Football Gonzalez Fever: Coming to an NFL Franchise Near You... - Page 5

T-post Tom · 10-12-2013, 01:05 PM

No playoffs, Atlanta? We can take Tony Gonzalez off your hands

Barring a calamity, the Seattle Seahawks are on their way to the playoffs, and figure to make waves when they get there. Those lofty expectations put on them before the season – homefield advantage for two unscheduled games in January, a Super Bowl berth in February – remain realistic.

In other words, the Seahawks are not obvious candidates to participate in a blockbuster trade.

But what if there’s a chance to acquire an all-time great player capable of turning a powerhouse team into something approaching unbeatable? Are Pete Carroll and John Schneider content with the status quo, or do they stand up on the tips of their toes and reach for the, uh, star?

Atlanta tight end Tony Gonzalez, a future first-ballot Hall of Famer whose final (we think) NFL season has been as productive as any of the 16 that preceded it, is not on the market. Not officially, anyway. Falcons coach Mike Smith on Wednesday said talk of dangling Gonzalez as trade bait was “preposterous.”

Preposterous? Here’s what’s preposterous: any notion of the Falcons regrouping as contenders after their surprisingly sluggish start. They are 1-4. Of the last 118 teams to begin 1-4, six have qualified for the playoffs.

Atlanta still has to face the Seahawks and Saints at home and the Packers and 49ers on the road, and it has to face them without Pro Bowl receiver Julio Jones, sidelined for the season with a broken foot.

Trading the popular Gonzalez would be seen as a white-flag move sure to peeve the Falcons’ already frustrated season-ticket base. Frustration is not a synonym for stupidity. Nine months after the Georgia Dome was home for the NFC Championship Game, Atlanta fans know the only way to salvage 2013 is to begin work on 2014.

Trading Gonzalez, who put off retirement plans last season to return for a long goodbye presumably capped by his first world championship, would give the Falcons a head start on next season. At issue is the exchange rate.

What’s a 37-year-old legend worth after he has made it clear (we think) his retirement is imminent? In the case of Jerry Rice, who had just turned 42 when the Seahawks acquired him from the Raiders midway through the 2004 season, the legend was worth a conditional seventh-round draft choice.

This just in: Tony Gonzalez is not Jerry Rice.

Rice had nothing much to contribute and absolutely nothing left to prove when the Seahawks allowed him to wear the retired No. 80 jersey associated with Steve Largent. Rice wasn’t the bust Terrell Owens turned out to be during an awkward 2012 preseason audition in Seattle, but the only similarity between the 49ers’ version of vintage Rice and the Seahawks’ version of refried Rice was that No. 80.

Gonzalez, who has caught 33 passes for 339 yards and three touchdowns this season, still is a reliable receiver demanding a defense’s attention on every snap. The versatile athlete, who once scrapped for rebounds on the University of California basketball team, hasn’t lost the soft-handed ability to snare a ball up for grabs.

Which brings us to the Seahawks and an offense whose quarterback, Russell Wilson, is consistently forced to scramble behind a patchwork offensive line more adept at clearing room on off-tackle bursts than protecting on pass plays. When Wilson is running for his life, nothing is more inviting than a 6-foot-5 target with soft hands.

It’s a role fit for Seahawks veteran Zach Miller, who finally emerged as a go-to target during last season’s playoff run. Miller’s only problem is durability, the one-thing-or-another consequences of playing a hard-knocks position in a brutal sport. A hamstring injury kept him out of action at Indianapolis, and he’s a game-day decision this week.

Aside from Miller’s uncertain availability for any given Sunday, there is this to consider: On the healthiest day of his life, Miller will never be confused with Tony Gonzalez.

Gonzalez in a nutshell: The Seahawks were a few seconds away from escaping Atlanta last season with a playoff comeback victory for the ages. The Seahawks didn’t go soft in a prevent defense. They pressured quarterback Matt Ryan with five pass rushers.

Ryan had little time, and yet he found Gonzalez down the middle for the 19-yard completion that set up the winning field goal, from 49 yards.

Some disconsolate Seahawks’ fans wept at the conclusion. So did Gonzalez, who had never experienced a playoff victory.

