Tony Gonzalez on Chiefs’ Travis Kelce and staying healthy as a tight end in the NFL
Tony Gonzalez’s career statistics are remarkable.
Gonzalez had the third-most receptions in NFL history (1,325), the sixth-most receiving yards (15,127) and eighth-most touchdown catches (111). The catches and receiving yards are far and away the most ever for a tight end.
But perhaps the most impressive statistic is this: In 17 seasons (12 with the Chiefs and five with the Falcons), Gonzalez played in 270 of a possible 272 games. He missed one game in 1999 and another in 2006 with the Chiefs.
That’s it.
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has a long way to go to catch Gonzalez in most career statistical categories. But like Gonzalez, Kelce has stayed healthy for a long time.
But after playing nearly every game the previous nine seasons, Kelce missed the 2023 opener because of a knee injury and then was hurt Sunday in the Chiefs’ 27-20 win over the Vikings.
Gonzalez said part of the reason he was able to stay healthy was luck, and he thinks talk of Kelce’s sudden decline is premature. The former Chiefs tight end sees similarities between himself and the current Chiefs tight end.
“First of all, he’s phenomenal. I think he’s the best tight end ever at (yards after the catch), but it’s not something that’s bruising physically like a Jeremy Shockey or (Rob) Gronkowski, so you can take less hits,” Gonzalez said of Kelce. “And I think that’s why he’s been able to stay pretty healthy over his career. And I was kind of the same way.
“I could move away from the hits and absorb the hits. I used to actually jump back when I got hit over the middle and I knew the hit was coming. And the crowd would go ‘ooooh,’ and it looked like a big hit but I’m actually jumping back when the guy hit me so I cannot absorb all that energy and I think that helped me too. But the majority of it is just being lucky and getting your leg up at the right time.”
Part of that luck is the timing of an injury. Gonzalez recalled suffering a serious knee injury in the Chiefs’ final game of the 2001 season, a 21-18 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
“I tore my MCL really badly, but it was the last game of the season. If that happens first game, I’m probably on IR for the season,” Gonzalez said. “So it’s one of those things. It’s a conscious effort but also a lot of luck is involved in it as well. And I took care of myself too. I mean, the whole sleeping, the whole working out, the whole stretching. I was really big on that early.
“Definitely towards the end of my career meaning right around year 10 is when I made that change where my body was starting to hurt where I really started focusing on what I put in my body and how I took care of myself and how I slept. That was a big deal for me.”
Gonzalez, who is part of Amazon Prime’s “TNF Tonight” crew, will be back at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium for Thursday night’s Chiefs-Broncos game.
That will give Gonzalez a chance perhaps to share some of his thoughts with Kelce about his standout play with the Chiefs over the past decade.
“I’ve always called him my alter ego, the way he’s doing it on and off the field. I’ve always been like, ‘Man, if I could go back, I would probably do things the way he’s been doing it because he’s so free out there.’ The way he plays, the way he operates, his leadership qualities also add to his game. He’s a captain in that locker room. And so I think that’s something that I always look at him and go man, you’re doing it the right way.”
‘A dynasty period’
Gonzalez played on some excellent Chiefs teams during his career, but they were never able to win a playoff game. That is why he’s excited about the Chiefs’ success since Patrick Mahomes became the starting quarterback.
“I do believe that they’re in the middle of a dynasty period right now,” Gonzalez said. “They’re very dominant. They have the best player in the world on their team in Patrick Mahomes. Andy Reid is a phenomenal football coach. Obviously he’ll go down as a certain Hall of Famer, go down in history as one of the best ever to do it. And so the Chiefs fans, they deserve it, because when we were there, we couldn’t get it done. Not even close. And so I’m glad for that city. You know, my brother still lives there. Still got close ties to that city. And I couldn’t be happier for them. ...
“This is the second best thing that could happen, because obviously the first best thing is to be a part of it. But if I can’t be a part of it, I’m glad it’s the team that I used to play on and be able to watch because I feel like I’m along for the ride. It’s not my ride, but I’m along for the ride. So it’s been great to watch.”
Life as an NFL analyst
Gonzalez and the rest of the “TNF Tonight” crew will begin their pregame coverage Thursday at 6 p.m. He previously worked as a studio analyst with CBS and Fox, but said working with Amazon Prime has been fun because the set is at the location of each week’s game.
“I love being at the game. The energy of the crowd, seeing the players before the game. talking to the coaches, talking to the players,” Gonzalez said. “It’s like a traveling circus. We go from town to town bringing Thursday night prime time football. It’s exciting. And then on top of all that I get to work with some of the best people in the business
“I feel like we have a lot of chemistry. It’s so genuine that we get along, we like each other and I think that comes across on TV. It makes the job so much more fun.”
