Quote:
Originally Posted by JD10367
Serious question: why do so many seem to hate him and call him a dick? I know nothing about the man, but he seems to say all the right things and seems to genuinely have enjoyed playing in KC and still supports the city and the fans.
I get that he shot his way out of town but I see his point of view. He was 32, entering his prime, and by the end of the '08 season things looked bleak. From '04 to '08 KC went 7-9, 10-6, 9-7, 4-12, and 2-14. Two seasons of winning 6 total games when you're the best TE in football has to grind you down. Then a sweeping new regime comes in, and it looks like the team will be in rebuilding mode... why NOT see if you can get traded?
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He asked to be traded every other season, probably a total of five times, usually when his stats weren't as good as he wanted. Even the year after signing a contract extension, he was bitching about wanting to go elsewhere. He first asked for a trade when we fired Gunther. He didn't want to play for DV cos he didn't think he'd get thrown the ball enough. It took Al Saunders explaining Kellen Winslow and the Coryell offense to him to unbunch his panties. Then he liked DV but pitched a hissy fit whenever he wasn't the focus on offense, usually with a 'they should just trade me if they're not gonna throw it to me more...' thrown in there.
Tony was a great player. He'll go into the hall of fame and nobody can ever take that away from him. I still remember him as much for his perpetual complaining as I do for his excellent play.
In general I don't think his west coast douche mentality meshed well with KC fans. Not like 'blue collar guy' does.