Tony Gonzalez Biography
By Loot, NFL Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
When the discussion of “greatest tight end” comes up, Tony Gonzalez’ name will be right at the top of the conversation. In fact, no tight end can really touch his offensive production. It is quite unusual for a tight end to be able to compete numerically with the great wide receivers in history, but Tony Gonzalez has broken the mold.
Gonzalez was off-the-charts in consistency, durability, and longevity. Starting in his 3rd season, he was always between 652-1258 yards, usually toward the higher end of the scale. From 2000-2012, he missed only one game. And at an age when most players were winding down, Gonzalez continued to be one of the best at his position.
Gonzalez is one of the purer athletes to ever play at the tight end position. He was also a good basketball player and played in college during his time at Cal. At 6’5” and over 250 pounds, he was an athlete cut from stone--a total natural. He had agility and speed that belied his imposing stature. As a testament to his accomplishments on the field, not only does he hold most tight end records, he also holds receiving records. He is the only receiver to have 14 consecutive seasons with at least 60 catches and to have 600 yards receiving in 15 straight seasons.
Gonzalez went to high school in Los Angeles, before enrolling at Cal. He passed on his final year of eligibility to declare for the draft after two productive seasons with the Golden Bears. Considered a top prospect, he was chosen 13th by the Kansas City Chiefs. His rookie season of 1997 was slow, with only 33 catches and 368 yards. But slowly, Gonzalez rounded into shape. He caught 59 passes for 621 in 1998. In 1999, he upped his totals to 76 catches and 848 yards, including 11 touchdowns. Gonzalez had arrived as one of the league’s better tight ends and he hadn’t even gotten started yet.
In 2000, Gonzalez cracked the 1000-yard barrier for the first time with an incredible 93 catches and 1203 yards. By now, he was considered the best in the business. And it kept going and going and going. There may be some tight ends who can compete with Gonzalez in a window of 4-5 years, but Gonzalez stands above them all by being able to do it year after year, seemingly forever. And he never seemed to get old.
BET ON NFL FOOTBALL GAMES USING YOUR CREDIT CARD AT ONE OF THE OLDEST AND BIGGEST ONLINE BETTING SITES: BOVADA SPORTSBOOK
Kansas City made it to the playoffs in Gonzalez’ rookie season, before not getting to the postseason for the next 5 seasons. Gonzalez never really had a chance to establish himself as a big-game force during his years in KC. He played for the Chiefs for 12 seasons and their postseason record during that time was a dismal 0-2.
Still, it was hard to ignore the excellence of Gonzalez, as he continued putting up great seasons of productivity. In 2004, he led the NFL with 102 catches to go along with a career-high 1258 yards. Gonzalez kept it up and after catching 96 balls in 2008 at the age of 32, he became a Pro Bowler for the 9th consecutive time. In Gonzalez’ final two years with the Chiefs, they were 6-26. The losing had to be wearing on the consummate veteran. Finally, Gonzalez’ request to be traded was granted and he was sent to the Atlanta Falcons.
When Gonzalez was traded to the Atlanta Falcons, it looked like a customary rite of passage, when a longtime member of one team goes to another team to play out the role in uninspired fashion. That wasn’t the case with Gonzalez, who was far from finished. Despite being 33 in his first year in Atlanta, he became a favorite target and continued putting up the same big numbers he had in Kansas City.
To put Gonzalez’ strength as a ball-catching tight end into perspective, he has the second-highest yardage gaining tight end beaten by over 4000 yards. Whereas no other tight end is in the top 40 all-time in career yardage, Gonzalez is giving the top-five a run for their money. His honors are numerous and it’s difficult to imagine some is his records for the position ever being touched. It’s a shame such a great player has only been on a team that won a playoff game once in his whole career, but that’s not his fault. You can’t ask for a better tight end than Tony Gonzalez.
