If you have a question about the AFC North, send it to [url="http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/mailbag/_/id/40250/jamison-hensley"][color="#225db7"]my mailbag[/color][/url]. It's Saturday morning, so let's open up some mail ...

[b]Nick T. from Chicago writes:[/b] Do you think [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13228/jermaine-gresham"][color="#225db7"]Jermaine Gresham[/color][/url] is the best tight end in the AFC North? I don't think any team in the AFC North has had a standout tight end for quite some time. Is Jermaine that guy?

[b]Jamison Hensley responds:[/b] Gresham certainly has the highest ceiling of the tight ends in the AFC North right now. The one-handed touchdown grab last Sunday was a flash of his athletic ability. What separates Gresham from a lot of tight ends is his big-play potential. He has had a catch of at least 22 yards in three of four games this season and he's on pace to have the most receiving yards of any Bengals tight end since [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/395/tony-mcgee"][color="#225db7"]Tony McGee[/color][/url] in 1995.

The best tight end in the AFC North for the past decade has been [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/2579/todd-heap"][color="#225db7"]Todd Heap[/color][/url]. By the time he finished his 10-year run with the Ravens, his 467 career catches ranked 12th all-time among tight ends. He also left as the franchise's leader in touchdown catches. Heap is the standard for all tight ends in the AFC North (I didn't say AFC Central) to measure themselves by.

This isn't to say there aren't other promising tight ends in the division. The Ravens' [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13272/ed-dickson"][color="#225db7"]Ed Dickson[/color][/url] is another big-play threat who is currently tied with Gresham with 16 catches. The Browns' [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/11870/evan-moore"][color="#225db7"]Evan Moore[/color][/url] is more than solid but he's been underused recently. And the Steelers' [url="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/8444/heath-miller"][color="#225db7"]Heath Miller[/color][/url] has been consistent yet not spectacular over the years. At this point, Gresham is at the top of the AFC North class in terms of tight ends.



[url="http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/32976/afc-north-mailbag-90"]http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/32976/afc-north-mailbag-90[/url]

Suck it, bitches. Our guy rules.

[quote name='mongo' timestamp='1318077009' post='1041619']
Suck it, bitches. Our guy rules.
[/quote]
Yeah! And while Heap was good when healthy, he was never healthy.

I don't think he's being used as much as he should be!

[quote name='Rumble In the Jungle' timestamp='1318084536' post='1041634']
I don't think he's being used as much as he should be!
[/quote]
I read that he was having issues with being at the right place when he should be. Could be an issue as to why he's not getting more opportunities to touch the ball.

i like this new espn blog guy