He came back for a 17th season with the idea of competing in a Super Bowl. That won’t happen. Gonzalez isn’t pushing for a trade, the Falcons aren’t discussing a trade, but it’s hard to believe the Oct. 29 trade deadline will expire without several teams in serious pursuit of him.

Yes, he’s a rental, a 37-year-old on the cusp (we think) of retirement. But if the Seahawks are aggressive, they can their give their scrambling quarterback an option who embodies the essence of a target in a pinch.

Can Gonzalez be obtained for a seventh-round draft choice? No way. A fourth-round draft choice? We’re getting warm, but not warm enough.

A first-round draft choice?

It’s an offer the Falcons won’t refuse, and an offer Seahawks fans might find outrageous.

Until it’s third-and-7, at midfield, and Wilson is scrambling to complete the pass that sets up the Seahawks for a winning kick in the Super Bowl.

Carroll and Schneider don’t need my advice, but what the heck, I’ll offer some anyway: Trade a first-round draft choice for Tony Gonzalez.

Go for it, and go for it all.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2013/1...#storylink=cpy

Strongside · 10-14-2013, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scho63

F**K HIM AND THE HORSE HE RODE IN ON!

Do what you want, bro. But I'm not ****ing any dudes or horses. It's just football.

Carlota69 · 10-14-2013, 10:18 AM

I dont understand hating Tony for wanting to get as far away form Pioli and Co as he possibly could. I know Ive worked at places I loved, but management ruined it for me and I wanted out! I see it as the same thing personally. I dont hate him for wanting out of the cess pool of slimy shit the team has been for the last few years, and I wouldnt blame him for wanting to come back if offered the chance. He did say he wanted to retire as a Chief, and that was a couple of years ago. So obviously he still holds respect for his time here. Plus we need a ****ing TE bad!!!!

TRR · 10-14-2013, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scho63

So Tony G bailed on us when we started losing to go to a team he thought was Super Bowl bound. Now his team sucks and we are on the rise and some of you fans want to welcome him back?

F**K HIM AND THE HORSE HE RODE IN ON! I know he is great but let him suffer out the last year of his career as we go into the playoffs!

Plus, why the hell would we waste a high round draft pick for a player for little more than half a season.

John Dorsey ain't that stupid.......

Couldn't agree more with this. He went to the front office, demanded a trade, and demanded a trade to only a handful of teams who he felt were a Super Bowl contender. The guy has always been selfish, and although he is a GREAT TE, I will only remember him for bailing on a team that could have used his veteran presence, for a team he "thought" was going to the Super Bowl.

Carlota69 · 10-14-2013, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TRR

Couldn't agree more with this. He went to the front office, demanded a trade, and demanded a trade to only a handful of teams who he felt were a Super Bowl contender. The guy has always been selfish, and although he is a GREAT TE, I will only remember him for bailing on a team that could have used his veteran presence, for a team he "thought" was going to the Super Bowl.

He clearly didnt like the new regime, and in hiindsight, I dont blame him. They were a bunch of ****ing douche bags. Id want out too.

TRR · 10-14-2013, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carlota69

I dont understand hating Tony for wanting to get as far away form Pioli and Co as he possibly could. I know Ive worked at places I loved, but management ruined it for me and I wanted out! I see it as the same thing personally. I dont hate him for wanting out of the cess pool of slimy shit the team has been for the last few years, and I wouldnt blame him for wanting to come back if offered the chance. He did say he wanted to retire as a Chief, and that was a couple of years ago. So obviously he still holds respect for his time here. Plus we need a ****ing TE bad!!!!

From all accounts, Pioli and Haley were a new leaf that was going to turn the KC organization around. Gonzalez had no idea (at that time) whether or not they would succeed or fail. If it's a new coach he didn't like then why didn't he ask to be traded after Schottenheimer left? Or Cunningham? Or Dick Vermeil?

It was also reported that TG's agent gave KC a very small list to work a trade with, hampering compensation.

TRR · 10-14-2013, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carlota69

He clearly didnt like the new regime, and in hiindsight, I dont blame him. They were a bunch of ****ing douche bags. Id want out too.

