Great tight ends rave of Gonzalez

By Jeff Faraudo, STAFF WRITER



TWELVE-POINT-ONE yards at a time, over the nine years since he latched onto his last pass and offensive rebound for the Cal football and basketball teams, Tony Gonzalez has become what they all said he would be: A terrific NFL player.
There is more on the horizon for the Kansas City Chiefs' 29-year-old tight end.

"Right now, he is 1-A in the NFL . . . there is no 1-B," said former Denver Broncos star Shannon Sharpe, the all-time leader in receptions, yards and touchdowns among tight ends.

"The thing is with Tony, obviously, when he's done, he's going to hold all the records ... 900 to

1,000 catches, 12,000 to 13,000 yards, 90 to 100 touchdowns. It's going to be a long, long time before anybody approaches those numbers."

Already among the top five tight ends all-time in those three categories following a record-setting 102-catch season in 2004, Gonzalez is on pace to fulfill Sharpe's prophecy within five seasons.

In the meantime, Gonzalez and the Chiefs pay a visit next Sunday to Oakland. Russ Francis, the one-time Patriots and 49ers tight end, doesn't envy the home team.

"There aren't many guys in the game today that over the period of time Tony has played, dominatefrom NFL 1



the way he does consistently," Francis said.

"The Raiders are in trouble ... and any team he plays against."

Most of the game's greatest tight ends agree.

Todd Christensen


A five-time Pro Bowl pick during his 10-year career with the Raiders, Christensen said Gonzalez does what few at his position have achieved.

"The most significant thing a tight end can do is change what a defense does, and Tony does that," Christensen said. "Most defenses aren't designed with a tight end in mind. They're designed (to stop) a great runner or a great wide receiver, or to confuse a quarterback or get in his face.

"When a tight end does what a normal tight end cannot — and you can't cover him with a linebacker — that weakens your defense. When you look around the league, there's maybe three guys that come to mind that change what you do. He's at the top of the list."

CHRISTENSEN'S TOP 5 TIGHT ENDS: 1. Shannon Sharpe; 2. Dave Casper; 3. John Mackey; 4. Kellen Winslow; 5. Todd Christensen.

Mike Ditka


In the early 1960s, Iron Mike was among the first tight ends used as an effective pass receiver. He also was a ferocious blocker.

Ditka appreciates that Gonzalez is more than a bulked up wide receiver.

"When I watch a tight end, what I watch more than anything is when they're not catching, what are they doing? How many of them block?

"Tony's a complete football player. Actually, I think he's a good blocker. But when the ball's thrown, he has a unique ability of coming down with it. I'm sure that comes from his rebounding in basketball."

DITKA'S TOP 5: 1. Dave Casper; 2. John Mackey; 3. Jackie Smith; 4. Kellen Winslow; 5. Ozzie Newsome.

Ron Kramer


One of the prototype NFL tight ends, beginning in the late 1950s, Kramer arrived in Green Bay after a fairy-tale college career at Michigan.

He won nine letters in three sports with the Wolverines, twice earning All-America honors in football, but also scoring more than 1,000 points for the basketball team and high jumping 6-foot-7.

"I was a very gifted kid," said Kramer, 70, who sees a bit of himself in Gonzalez. "I have a great deal of respect for him. There's probably only two guys who could stuff the ball over the crossbars — that's Tony and I."

KRAMER'S TOP 5: 1 tie. Mike Ditka and John Mackey; 3. Jackie Smith; 4. Dave Casper; 5. Shannon Sharpe.

Brent Jones


Santa Clara's gift to the San Francisco 49ers, Jones earned four Pro Bowl spots and caught more than 400 passes despite seemingly modest physical gifts.

As a result, few players appreciate Gonzalez's development as a pro more than Jones.

"The first couple years he was a great athlete playing tight end. Now he's a great tight end," Jones said. "He's really refined his route-running process. He rounded a lot of routes ... nobody walks into the league and understands the intricacies of getting open.

"He's really grown in that area."

Basketball may have aided the transition, Jones said. "There's probably not a better sport that you can parlay into success on the football field — using your body, screening people, understanding open space."

