Originally Posted by
rbedgood
I would suggest that none of the TE's listed are nearly the player that Tony Gonzalez is. The only thing being discussed in the comparison is their receiving numbers...ummm anyone else notice that the only other competent blocker in that list was Jason Witten. And Witten has been in the league for a few years, but only has one really impressive year (this one).
For right now Tony Gonzalez is in a class of his own at the TE position. Gates is the only other receiving TE that has approached his excellence for more than a season or two, and Gates is a less than mediocre blocker.
Tony Gonzalez began a trend of NFL teams watching the NCAA ranks for solidly built basketball players that could translate to the football field. Before Gonzalez, the premier TEs in the game were guys like Brent Jones and Jay Novacek who were essentially oversized receivers, much like Shockey or Winslow Jr. The only two on that list that really could compare to Gonzalez down the road are Winslow Jr and Vernon Davis, and only if they put their minds to becoming complete players (receiving and blocking)