When the name Tony Gonzalez comes to mind, I think of consistency, I think of a high motor, a guy who was always ready to play and someone who was always trying to be the best offensive player on the field for his team. He did that and quickly became a household name in his career. For 17 years, he was a guy that set the standard to play the position of tight end. Now, we can celebrate this man as he has been named a first-ballot Hall of Famer and will be inducted in Canton, Ohio in August this year.
Tony Gonzalez is the most dominant tight end I’ve ever seen play the game. When you needed a guy to display that ice in his veins to make a play when your team needed it, that was number 88. He’s also one of the smartest players I’ve seen play his position because he used his basketball background on the gridiron, and it showed. Standing at 6’5, it was almost as if he was posting up or boxing out anyone trying to defend him. He was excellent when releasing off the line of scrimmage, He always found a way to get open whether it was a man to man look or finding the soft spot in a zone scheme. He knew how to operate in open space. Tony always seemed to do his best damage in the red zone, and you knew when the football was headed in his direction, he was catching it. When he dunked that football in between the goal post, you knew he just scored. He paved the way for basketball players to play football. Look at Antonio Gates, Jimmy Graham and Julius Thomas. All basketball players who became tight ends in the NFL.
Tony Gonzalez played the first 12 years of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs and established himself as the best playing the position. He would go to finish the final five years of his career with the Atlanta Falcons where he was still playing at a high level even at an advanced age where guys tend to break down. I loved every second that I was able to watch him play. Watching someone become a legend and someone perfect his craft so consistently over the years. This is a well-deserved honor for one of the all-time greats.
