There was a time in the not-too-distant past when that headline didn't need to be written. Of course, you start Tony Gonzalez. You start him every week. He's a stud. That was then. This is now. Gonzalez is no longer the no-brainer start he once was.
Through five weeks, he's hovering around the top 15 tight ends in your league and has only one game with more than 41 yards receiving this season. Even the Detroit Lions' Brandon Pettigrew has outscored him!
Gonzalez is still seeing the targets and is fifth among tight ends with 24 catches but he's struggled to stretch the field and find the endzone. After combining for 16 touchdowns the previous two seasons, he's caught only one through five games.
Wait a second. I thought this was a column about why I should START Gonzalez. Trust me, it is. Now we get to why he makes a good start this week, despite the down year.
The Eagles have struggled against tight ends this year. They've allowed opposing tight ends to average 4.2 catches and 62.2 yards and have given up two touchdowns the past two weeks. Let's revisit their struggles.
In Week 2, Pettigrew caught seven passes for 108 yards. In Week 4, Chris Cooley managed only 37 yards but caught a touchdown and just last week, Vernon Davis of the 49ers burned them for 104 yards and a touchdown.
If the Eagles focus on stopping Roddy White - as the Saints did - Gonzalez could be in for a huge game. If they play straight up, he should still deliver 60+ yards and a touchdown.