See my other post. He never really gave them a chance.

Your right, hindsight being what it was, they were a disaster. However, most didn't feel that way initially.

O.city · 10-14-2013, 10:26 AM

Would he help us win in the playoffs this year? Yes.

End of story. Who cares about all the other bullshit. He is a top 5 player at a position that we suck at and one that our QB loves to throw too.

He would immediately help us win.

Omaha · 10-14-2013, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scho63

So Tony G bailed on us when we started losing to go to a team he thought was Super Bowl bound. Now his team sucks and we are on the rise and some of you fans want to welcome him back?

F**K HIM AND THE HORSE HE RODE IN ON! I know he is great but let him suffer out the last year of his career as we go into the playoffs!

Plus, why the hell would we waste a high round draft pick for a player for little more than half a season.

John Dorsey ain't that stupid.......

I feel like you meant this as a rhetorical question, but I'm going to go ahead and answer it for you as it appears you think there is no answer. The reason, right or wrong, would be to strengthen a very weak position in a struggling offense in hopes of making the team a superbowl contender in what appears to be a window of opportunity for this team. You can agree or disagree as to whether it would work, but that's the answer to your question. That's the reason.

O.city · 10-14-2013, 10:27 AM

It won't be a high round draft pick either.

If Atlanta wants or expects to get more than a 5 or 6 out of it, they're dumbn.

King_Chief_Fan · 10-14-2013, 10:28 AM

[quote=Carlota69;10084720]I dont understand hating Tony for wanting to get as far away form Pioli and Co as he possibly could. I know Ive worked at places I loved, but management ruined it for me and I wanted out! I see it as the same thing personally. I dont hate him for wanting out of the cess pool of slimy shit the team has been for the last few years, and I wouldnt blame him for wanting to come back if offered the chance. He did say he wanted to retire as a Chief, and that was a couple of years ago. So obviously he still holds respect for his time here. Plus we need a ****ing TE bad!!!![/quote]

indeed we do......TG; rent him for 6-8 games? At what cost?

Carlota69 · 10-14-2013, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TRR

From all accounts, Pioli and Haley were a new leaf that was going to turn the KC organization around. Gonzalez had no idea (at that time) whether or not they would succeed or fail. If it's a new coach he didn't like then why didn't he ask to be traded after Schottenheimer left? Or Cunningham? Or Dick Vermeil?

It was also reported that TG's agent gave KC a very small list to work a trade with, hampering compensation.

Yes, but maybe he did know. Maybe quietly, people knew Pioli was a ****ing asshole. Jwhit did the moment he was hired, Maybe Tony knew too. Plus why wouldnt he want to go to a winner? I wouldnt want to be traded to the a perennial loser either.

Carlota69 · 10-14-2013, 10:30 AM

[QUOTE=King_Chief_Fan;10084758]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carlota69

I dont understand hating Tony for wanting to get as far away form Pioli and Co as he possibly could. I know Ive worked at places I loved, but management ruined it for me and I wanted out! I see it as the same thing personally. I dont hate him for wanting out of the cess pool of slimy shit the team has been for the last few years, and I wouldnt blame him for wanting to come back if offered the chance. He did say he wanted to retire as a Chief, and that was a couple of years ago. So obviously he still holds respect for his time here. Plus we need a ****ing TE bad!!!![/quote]

indeed we do......TG; rent him for 6-8 games? At what cost?

6th rounder?

InChiefsHeaven · 10-14-2013, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TRR

See my other post. He never really gave them a chance.

Your right, hindsight being what it was, they were a disaster. However, most didn't feel that way initially.

A team in a rebuild mode, for one thing. He KNEW that if the Chiefs were going to be a contender, it wouldn't be for years. He doesn't know how may years he has left. Not to mention, we don't know what he knew regarding Pioli and Haley. Players talk, and he might have had an idea (turns out to be right) that the dumpster fire that happened under Pioli was going to happen.

I get that fans care more about their team than players do. But, I don't hold it against Tony for leaving, and if we could get him back where he belongs for the right price, hell yes I'd pull that trigger.

Carlota69 · 10-14-2013, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TRR

See my other post. He never really gave them a chance.