JONES' TOP 5 (in no particular order): Kellen Winslow, Shannon Sharpe, Dave Casper, Ozzie Newsome, Mark Bavarro.



Charle Young


Young, who thrived with the Philadelphia Eagles in the early 1970s and closed his career in San Francisco, agrees that Gonzalez's basketball background is significant.

"I believe basketball players are the best all-around athletes because they have to do so much — offense, defense, run, jump, stop, pivot. And they have to be constantly in condition. That helped Tony tremendously.

"Not only can he block and catch, he can think and he understands the game," said Young, who caught 418 passes in his NFL career. "The only challenge Tony has is winning the Super Bowl. He's the best."

YOUNG'S TOP 5: 1. Charle Young; 2. John Mackey; 3. Kellen Winslow; 4. Dave Casper; 5. Charlie Sanders.

Russ Francis


It's the greatest compliment Francis could offer. "Tony is the consummate professional," he said.

What that means to Francis is that Gonzalez has taken his considerable talents and done his best to maximize them.

"Somewhere along the line, Tony said, 'I'm going to give more than anyone expects of me,' " Francis said. "You love to see a guy in his ninth year who blocks an outside linebacker ... who doesn't give up on any play.

"And once he gets the ball ... he has that rare quality, the ability to be violent, but control that violence. Mike Ditka had it. He sees the guy coming at him, takes aim at him and tries to make him a spot in the turf."

Don't try to make the comparison to young New York Giants' star Jeremy Shockey.

"Shockey ought to look at film of Tony Gonzalez every day if he even has any hope of reaching partly there," Francis said. "He could not even fill part of that guy's shoes right now."

FRANCIS' TOP 5: 1. John Mackey; 2. Jackie Smith; 3. Mike Ditka; 4. Ozzie Newsome; 5. Raymond Chester.

Ozzie Newsome


Now the general manager of the Baltimore Ravens, Newsome played 13 productive seasons with the Cleveland Browns, so he values durability. Gonzalez missed just one game due to injury in his first eight seasons, and Newsome said that's no accident.

"He does a good job of taking care of his body," Newsome said. "His awareness of where people are really helps you play the game, and can keep you from getting yourself in predicaments.

"If he doesn't get any serious injury, he could threaten my numbers and Shannon's numbers."

NEWSOME'S TOP 5 (in no particular order): John Mackey, Jackie Smith, Mike Ditka, Kellen Winslow, Ozzie Newsome.

Raymond Chester


Twice a Raiders tight end during his 12-year career and still an East Bay resident, Chester said Gonzalez's performance is timeless.

"He's one of the modern-era players I really respect," said Chester, a four-time Pro Bowl pick. "I think Tony Gonzalez would have been a great player in whatever era he played in, and I wouldn't say that about half the guys who are out there.

"This guy has carried the load for a lot of years in Kansas City without having the benefit of a (great wideout such as) Cliff Branch or a Fred Biletnikoff, and without having a great quarterback."

CHESTER'S TOP 5: 1. John Mackey; 2. Mike Ditka; 3. Raymond Chester; 4. Charlie Sanders; 5. Dave Casper.

Shannon Sharpe


Sharpe, who caught 815 passes in his career, believes his arrival in Denver in 1990 sparked a trend.

"Everybody in the AFC West wanted to find that big wide receiver they could put in the dirt," he said, alluding to the fact that he played tight end at 6-foot-2, 225 pounds. "They wanted the type of tight end the Broncos had — motion him out, put him in the slot, find a weakness."

The Chiefs' response was a player with traditional tight end specs — 6-5, 250 pounds — but uncommon abilities.

"Ditka and Chester and Ozzie, they got the opportunity to beat up on linebackers and safeties," Sharpe said. "They covered me with their No.1 cornerback. That's the kind of respect they pay Tony Gonzalez. That's the ultimate respect."

SHARPE'S TOP 5: 1. Kellen Winslow; 2. Ozzie Newsome; 3. John Mackey; 4. Todd Christensen; 5. Jackie Smith.