By Rick Dean

Morris News Service

There are times during the course of an NFL season when Tony Gonzalez thinks he's run through more arms than J-Lo.

That's why you'd think the Pro Bowl tight end would be excited about the league's announced intention to more actively enforce the prohibition on illegal contact ­ ie., bumping or chucking a receiver beyond the 5-yard legal zone from the line of scrimmage.

But you would be wrong.

"If they call it, that should mean more production for me this year," he acknowledged. "But, I can't get excited about it. I'll believe it when I see it."

Gonzalez, you see, believes he could piece together a one-man demonstration film of plays that constitute illegal contact.

"We were just showing some new guys our films of last year, and it was unbelievable how many times I got bumped or held 10, 12 yards down the field," Gonzalez said. "Sometimes that would eliminate me from being in position to catch the ball."

There's only one other NFL rule that irritates Gonzalez more ­ the offensive pass interference penalty he occasionally draws for fighting through the grabbing.

"I guess when you're 6-foot-5, 250 pounds and you push back against a smaller guy, they call the Shaq rule," said Gonzalez, who saw a potential TD reception wiped out by an offensive PI call in last year's Indianapolis playoff loss.

In theory, at least, any rigid enforcement of the illegal contact rule might free up Gonzalez for more catches. He had 71 in 2003, but has had as many as 93 ­ the third-best single-season total by a tight end in league history ­ as recently as 2000.

For Tony Gonzalez, a wideout in a tight end's body, the chance to catch 100 balls in a season is a liveable dream. A closer eye on illegal contact may be the gateway to that kind of season.

"Let me put it this way ­ it would be a dream come true if they start calling more defensive holding beyond five yards," Gonzalez said.

The 5-yard legal contact zone was a rule the NFL added in the late 1970s as a means of restoring defensive balance to a game the offenses were dominating. It was a way of legally knocking receivers out of their pattern and disrupting their rhythm with the quarterback.

In time, as linebackers and cornerbacks saw the way the rule was being enforced ­ or barely enforced ­ the 5-yard zone became 7, then 10, then 12 yards. Anything you can get away with, they figured, was fair game.

"When you have an inside receiver, whether a tight end or even a slot guy, the nature of his route is that he's always competing against linebackers or safeties ­ strong guys," noted Chiefs offensive coordinator Al Saunders. "There's more of a tendency to be grabbed or held, especially in the (scoring) zone. Typically, they won't call those things, even out of the 5-yard zone.

"Now, if they'll start enforcing this rule the way they say they will, any tight end will be enhanced greatly if he can get five yards past the line of scrimmage. But whether they really enforce it remains to be seen."

The Chiefs have been working with the new rule ­ especially on defense ­ in their spring workouts, which come to an end today. Defensive coaches are actively pointing out contact they see beyond the 5-yard legal bump zone.

Gonzalez is yet to benefit from any of this work, however. He's been sidelined throughout the spring while nursing a stress fracture in his ankle.

Gonzalez first hurt the ankle in the 2003 season opener when tackled from behind by friend and former teammate Donnie Edwards. He played his way through the discomfort, but he and the team see no reason to press their luck through the spring.

"If this was the regular season, I'd be playing on this," Gonzalez said. "But no one wants to take any chances now, which is probably the smart thing to do."