All TE projections   •  Current TE rankings   •   All KC projections   •  KC team report   •  KC Stats

TE Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City Chiefs

HT: 6-4, WT: 244, Born: 2-27-1976, College: California, Drafted: Round 1, Pick 13

2008 Projections

2007 Game Summaries

Week 1 - Gonzalez received excellent coverage but still managed to pull in five of the seven passes intended for him. He only accumulated 28 yards on the completions, but he was one of the prime targets to watch for the Texans' defense.

Week 2 - Gonzalez was the most targeted receiver on the day, but with just six looks, it's not like the team really leaned on him. He was able to get open and catch passes that would put the offense in third and short situations, but the Chiefs were unable to gain first downs to keep the drives going.

Week 3 - Gonzalez led the Chiefs with nine receptions. His first target was on their first play, deep down the middle but was overthrown by Huard. He did not get another look until late in the second quarter, short over the middle and Gonzalez was able to turn it into a 14 yard reception. Later on the same drive, Huard threw deep to Gonzalez in the end zone. Gonzalez had to dive for it and it went just off his fingertips. He got up looking for a pass interference call as he was falling down as the ball arrived, but he did not get the call. He was targeted more frequently in the second half, with six more targets he turned into 6 receptions and 82 yards.

Week 4 - Gonzalez was a major factor in the Kansas City passing attack, as the tendency to attack the San Diego defense with short, quick passes suited his receiving style perfectly. Gonzalez did mix it up a bit on his touchdown reception, a gorgeous leaping grab in the back corner of the end zone that tied the score at 16. Gonzalez out-jumped no fewer than three San Diego defenders on the play as he simply refused to come down without a score. The touchdown tied him with Shannon Sharpe for the top spot on the all-time touchdown reception list by a tight end with 62.

Week 5 - Gonzales was the focal point of the passing attack, and made some excellent catches. He showed he could run a variety of routes, including half of them being in the intermediate or deep range. He was used in different areas on the field and it was difficult to double-team him immediately after he left the line of scrimmage. He was the most targeted receiver when Huard was on the field as well as when Croyle entered the game.

Week 6 - Gonzalez beat the Bengals defense several times. He was too big and quick for them to handle, shown by his two red zone touchdown receptions. He caught nine balls while being targeted ten times.

Week 7 - Gonzalez was Huard's favorite target during this match. He only collected four of the ten passes thrown for him by Huard, but he gained 66 yards as he hauled defenders with him before being tackled. He was also the end zone target for Larry Johnson's wide and high pass. Gonzalez provided a scare when he went down hard after a hit and took time to walk off the field, but he was back later with no reported problem.

Week 9 - Gonzalez is the number one receiving option for the Chiefs offense. He was the first option of most pass plays and was able to draw the attention of the Packer linebackers to open up the field for deep passes to Samie Parker and Jeff Webb. Gonzalez showed why he should still be considered one of the top tight ends in the game by catching almost everything thrown to him, even when he was well covered. His touchdown reception was on a great leaping catch while well covered by a defender.

Week 10 - Gonzalez was sought often during this match. He was only able to pull in three of the twelve passes intended for him as he constantly received heavy coverage from the Broncos' secondary.

Week 11 - The Chiefs did not make Gonzalez a main part of the passing offense as they decided to throw the ball to the outside of the field in the first half. He showed his excellent pass catching ability by making some tough catches while covered. On the touchdown drive he was shaken up on a hard hit while catching a ball over the middle on a rifle throw. He would later return after missing only a few plays.

Week 12 - Gonzalez was regularly and heavily blanketed in coverage but still pulled in three of the four passes sent his way for a respectable 48 positive yards. With Croyle's laser throws and Gonzalez's superior athletic ability, this looks like a passing combination that will be very effective for some time.

Week 13 - Gonzalez had his way with the San Diego secondary, torching them to the tune of ten receptions for 140 yards. Gonzalez dominated so thoroughly that he had as many receptions as the entire Chargers team, and only one less reception than the rest of his teammates combined. At times, he appeared to be the only player Damon Huard wanted to throw the ball to -- and with good reason. Gonzalez caught just about everything Huard flung at him, with a good number of his receptions coming on tough leaping catches in traffic and quite a few with defenders literally hanging all over him.

Week 14 - Gonzalez was the one bright spot for the Kansas City offense. He pulled in seven of the ten balls thrown his way for a respectable 76 yards. That included one reception where he avoided would be tacklers and tight roped the sideline for the Chiefs' only score. Gonzalez caught career reception number 800 during the contest, the most receptions ever by a tight end. He had a brief moment where he left the game, going to the locker room in apparent pain, but he came back and did not display any adverse effects.

Week 15 - Gonzalez was blanketed by the Titans defense, regularly finding three defenders attached to him. It was probably amazing that he caught three of the balls targeted for him considering the Tennessee coverage. Gonzalez was forced to play defense on the two interceptions picking up a tackle after each one.

Week 16 - On such a remarkable day for Pro Bowl great Tony Gonzalez you would think he should have been part of a winning effort. He accumulated 137 yards, hauling in ten of the 16 passes targeted for him. That effort saw him reach a couple more career high points. He tied for most ever career 1000 yard seasons at three and he is now just one 100 yard game behind Kellen Winslow's career record of 24. Gonzalez continues to catch almost anything thrown his way and gains the tough yards afterward as he punishes would be tacklers. He does this consistently despite receiving the main coverage from opposing defenses.

Week 17 - Tony Gonzalez was again the primary target of Brodie Croyle, as he saw 15 total targets in the game. Gonzalez was able to bring in seven of his 15 targets for 64 total yards. He was open on all kinds of routes however Croyle was unable to hit him on a few occasions, as his passes sailed of fell short.