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US Presswire
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September 10, 2012
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Dennis Pitta looks poised to break out, and you should probably go grab him for your fantasy team.
As Joe Flacco changed into his civilian clothes, the greatest tight end in franchise history stood several feet away, chatting with old friends in the locker room. Todd Heap, who played for the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, was in Baltimore for Art Modell's funeral and attended the game. He spoke briefly with Dennis Pitta, one of his eventual replacements here a season ago and a young player who is often compared to Heap because of his soft hands, and, to be honest, because he is a big, white Mormon guy who gets along great with Flacco. "The white tight end, baby!" was what Terrell Suggs gleefully called Pitta when Suggs was miked up last Thanksgiving.
Heap quickly earned Flacco's trust after the quarterback was drafted in 2008, and now Pitta, and fellow 2010 draft pick Ed Dickson, have done the same. Dickson was the starter last year, playing 399 more snaps than Pitta, according to Pro Football Focus. But Pitta saw more playing time against the Bengals -- to be fair, it could be injury-related, as Dickson is recovering from a sprained shoulder suffered in the preseason opener -- and made the most of the opportunity.
Flacco targeted Pitta nine times -- four more than Anquan Boldin, who was second with five targets -- and Pitta caught five passes for a career-high 73 yards and a touchdown. He lined up all over the field, including in the slot, where he could be Baltimore's answer to New England's Aaron Hernandez. His third-quarter touchdown grab was a beauty; Flacco's 10-yard touchdown pass was in the air for three seconds before Pitta outleaped a Bengals defender to bring it in.
"I had a smaller guy on me and Joe saw a mismatch and I just kind of was able to box him out a little bit, and Joe put the ball up where only I would be able to go up and get it. ... Joe did a great job," said Pitta, who later joked that he had to say that because Flacco was within earshot.
A moment later, Flacco ridiculed Pitta for falling down during one play early in the first quarter.
Their chemistry was obvious on the field Monday night, too, and it looks like Pitta, who said his surgically repaired hand felt fine after the game, seems poised to have a productive season. If you are an avid fantasy football player like I am and need a tight end, you might want to put in a waiver claim for Pitta before Wednesday morning. Because as Suggs put it last Thanksgiving, the white tight end is like American Express -- he is everywhere Joe Flacco wants him to be.
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