Tony Gonzalez

                          RUSHING                            RECEIVING                            FANTASY

(+) Gonzo finished 4th in fantasy points for TEs last year. Old man my ass!

(+) Tony always has over 100 targets

(+) Julio and Roddy are a TEs dream come true. LBs are gonna get worked by Tony again his year

(+) Doesn't seem to be slowing down at all. When the Chiefs got rid of him, they thought he was done

(+) Gonzo is a surefire Hall-of-Famer who no doubt wants to end his career on a high note

(+) Still a prime-time red zone target for Matt Ryan

(+/–) More of a slow and steady receiver, never going to explode in any week

(–) #88 will get over-drafted this season based on last years' stats

(–) Has Father Time caught up to him? He simply does not have any sort of breakaway speed anymore

(–) Didn't score a TD in his final seven games last season (including playoffs)

The drop-off in numbers across the board from his ’08 season in Kansas City to his ’09 season with the Falcons would normally tell you that the 34-year old Tony Gonzalez must finally be in decline… but don’t be fooled.  Yeah, his yards/catch were the lowest in his career at 10.4, and he didn’t record a 10-catch or 100-yard game for the first time since 2005, but there were plenty of reasons to like what he did this past year.  First, the targets he received were still exceedingly high (135) and tops in the league for tight ends, which shows he can still get open at will.  Second, he was coming into a brand new, run-based offense and adjusted very well over the course of the season.  He was still a world-beater in the red-zone for the Falcons, and with the injuries the rest of the team sustained over the course of the season, he was just as steady as he ever was and kept his new team in check throughout.  Oh, and he once again finished in the top-5 for TE fantasy points.  ‘Nuff said.

~  Ranked fifth in the league with 122.7 TE fantasy points (basic scoring system)

~  Tied for 28th in the league with 6 receiving touchdowns

~  Ranked seventh among tight ends in the league with 867 receiving yards (32nd overall)

~  Ranked eighth among tight ends in the league with 54.2 receiving yards per game (42nd overall)

~  Ranked third among tight ends in the league with 83 receptions (tied for 12th overall)

~  Ranked first among tight ends in the league with 135 targets (Tied for 12th overall)

~  Tied for 23rd among tight ends in the league with 4 receptions of 20+ yards (tied for 112^th overall)

~  Ranked third among tight ends in the league with 54 catches for first downs (tied for 17^th overall)

~  Ranked 14th among tight ends in the league with 211 yards after the catch (YAC) (tied for 89th overall)

With Michael Turner back healthy and ready to go, the Falcons offense will likely ease back into more of a 50/50 split between passes and rushes than the slightly pass-heavy attack they featured last year.  At first glance, you might think that would affect Gonzo in a negative way, but you’d be wrong.  Tony G has always been a matchup nightmare for defenses, and now that their workhorse Turner is back, teams will have to bunch the box in order to stop him.  That means major nightmares for anyone hoping to cover Gonzo, especially now that he is completely comfortable in the Atlanta system.  Expect the ageless Gonzalez to put up numbers similar to his career averages in 2010, which would again land the Tony G amongst the top-5 fantasy tight ends in the league.

~ Matt Ryan is back healthy and since he was loving Gonzo last year, nothing should change there

~ Michael Turner being back healthy as well means more open space in the defense for Gonzo to find

~ With a full year in Atlanta under his belt, he is now completely comfortable in the offensive scheme

~ This might be his final year playing professional football, so he’ll no doubt want to leave it all out on the field one last time

Tony Gonzalez (@TonyGonzalez88) can be followed on Twitter at:  http://twitter.com/TonyGonzalez88

Follow Pyro® on Twitter @pyroman1ac

Plainly put, Tony G is the best TE ever:

Gonzo's got a sense of humor, too:

Interesting story:

Shortly after the 2006 season concluded, Gonzo signed a five-year, $35 million contract that included $17.75 million guaranteed.  The remaining years on the deal are broken down below:

2010 - $4.5 million

2011 - $5.75 million

2012 - Free Agent

• Offensive Line


• Offensive Scheme


• Major Off-Season Moves


• 2010 NFL Draft

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