Browns' Winslow amuses Chiefs' Gonzalez
KC tight end lets his career stats do the talking, unlike the young, cocky Cleveland player.
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
Tony Gonzalez used to let himself get worked up when he was called out by yet another young tight end aspiring to be him.
When Cleveland’s Kellen Winslow Jr. recently claimed for himself the title as the best in the business, Gonzalez was more amused than anything else.
But Gonzalez took notice. This week, with the Chiefs preparing for Sunday’s game against Winslow’s Browns in Cleveland, he couldn’t let it pass without comment.
“I respect him as a player,” Gonzalez said. “It’s just funny the way some guys conduct themselves, fall into the trap of trying to get exposure. Really, what counts is what you do on the field. You really don’t have to say too much or you shouldn’t have to say too much.
“That’s how I’ve always approached it. I don’t have to tell you how good I am. I want you guys to watch and tell me how good I am. That’s when it’s real, when somebody else says that about you.”
Winslow, in his first full NFL season, is proving to be a worthy challenger to Gonzalez and San Diego’s Antonio Gates as the best pass-catching tight end. Winslow is third in the league in catches with 66, far ahead of Gonzalez and Gates.
Gonzalez doesn’t dispute Winslow’s ability or potential. The son of a Pro Football Hall of Famer who was a pioneer among pass-catching tight ends, Winslow reminds Gonzalez of himself shortly after he joined the Chiefs 10 seasons ago.
“He’s very similar,” Gonzalez said. “His body size and athleticism are the same.”
Gonzalez is puzzled by Winslow’s need to call attention to himself. In recently proclaiming that he was football’s best tight end, Winslow said, among other things, “My 90 percent is better than every tight end out there.”
Winslow was referring to injuries that cost him his first two NFL seasons and left him less than whole. Winslow broke his leg in his second game during his rookie season and missed all of last season because of an assortment of injuries he suffered during an offseason motorcycle crash.
Winslow is listed on this week’s injury report as questionable because of a knee injury, but the Browns said they expect him to play.
Gonzalez got to know Winslow while the two were doing some promotional work for Reebok in California a couple of years ago.
“I had heard all the rumors about him that he was real cocky, but he wasn’t that way at all,” Gonzalez said. “So I guess I was kind of surprised when he came out and said that stuff. Maybe he’s challenging himself and trying to bring the best out of himself. I think he’ll realize this later: You can talk all you want, but you’ve got to get it done on the field.
“I’m from the old-school way. I learned from guys like Warren (Moon) and Marcus (Allen). You don’t have to say all of that stuff. Study the great ones. They don’t have anything to say like that. Some of these guys, they’re into self-promotion. Look what happened. It got them into the limelight and people know them.
“That’s just not the way I want to get people to know me. I’d rather they notice that for themselves.”
For Winslow, the arrival of Gonzalez on Sunday will be like welcoming royalty. He was fired up last month to play against the Chargers and Gates, a meeting that prompted his comments about being better than Gates or Gonzalez.
The Browns wouldn’t make him available for an interview this week, but his match against Gonzalez apparently has him fired up.
“Kellen talks about Tony a lot,” Cleveland quarterback Charlie Frye said. “He watches a lot of film on him. He’s looking forward to having Tony come in.”
Cleveland coach Romeo Crennel said: “He wants to prove himself against every good tight end in the NFL. I know he considers Tony one of the best. He will likely go out and have a good performance.”
Gonzalez is used to that. Most every young tight end who arrived in the NFL since Gonzalez, from Winslow and Gates to Baltimore’s Todd Heap and the Giants’ Jeremy Shockey, used him as the measuring stick.
“That’s when I know I’ve still got it, when a guy comes in and compares himself to me,” Gonzalez said. “I’d be lying if I said I ignored that stuff completely. It fires me up in a way. I want to be that standard, the guy they compare themselves to. That’s what drives me. That’s my goal at the end of the day. I plan on being the best tight end in the league for the next three or four years, whether it’s here or anywhere else.”
That was a reference to the slow pace of his negotiations with the Chiefs for a new contract. Gonzalez, in the last year of his contract, said he didn’t want to talk about the subject any further.
Winslow’s arrival, however delayed, complicates the AFC’s Pro Bowl situation, at least for Gonzalez. Even though he leads the Chiefs in catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, his streak of seven straight appearances in Hawaii could be in jeopardy.
Gonzalez, with 48 catches, trails not only Winslow and Gates (50), but also Heap (51). He is behind only Winslow in yards, but both Heap and Gates in touchdowns.
Gonzalez isn’t particularly concerned. He weathered such challenges before.
“When we go against Antonio, I look forward to it,” Gonzalez said. “I like to see what he can do. I measure myself against him because he’s one of the best in the league and I want to see how I stack up. So I’m watching like a hawk. I’ll be watching Kellen from the sideline, checking him out, seeing how he’s blocking.”