Your right, hindsight being what it was, they were a disaster. However, most didn't feel that way initially.

Jwhit did, and we dont truly know what players thought. Maybe Tony knew? Its possible especially if outsiders from the locker room like Jwhit knew. Besides, who ****ing cares at the end of the day? We are weak at TE and he is the best. period. It would immediately impact us in a very positive way.

Carlota69 · 10-14-2013, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by InChiefsHell

A team in a rebuild mode, for one thing. He KNEW that if the Chiefs were going to be a contender, it wouldn't be for years. He doesn't know how may years he has left. Not to mention, we don't know what he knew regarding Pioli and Haley. Players talk, and he might have had an idea (turns out to be right) that the dumpster fire that happened under Pioli was going to happen.

I get that fans care more about their team than players do. But, I don't hold it against Tony for leaving, and if we could get him back where he belongs for the right price, hell yes I'd pull that trigger.

10-12-2013, 01:05 PM
T-post Tom Threepeat! Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Milk/Honey/Gazland Casino cash: $4287293	Gonzalez Fever: Coming to an NFL Franchise Near You... No playoffs, Atlanta? We can take Tony Gonzalez off your hands Barring a calamity, the Seattle Seahawks are on their way to the playoffs, and figure to make waves when they get there. Those lofty expectations put on them before the season – homefield advantage for two unscheduled games in January, a Super Bowl berth in February – remain realistic. In other words, the Seahawks are not obvious candidates to participate in a blockbuster trade. But what if there’s a chance to acquire an all-time great player capable of turning a powerhouse team into something approaching unbeatable? Are Pete Carroll and John Schneider content with the status quo, or do they stand up on the tips of their toes and reach for the, uh, star? Atlanta tight end Tony Gonzalez, a future first-ballot Hall of Famer whose final (we think) NFL season has been as productive as any of the 16 that preceded it, is not on the market. Not officially, anyway. Falcons coach Mike Smith on Wednesday said talk of dangling Gonzalez as trade bait was “preposterous.” Preposterous? Here’s what’s preposterous: any notion of the Falcons regrouping as contenders after their surprisingly sluggish start. They are 1-4. Of the last 118 teams to begin 1-4, six have qualified for the playoffs. Atlanta still has to face the Seahawks and Saints at home and the Packers and 49ers on the road, and it has to face them without Pro Bowl receiver Julio Jones, sidelined for the season with a broken foot. Trading the popular Gonzalez would be seen as a white-flag move sure to peeve the Falcons’ already frustrated season-ticket base. Frustration is not a synonym for stupidity. Nine months after the Georgia Dome was home for the NFC Championship Game, Atlanta fans know the only way to salvage 2013 is to begin work on 2014. Trading Gonzalez, who put off retirement plans last season to return for a long goodbye presumably capped by his first world championship, would give the Falcons a head start on next season. At issue is the exchange rate. What’s a 37-year-old legend worth after he has made it clear (we think) his retirement is imminent? In the case of Jerry Rice, who had just turned 42 when the Seahawks acquired him from the Raiders midway through the 2004 season, the legend was worth a conditional seventh-round draft choice. This just in: Tony Gonzalez is not Jerry Rice. Rice had nothing much to contribute and absolutely nothing left to prove when the Seahawks allowed him to wear the retired No. 80 jersey associated with Steve Largent. Rice wasn’t the bust Terrell Owens turned out to be during an awkward 2012 preseason audition in Seattle, but the only similarity between the 49ers’ version of vintage Rice and the Seahawks’ version of refried Rice was that No. 80. Gonzalez, who has caught 33 passes for 339 yards and three touchdowns this season, still is a reliable receiver demanding a defense’s attention on every snap. The versatile athlete, who once scrapped for rebounds on the University of California basketball team, hasn’t lost the soft-handed ability to snare a ball up for grabs. Which brings us to the Seahawks and an offense whose quarterback, Russell Wilson, is consistently forced to scramble behind a patchwork offensive line more adept at clearing room on off-tackle bursts than protecting on pass plays. When Wilson is running for his life, nothing is more inviting than a 6-foot-5 target with soft hands. It’s a role fit for Seahawks veteran Zach Miller, who finally emerged as a go-to target during last season’s playoff run. Miller’s only problem is durability, the one-thing-or-another consequences of playing a hard-knocks position in a brutal sport. A hamstring injury kept him out of action at Indianapolis, and he’s a game-day decision this week. Aside from Miller’s uncertain availability for any given Sunday, there is this to consider: On the healthiest day of his life, Miller will never be confused with Tony Gonzalez. Gonzalez in a nutshell: The Seahawks were a few seconds away from escaping Atlanta last season with a playoff comeback victory for the ages. The Seahawks didn’t go soft in a prevent defense. They pressured quarterback Matt Ryan with five pass rushers. Ryan had little time, and yet he found Gonzalez down the middle for the 19-yard completion that set up the winning field goal, from 49 yards. Some disconsolate Seahawks’ fans wept at the conclusion. So did Gonzalez, who had never experienced a playoff victory. He came back for a 17th season with the idea of competing in a Super Bowl. That won’t happen. Gonzalez isn’t pushing for a trade, the Falcons aren’t discussing a trade, but it’s hard to believe the Oct. 29 trade deadline will expire without several teams in serious pursuit of him. Yes, he’s a rental, a 37-year-old on the cusp (we think) of retirement. But if the Seahawks are aggressive, they can their give their scrambling quarterback an option who embodies the essence of a target in a pinch. Can Gonzalez be obtained for a seventh-round draft choice? No way. A fourth-round draft choice? We’re getting warm, but not warm enough. A first-round draft choice? It’s an offer the Falcons won’t refuse, and an offer Seahawks fans might find outrageous. Until it’s third-and-7, at midfield, and Wilson is scrambling to complete the pass that sets up the Seahawks for a winning kick in the Super Bowl. Carroll and Schneider don’t need my advice, but what the heck, I’ll offer some anyway: Trade a first-round draft choice for Tony Gonzalez. Go for it, and go for it all. http://www.thenewstribune.com/2013/1...#storylink=cpy
Posts: 20,370

