Tony Gonzalez In The Background, But Still An Important Piece For Falcons

by Dave Choate on Aug 30, 2011 2:05 PM EDT in Falcons News

The Atlanta Falcons will pass in 2011. The focus has rightly been on Roddy White, Julio Jones and Harry Douglas who have the potential to form a sort of elite wide receiver Voltron. One with only three pieces, but still.

While the spotlight shines brightly on that tremendous trio, Tony Gonzalez toils in silence. Gonzo is a Hall of Famer, so you would think it would be difficult to look past him. But it has happened throughout this off-season, because there are a lot of young, exciting guys on the Falcons.

The argument against counting on him for much more than a minimal offensive contribution is obvious: Gonzo is getting older and seemingly a half-step slower by the season. When I put the question of his value out to Twitter yesterday, I got a response from Defy_Reality that I think sums up that perspective.

There's little doubt that Reggie Kelly and Michael Palmer are going to get snaps. The Falcons will likely get Palmer on the field more often in 2011 to see if he's a long-term piece, as a guy who can catch passes and block perfectly well. Even practice squad candidate Marquez Branson could get a few snaps this season, because his upside is tremendous. Assuming, since I got ahead of myself, that he does stick with the Falcons.

Yet Gonzo isn't going away. The team now has multiple deep threats, so Gonzo fulfills a different role. He's the guy who can run short routes and muscle his way to extra yardage. He's the guy who can exploit matchups against coverage-averse tight ends and safeties. He's by far the best tight end the Falcons have, and as such he'll be on the field all the time.

After all, though his yards per reception average fell to an anemic 9.4, Gonzo still reeled in 70 passes and six touchdowns in 2010. Even if those numbers take a hit, he remains a great short threat and a suitably gigantic red zone target.

That's enough to ensure that Gonzalez will still be an integral part of the offense in 2011, in my mind. Do you agree?

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Comments

Totally agree with everything here.

I think this will be TG’s last go at it, to be honest. First ballot HOF’er for sure, and has been very integral in the development of Matt Ryan and the Falcons as a whole. This year we will obviously be passing more often, and let’s not kid ourselves, other team’s defenses will attempt to adjust. I imagine Gonzalez will rarely shine, if ever, this year in the statbook, but he will continue to bring one key aspect of his game every week, CONSISTENCY.

Teams can attempt to stack the box to stop Turner on short yardage plays, and TG will continue to outmatch opposing linebackers for critical yards (assuming Mularkey doesn’t call the trademarked “Turner up the middle on 2” too often). While Matt Ryan spreads the field with Roddy, Julio and HD, Gonzalez will still provide a security blanket underneath the coverage against stingy pass defenses.

In short, I think he will continue to be just as important in the past, simply for two reasons. Leadership and consistency. For those reasons alone, I expect big things from TG, but don’t expect them to reflect in the statbook all too often.

by CubFan90 on Aug 30, 2011 2:16 PM EDT reply actions

Third and long and Redzone

I think Gonzo will continue to be a go-to guy for third and long and the redzone. He may not have the speed he once did, but he still has great hands and the instincts to know where he can hide in coverage. He’s shown an incredible chemistry with Matt – and that doesn’t get replaced overnight.

I don’t think his numbers will improve, but I would think his opportunities will be more meaningful.

by The DW on Aug 30, 2011 2:26 PM EDT reply actions

His only prob at this point is that he can't run.

0.00 YAR. He catches the ball and falls down but hey he usually catches it except for exactly once a game. I’m glad hes here but he won’t be hard to replace.

