times for money like offensive tackle Marshal Yanda, or become the team bodyguard like Haloti Ngata. Heap just gets mangled every week from acrobatic catches.

Years have been taken off his life from high passes he hauled in from quarterback Kyle Boller, and Joe Flacco has hung Heap up a couple of times this year, too. Three years ago after the AFC championship game, Heap left the stadium bent over.

"The body is usually pretty sore on Monday mornings," Heap said. "You have different weeks. I've had some Monday mornings where it's hard to get out of bed, and some where I'm ready to go."

You wonder why he keeps playing. He has been one of the best tight ends of his era, and has become a legend here. He has two Pro Bowls, is good looking and intelligent enough to succeed in just about any field in which he chooses."