10-14-2013, 10:18 AM	#62
Carlota69 MVP Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Las Vegas Casino cash: $9925282	I dont understand hating Tony for wanting to get as far away form Pioli and Co as he possibly could. I know Ive worked at places I loved, but management ruined it for me and I wanted out! I see it as the same thing personally. I dont hate him for wanting out of the cess pool of slimy shit the team has been for the last few years, and I wouldnt blame him for wanting to come back if offered the chance. He did say he wanted to retire as a Chief, and that was a couple of years ago. So obviously he still holds respect for his time here. Plus we need a ****ing TE bad!!!! __________________ Women want someone who can make them laugh and protect them. So basically a Clown Ninja.
Posts: 6,592

10-14-2013, 10:26 AM	#67
O.city In Search of a Life Join Date: Jul 2009 Casino cash: $2354064	Would he help us win in the playoffs this year? Yes. End of story. Who cares about all the other bullshit. He is a top 5 player at a position that we suck at and one that our QB loves to throw too. He would immediately help us win.
Posts: 81,573

10-14-2013, 10:27 AM	#69
O.city In Search of a Life Join Date: Jul 2009 Casino cash: $2354064	It won't be a high round draft pick either. If Atlanta wants or expects to get more than a 5 or 6 out of it, they're dumbn.
Posts: 81,573

10-14-2013, 10:28 AM	#70
King_Chief_Fan Praise Him Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: none ya Casino cash: $5845486	[quote=Carlota69;10084720]I dont understand hating Tony for wanting to get as far away form Pioli and Co as he possibly could. I know Ive worked at places I loved, but management ruined it for me and I wanted out! I see it as the same thing personally. I dont hate him for wanting out of the cess pool of slimy shit the team has been for the last few years, and I wouldnt blame him for wanting to come back if offered the chance. He did say he wanted to retire as a Chief, and that was a couple of years ago. So obviously he still holds respect for his time here. Plus we need a **ing TE bad!!!![/quote] indeed we do......TG; rent him for 6-8 games? At what cost? __________________ No Jesus No Peace Know Jesus Know Peace Ephesians 2:8-10** English Standard Version (ESV) 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
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