Atlanta Falcons TE Tony Gonzalez hasn’t poured on the statz more than once or twice this year, but he has multiple catches in every game, including 22 in his past four, and has proven to be a reliable second option for when defenses take away Roddy White. Expect him to exceed his season average of four catches and 45 yards this Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Bucs have safety issues. After losing promising rookie Cody Grimm for the season, and then ditching non-promising non-rookie Sabby Piscitelli, Tampa was actually considering lining up Ronde Barber at safety, but it looks like that’s not going to happen. Still, if we’re talking about sliding around starters to shore up a position, the Bucs could be in trouble.
Though Gonzo doesn’t do much work down the seam, instead operating in soft spots between zones eight to 15 yards downfield, opposing defenses still need alert, sure-tackling safeties to prevent his catches from becoming conversions. He’s one of the NFL’s best tight ends at making the first defender miss. That’s another reason we’re sad to see Piscitelli go.