Rule #1: Double tap.

by Ball Hawk on Aug 30, 2011 2:41 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

TG has NEVER been

big YAR (yards after reception) TE though. He has consistently averaged between four and five YAR for his entire career.

by mwalex on Aug 30, 2011 5:09 PM EDT up reply actions

4 or 5 YAR sounds good to me

" Ryan back to pass, He throws it long, he's going deep to Julio on his first snap! HE CAUGHT IT, HE CAUGHT IT! JJ's dragging the safety into the endzone with him! TOUCHDOWN FALCONS! TOUCHDOWN JULIO JONES!! HIS FIRST ONE IN THE NFL, AND I GOT A FEELING THE FIRST OF MANY MANY MORE TO COME FOLKS!! I GOTTA SAY IT FOLKS - JJ......... IS.......... DY - NO - MITE!!

by ATLsince1972 on Aug 31, 2011 9:16 AM EDT up reply actions

that actually is really good for a TE

know what you believe in and why you believe in it

by MentallyMIA on Aug 31, 2011 1:33 PM EDT up reply actions

michel vick

why can t we get m/v off of our web site , i don;t care about him and i don;t won;t him on the falcons website. he;s a piece of trash that doesn; tneed to be brought up any more with this club, we are still feeling the effects of the embarrasment that he caused, please don t put anymore trash on the webb site

by east side steve on Aug 30, 2011 6:36 PM EDT reply actions

FALCON S

YEA MARLARKY NEEDS TO GO TO SCHOOL ON LEARNING HOW TO MANIPULATE DEFENCES, DO SOME END AROUNDS FLARE OUTS SOMETHING DIFFERANT THAN M/TURNER UP IN MIDDLE OF 15 PEOPLE.WHERE HE STOP S DEAD

by east side steve on Aug 30, 2011 6:44 PM EDT reply actions

Appreciate the comments, please no caps lock

by Dave Choate on Aug 30, 2011 7:09 PM EDT up reply actions

Caps lock must be really annoying to people

I just got scolded at work for typing in all caps lol

by leonw92 on Aug 30, 2011 7:43 PM EDT up reply actions

I JUST SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE YELLING.

All of the time. It’s obnoxious.

by PurpleDRANKnotJUICE on Aug 30, 2011 11:07 PM EDT up reply actions

SEEMS like you are YELLING

not SOUNDS…..

I’m NOT ANGRY… I’m politely CORRECTING you…

know what you believe in and why you believe in it

by MentallyMIA on Aug 31, 2011 1:34 PM EDT up reply actions

Tony G's value

can’t be overstated. He’s such a great role model and class act. He seems to embrace his mentorship role and I’ll bet his attitude has positively affected all of those guys in the locker room

Fear does not exist in this dojo, does it? NO, SENSEI! Pain does not exist in this dojo, does it? NO, SENSEI! Defeat does not exist in this dojo, does it? NO SENSEI! - John Kreese, Kobra Kai

by DonnyBrasco on Aug 30, 2011 7:31 PM EDT reply actions

TG is still a reliable weapon for Matty.

I think he’ll retire if we have success in the postseason, but I think he’s a great asset to the team, both on and off the field. I would hope that our front office would offer him a position on their staff when he does finally call it quits. I can’t think of a player I’d rather see coaching than TG.

Thanks for the “No All Caps” post, Dave. It gets really annoying on other sites.

by drmondo667 on Aug 30, 2011 7:34 PM EDT reply actions

Hai, so desu!

I think this beast of a passing game will help Turner, too.

by YokoFalcon on Aug 30, 2011 7:41 PM EDT reply actions

TG's role

The good news is that this year, he won’t have the be the 2nd option on routes. That now becomes JJ’s spot. Now TG can become the possession receiver he’s meant to be, and he’ll be going against LB’s most of the time because safeties will have to cover JJ and Roddy. TG’s going to have a better year than last year I believe.

by ndnpride8806 on Aug 30, 2011 10:23 PM EDT reply actions

I agree.

The more nickel and dime D’s we will face because of JJ and HD should help TG with mismatch opportunities.

by SmokeyBell on Aug 31, 2011 8:37 AM EDT up reply actions

Falcons, with TG, can guarantee themselves a:

Fantastic blocker,
Big body in end zone,
Sure catch almost anywhere,
Savvy route runner,
Safety valve for Ryan,
Great mentor,
Great leader,
Great person,
All Pro Science nut,
Mexican (jk).

Is he replaceable? Prolly.
But would we be guaranteed to be better off? Prolly not. Try duplicating that list with someone else.

by PurpleDRANKnotJUICE on Aug 30, 2011 11:14 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs