Tight end competition is tough, but rookie Will Heller's blocking skills have garnered attention.
By ROGER MILLS
Published August 7, 2003
LAKE BUENA VISTA - He looks like Paul Bunyan in shoulder pads. Large, innocent and immovable. And so far, months into his pro career, rookie tight end Will Heller is proving to be immovable at the line of scrimmage.
All he has to do is work on his grasp of the offense.
"I would say things are moving fairly well," Heller said. "I'm just trying to catch on to the system as quickly as possible and now we're getting into the game-plan phase so now I'm learning how to adjust to that. We're playing against some new guys, as opposed to the Tampa defense."
In an offense that loves tight ends and seems always to have room for more, Heller is working toward earning a spot on the final roster. It is a long shot for an undrafted free agent, but he has caught the eye of coaches.
"For good and bad, Will's name is popping up," tight ends coach Art Valero said. "It's like most rookies. But he has done a great job since coming here back in May. He's studied the offense and now he's going to get an opportunity to play in games and go through practice and block against the best defense in the world. For all rookies, he has to work on everything.
"Now, what's catching other people's eyes is his blocking. He's doing a good job blocking. He's not doing a great job, but a good job and he's getting better at it."
At 6 feet 6, 266 pounds, Heller has the shoulders of a Titan and has been known to throw a few titanic blocks.
"I would say I'm a blocking tight end who can catch," Heller said. "I came from a college system where I was used primarily as a blocker and it was important to that system. So, now I'm trying to adjust my game in terms of pass catching. I want to be able to contribute."
A veteran of 39 games at Georgia Tech, Heller primarily was a blocking menace. He started 10 games and had 17 career receptions for 185 yards and one TD.
Since signing with the Bucs on April 28, Heller has been buried in the playbook.
"The day they called me, I started thinking about what I have to do to make the team," he said. "Once you get here and start playing and learning the speed of the game and how they play at this level, you start really working on things and not worrying about that."
Veteran tight end Ken Dilger said Heller is holding his own considering the circumstances.
"There is so much going into his brain," Dilger said. "I know what he's thinking about. He's thinking about getting ready for practice, playing, his techniques, knowing the plays, knowing the formations and shifts. There's a lot going through his mind. I was in the same boat last year and I was an eight-year vet. So, I can't imagine what he's been going through as a rookie."
Dilger, Rickey Dudley and Todd Yoder played for the Bucs last season and are ahead of Heller on the depth chart. The Bucs had four tight ends on the roster last season, but it is a spot commonly held for a special teams player.
The Bucs plan to give Heller an opportunity on special teams. He played every special teams play in the preseason opener against the Jets and will be given the same chances Friday against the Dolphins.
"He's a big, thick, raw-boned kid, who's got great height and range," Valero said. "He's a very quiet person who doesn't say a lot.
"He's an engineering major so he's very analytical. Like any engineer, once he's diagnosed it, he's got it."
