Chiefs Gonzalez plans return to Chiefs unless he hears the R word (rebuild)

royr17 · 01-01-2009, 11:51 PM

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chi...ry/961410.html

Gonzalez plans return to Chiefs unless he hears the R word (rebuild)

By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star

Tony Gonzalez will soon make his annual postseason trip to Hawaii to play in the Pro Bowl. Upon his return, he should have a better idea about which direction the Chiefs are headed.

By then, the Chiefs will likely have a new general manager and a decision on whether coach Herm Edwards will be retained.

At that point, Gonzalez will decide whether he will again ask for a trade.

“As far as I know, I’ll be a Chief next year,” Gonzalez said. “Depending on what Clark (Hunt) wants to do, if he wants to blow this whole thing up and bring in a new coaching staff and bring in a new coordinator with that and bring in a new quarterback in the draft, that all weighs into whether or not I want to be a Chief next year.

“As far as I’m concerned, as a veteran on this team going into my 13th year next year, the last thing I want to hear is ‘rebuild.’ I’m not into it. If they come in here and they want to blow it all up, I’ll be frustrated and I’ll be a little (ticked) off.

“There are some really good coaches on this staff. I want Herm back, I want (offensive coordinator Chan Gailey) back. I want my position coach, Jon Embree, back. These guys are going to take us in the direction we want to go.”

Gonzalez indicated he would play only one more season, at least if he stays with the Chiefs. In that case, it might benefit the Chiefs to at least listen to trade offers for Gonzalez, though those offers might not be overwhelming given that Gonzalez is nearing the end of his career.

“In reality, it’s just like this year,” he said. “If they don’t want to let me go, they don’t have to let me go and I’d have to deal with it. I’d still come back and play hard. But there’s only one year left in that. If they want to get something for me, that’s when I would say, ‘Why don’t you get something for me?’

“I’m just being honest. I’m just talking candidly here. No matter what happens, I’ll try to make it work for the best. Whatever team I’m on — hopefully it’s this team — we can build something special.”

Even at 32 and while playing for a 2-14 team, Gonzalez had one of his best seasons. That seemed improbable early in the year when the Chiefs continually shuffled their quarterbacks.

His season turned around when Tyler Thigpen took over for good at quarterback. That’s one reason Gonzalez would prefer to see the Chiefs stay with Thigpen, at least if they continue in the spread offensive formation.

“I think Tyler is the guy, especially for this offense,” Gonzalez said. “If they want to keep this offense in place, why would you need to go out there and get another quarterback? He’s perfect for this offense. If you want to go out there and get a dropback quarterback, then maybe you might want to get another quarterback.

“Tyler’s proven himself. He’s come out of nowhere and shown he can be an elite quarterback in this league. People need to keep in mind that it was his first year starting. He came into this season just hoping to be the third-string quarterback and now he’s pressed into the starting spotlight. I think he handled it well.

“If he gets a whole offseason and gets the (practices) and the whole camp and gets his confidence going that he’s going to be the guy, then I think he can be a pretty good quarterback in this league for a long time.”

Gonzalez and outgoing president/general manager Carl Peterson said their goodbyes after the Chiefs returned from Cincinnati Sunday night when they bumped into each other while having dinner at the Capital Grille on the Plaza.

Gonzalez was upset with Peterson for a time after the Chiefs failed to trade Gonzalez in October.

“Our relationship has healed,” Gonzalez said. “We were frustrated but I’m not going to hold a grudge forever. Whatever he does, I’m sure he’ll be successful. Twenty years as a general manager of an NFL team, that’s unheard of, especially nowadays. He should be proud of that. He had some real good football teams.”

01-01-2009, 11:51 PM	Topic Starter
royr17 MVP Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Lovin my kids Casino cash: $-1671324	Gonzalez plans return to Chiefs unless he hears the R word (rebuild) http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chi...ry/961410.html Gonzalez plans return to Chiefs unless he hears the R word (rebuild) By ADAM TEICHER The Kansas City Star Tony Gonzalez will soon make his annual postseason trip to Hawaii to play in the Pro Bowl. Upon his return, he should have a better idea about which direction the Chiefs are headed. By then, the Chiefs will likely have a new general manager and a decision on whether coach Herm Edwards will be retained. At that point, Gonzalez will decide whether he will again ask for a trade. “As far as I know, I’ll be a Chief next year,” Gonzalez said. “Depending on what Clark (Hunt) wants to do, if he wants to blow this whole thing up and bring in a new coaching staff and bring in a new coordinator with that and bring in a new quarterback in the draft, that all weighs into whether or not I want to be a Chief next year. “As far as I’m concerned, as a veteran on this team going into my 13th year next year, the last thing I want to hear is ‘rebuild.’ I’m not into it. If they come in here and they want to blow it all up, I’ll be frustrated and I’ll be a little (ticked) off. “There are some really good coaches on this staff. I want Herm back, I want (offensive coordinator Chan Gailey) back. I want my position coach, Jon Embree, back. These guys are going to take us in the direction we want to go.” Gonzalez indicated he would play only one more season, at least if he stays with the Chiefs. In that case, it might benefit the Chiefs to at least listen to trade offers for Gonzalez, though those offers might not be overwhelming given that Gonzalez is nearing the end of his career. “In reality, it’s just like this year,” he said. “If they don’t want to let me go, they don’t have to let me go and I’d have to deal with it. I’d still come back and play hard. But there’s only one year left in that. If they want to get something for me, that’s when I would say, ‘Why don’t you get something for me?’ “I’m just being honest. I’m just talking candidly here. No matter what happens, I’ll try to make it work for the best. Whatever team I’m on — hopefully it’s this team — we can build something special.” Even at 32 and while playing for a 2-14 team, Gonzalez had one of his best seasons. That seemed improbable early in the year when the Chiefs continually shuffled their quarterbacks. His season turned around when Tyler Thigpen took over for good at quarterback. That’s one reason Gonzalez would prefer to see the Chiefs stay with Thigpen, at least if they continue in the spread offensive formation. “I think Tyler is the guy, especially for this offense,” Gonzalez said. “If they want to keep this offense in place, why would you need to go out there and get another quarterback? He’s perfect for this offense. If you want to go out there and get a dropback quarterback, then maybe you might want to get another quarterback. “Tyler’s proven himself. He’s come out of nowhere and shown he can be an elite quarterback in this league. People need to keep in mind that it was his first year starting. He came into this season just hoping to be the third-string quarterback and now he’s pressed into the starting spotlight. I think he handled it well. “If he gets a whole offseason and gets the (practices) and the whole camp and gets his confidence going that he’s going to be the guy, then I think he can be a pretty good quarterback in this league for a long time.” Gonzalez and outgoing president/general manager Carl Peterson said their goodbyes after the Chiefs returned from Cincinnati Sunday night when they bumped into each other while having dinner at the Capital Grille on the Plaza. Gonzalez was upset with Peterson for a time after the Chiefs failed to trade Gonzalez in October. “Our relationship has healed,” Gonzalez said. “We were frustrated but I’m not going to hold a grudge forever. Whatever he does, I’m sure he’ll be successful. Twenty years as a general manager of an NFL team, that’s unheard of, especially nowadays. He should be proud of that. He had some real good football teams.”
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