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Tony Gonzalez, a sure Hall of Famer likely playing his final season in the NFL, is pumped to keep his Super Bowl dream alive after thrilling win over Seahawks in NFC Divisional playoff round.
ATLANTA - It is such a shame that great athletes and their accomplishments are measured by championships. You say that when you look at the body of work that Tony Gonzalez has amassed over 16 NFL seasons.
The greatest tight end in the history of the sport with a league record 14,268 yards receiving, and second only to Jerry Rice in receiving TDs with 103 is not measured by those numbers.
Until last week, the numbers that had always defined Gonzalez’ brilliant career was 0-5 in playoff appearances. All of that changed when the Falcons defeated Seattle in a stomach-churning victory in an NFC divisional playoff game. In the waning seconds, it was Gonzalez’s 19-yard catch that set up the game-winning field goal and kept the choke label from being applied to the Falcons, who had surrendered a 20-0 halftime lead before the kick notched a 30-28 win.
Now the only two numbers that matter to Gonzalez is 2-0 â€" the number of victories the Falcons need for a Super Bowl championship. The first step will be against San Francisco in the NFC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome on Sunday afternoon.
Gonzalez has not been as demonstrative about his illustrious career coming to an end as Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, who is the emotional barometer for Baltimore as they take on the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday.
Gonzalez, 36, has put his chances of retiring when the Falcons’ season ends at 95%. He is looking at the example of former Giants defensive end Michael Strahan, who capped a 15-year career with a Super Bowl championship in 2009. Strahan probably could have stretched his career another year or two, but why not go out on top.
‘’That’s the way you want to do it,’’ Gonzalez said. ‘’That’s every athlete’s dream. I don’t care what sport it is. You’d love to win a championship and leave. That’s where I’m at now.’’
Gonzalez was voted to his 13th Pro Bowl this season and feels good enough to keep playing. That has left a crack in the door for him to return.
‘’There’s no doubt I could play this game another three years if I wanted to, and at a high level, too,’’ Gonzalez said. ‘’But there comes a point in your career where you’ve gotten everything you ever wanted from this game.’’
For the last few years Gonzalez has been giving more to the game than he has taken away. He has been working with the Falcon receivers Roddy White and Julio Jones, teaching them the work ethic that has turned Gonzalez into a future Hall of Famer. It has made the Falcons a big-play threat in the passing game with Gonzalez leading the way. He led the team with 93 catches for 930 yards and eight TDs this season.
Gonzalez read books about what separated the all-time great athletes from the rest. The common denominator was extra work. He applied those lessons, staying after practice to catch hundreds of passes on the Jugs machine, a device that spits out footballs. Eventually it translated into being a standout in games. Those are the same lessons that he has been teaching the Falcons receivers.
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