goodbye to gonzo

After 12 seasons with the Chiefs, Tony Gonzalez is now an Atlanta Falcon. It sort of stings just to see it in print.

Tony was never my favorite Chief. I guess just because he was never the flashiest guy. Between Derrick Thomaas, Priest Holmes, Dante Hall, Larry Johnson, Dwayne Bowe there was always someone who was making the highlight reel ahead of him. But what was remarkable was how consistent he was. Every game he was good for at least 4 catches and 60 yards and was clutch when it mattered.

What stood out to me when I was watching old Chiefs' games, even as far back as the DT era in '99, was that there was Gonzalez--making plays over the middle, looking exactly the same as he does now. He's been so good for so long that you take for granted that you have a tight end that you can count on. He never dropped the ball (although he got more than his fair share of offensive interference calls) and was better than you expected of running after the catch.

He was drafted with the Chiefs' first pick in 1997 (13th overall) and has made it to the Pro Bowl 10 consecutive years and is still active (the record is 14 consecutive). 8 of those years he has recorded at least 900 receiving yards. As a tight end.

The biggest shame is that the Chiefs squandered his talent, never winning a playoff game with him in 12 years. As a rookie, Kansas City went 13-3 and was the top seed in the AFC but lost to the eventual champion Broncos in the divisional round. Gonzo had the only Chiefs' touchdown in that 10-14 loss, but he wasn't a big factor in his rookie year.

The next real chance for Tony was in 2003 when the Chiefs went 13-3 and got a first round bye. KC hosted the Colts and the offense did their job: they scored 31 and never punted. Unfortunately, the Chiefs' defense couldn't force a punt either and Indy won 38-31.

In 2005, Kansas City had a good team despite an inconsistent defense. They went 10-6 but needed the Lions to beat the Steelers to get a Wild Card berth. Of course, the Lions laid down like dogs and the Steelers went 10-6, advanced over the Chiefs on a tiebreaker, and went on to win the Super Bowl.

In 2006, in Herm Edwards' first year, the Chiefs squeaked into the playoffs with a 9-7 record. They didn't belong and were no match for the Colts. Although it didn't help that Herm benched a hot Huard and went with Old Trent Green. So Gonzalez put in 12 years of dedicated service, and game away with a 0-3 record in the playoffs to show for it.

Oh yeah, and he saved a guy from choking last year. So that's nice.

As for his place in history, he's a lock for Canton. He's owns all the career records for a tight end. As for his trade value and what he has left in him, let's compare with Shannon Sharpe (which I just realized is a really girly name--it sounds like a gymnast). Shannon played 14 years and was productive until the end, recording 770 yards and 8 scores in his final year. Also, Sharpe had 8 Pro Bowls in 14 years--Tony has 10 in 12. So the Falcons should expect to get at least 2 productive years out of him. But let's face it, Kansas City's not making a Super Bowl run in the next two years. So if they can get a player that will help the team into the 2010's, so be it. But it's a shame that he won't finish his career as only a Kansas City Chief.

Here's the 2008 highlight reel of the best tight end to ever play the game.