JOE POSNANSKI

Everyone was drained in the Chiefs' locker room. It had been a big Halloween afternoon. Kansas City and Indianapolis had combined for more than 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns and 266.3 quarterback rating points and an astounding 20 different plays for more than 20 yards. It was pinball out there. It was roller derby.

Everybody was happy. But everybody was also pooped.

And someone asked Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez an incredible question.

“Tony,” the question went, “do you get as much satisfaction out of a great block as you do out of a touchdown pass?”

Tony Gonzalez smiled real big. The Chiefs had won. The season's back on.

“As much as a touchdown pass?” he asked. “I wouldn't exactly say that. But I do like to get a good block.”

***

Tony Gonzalez will probably finish his career with more catches for more yards and more touchdowns than any other tight end who has played pro football. He caught his 500th pass on Sunday. He could, if he plays six more years as he hopes, catch 1,000 balls. Then, he will go to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “He's an unstoppable talent,” teammate Priest Holmes says, and that about sums up

Sunday, Gonzalez caught eight passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns, and it was the second score that put the game away. On that one, he ran to the end zone, posted up his defender the way he posted up for a rebound on the basketball court, and caught a beautifully thrown pass from Trent Green. Unstoppable is about the only word that fits. Sometimes, it seems as if Gonzalez is playing kids in the neighborhood.

You know all this. Gonzalez has been the premier tight end in football for years.

But there are some things about Gonzalez you might not know. You might not know just how much losing hurts him. After losses, he cannot get out of his uniform. He will sit on his stool and stare at his locker, oblivious as reporters and television cameras and equipment managers and all sorts of other people buzz around. I'm not saying the losses hit him harder than other players; but unlike most other players his emotions are out there, on the surface, there for everyone to see.

You might not know that Gonzalez studies the great players — from Jerry Rice to Michael Jordan — and tries to work out what makes them great.

“I think the secret is they take every day, one day at a time,” he says. “I know that's a cliché, but I think it's the key. They don't look ahead. They don't worry about what else is happening out there. They just focus on the moment.”

Most of all, you might not know that Gonzalez has become a good blocker. This seems to be a state secret. But it's true. In fact, several of his teammates and coaches believe that while Gonzalez gets all the glory this week for his catches and touchdowns, he actually had his best game as a professional last week, when he caught only two balls for 19 yards.

That game, the Chiefs ran for eight touchdowns, and Gonzalez blocked like mad.

Chiefs guard Brian Waters: “I think he just got tired of people making fun of his blocking. Because, man, he was just crushing people. He just fights and fights.”

Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil: “I've said it before, and I'll say it again — Tony Gonzalez is a better football player than he's ever been. … He just blocked super.”

Holmes: “He has really focused on his blocking. I think part of it is because anytime he messes up, me and T-Rich (Tony Richardson) get on him. We kid each other all the time. But he's really blocking well. He's just such an amazing athlete.”

I think this says everything about Tony Gonzalez; let's face it, he gets paid to catch the football. He gets attention for catching the football. Do you think anyone outside of the locker room will care whether he doesn't block? The great Ozzie Newsome, my favorite football player as a kid, is in the Hall of Fame as a tight end, and he never blocked anybody. Shannon Sharpe blocked more trades than defenders in his career.

Still, Tony Gonzalez works on his blocking.

“I love to play football,” he says. “I really do. I love the game. I love the competition. I love being part of this team. I want to be a complete football player for this team. You know, I think I love football more now than I ever have.”

***

You could sense something in the locker room: The players believe they turned a corner on Sunday. The game was wild, emotional, scary, filled with Peyton Manning, and the Chiefs still grabbed the victory. There were heroes galore. And, what the heck, first-place Denver also lost to Atlanta. Hey, why not? The Chiefs, at 3-4, are back in it.

“I think so,” Gonzalez says. “But we can't get ahead of ourselves. I mean, we still have a losing record. We can't start feeling too good. We can't start looking ahead. But I will say that if we keep play like we're playing now, we could do some special things.

“It's like me. I think I was getting caught up in some things. You know, you start wondering about your stats or how other tight ends are doing or how you rank, stuff like that. You can't be your best that way. This week, I decided I was just going to live in the moment. Have fun. That was fun out there.”

And that takes us back to the classic blocking-vs.-touchdowns question. What's more fun, springing Holmes for a touchdown or scoring one? Gonzalez does not hesitate.

“Come on, I like to block,” he says. “But I still know why they pay me.”