Here's something interesting....

**ctchiefsfan** · 08-03-2017, 02:04 PM

Got to thinking about Kelce this morning which of course made me think about Tony Gonzales. So I decided to compare some stats. And while I knew Kelce was good I was surprised at how well he compared to Gonzales.

First off, I am going to ignore Kelce's rookie year as he played in only 1 game, recorded no stats and was put on IR in October. So to be fair I am also not counting TG's rookie year. So I am thereby comparing TG's 2cond, 3rd and 4th years to Kelce's 2cond, 3rd and 4th years.

Durability....TG was INSANELY durable. Over the course of his career he only had 2 seasons in which he didn't play in all 16 games. Since the ignored rookie year, Kelce has played in every regular season game.

In his 2cond year TG caught 59 passes for 621 yards and 2 TDs. (10.5 yards per catch). TG lost 3 fumbles this year. Kelce in his 2cond year caught 67 passes for 862 yards and 5 TDs. (12.9 yards per catch). Kelce caught 8 more passes for 241 more yards. Kelce lost 3 fumbles this year.

In his 3rd year TG caught 76 passes for 849 yards and 11 TDs (11.2 yards per catch). Kelce in his 3rd year caught 72 passes for 875 yards and 5 TDs (12.2 yards per catch). TG lost 2 fumbles this years. Kelce caught 4 less passes for 26 more yards. Kelce lost 2 fumbles this year.

In his 4th year TG caught 93 passes for 1203 yards and 9 TDs (12.9 yards per catch). TG lost no fumbles this year. Kelce in his 4th year caught 85 passes for 1125 yards and 4 TDs. (13.2 yards per catch). Kelce caught 8 less passes for 78 less yards. Kelce lost no fumbles this year.

Of course this isn't to say Kelce is as good or better than TG. After all, Kelce has really only played 3 years compared to the 17 years TG played. But with the exception of TDs scored TG and Kelce stack up as being pretty much equal in the first 3 years they actually played. Of course, TG scored a lot more TDs and that is an IMPORTANT stat. But there are other things that influence how many TDs a tight end is likely to score like how good the running game and WRs are. And of course there were several years when TG was pretty much our only real offensive weapon. Kelce still has a lot to prove when it comes to durability and longevity but so far he stacks up pretty well with TG.

In the draft we traded up from #18 to #13 to get TG. We got Kelce in the 3rd round. So far, Kelce has been an ABSOLUTE STEAL. Thanks Reid and Dorsey! If I can believe what I read, Kelce was probably a Reid pick since Reid had coached Kelce's brother in Philly.

Please note....These stats are not my own. The TG stats come from NFL.com and the Kelce stats come from ESPN.com. Those were just what came up in my google search.

I've heard it said many times that TG changed the meaning of being a tight end. Well so far at least Kelce is doing a very good job of living up to TG's legacy.

**Coach** · 08-04-2017, 08:50 AM

Great analysis. TG was a role model on and off the field. Let's hope that TC can live up to that.

**ctchiefsfan** · 08-04-2017, 09:51 AM

Originally Posted by Coach

Great analysis. TG was a role model on and off the field. Let's hope that TC can live up to that.

Thanks! As to Kelce being a role model off the field....no way to really know at this point but I suspect his off field behavior may tend more towards that of Gronkowski and TG. A little bit of a "bad boy" but not the type that get's into trouble.