delusions of grandeur Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 Gonzalez tells Falcons he’s returning And, once again, the curse of the 95-percent certainty comes to fruition. Tight end Tony Gonzalez has informed the Falcons that he’ll return in 2013, according to Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com. “After discussing it with my family and really, truly struggling with this decision, I informed the Falcons that I would like to return for one more shot,” Gonzalez told Glazer. “Considering how this season ended, I wanted to give it another run with Matt [Ryan], Smitty [head coach Mike Smith] and the guys we have in there. It was the first time I had won a playoff game and hopefully coming back once more we can take it one step further.” Gonzalez consistently said during the 2013 season that he was 95-percent certain to retire. At one point, Falcons coach Mike Smith told PFT, “You hope for the five percent.” “I was done, I thought I had my mind made up,” Gonzalez told Glazer. “This whole year I knew it would be my last but the way our final game ended and talking to all the guys in the locker room, in the end it was too difficult of a way for me to step away from the game. It’s not often in a career you’re around a group like we have down in Atlanta.” The sure-fire Hall of Famer, arguably the greatest tight end in NFL history, passed on three TV offers. “I am coming back for one reason and one reason only, the chance to win a Super Bowl,” Gonzalez said. Given the moves that teams like the Seahawks and 49ers are making, it won’t be easy. But it will be fun to watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delusions of grandeur Posted March 12, 2013 Author Share Posted March 12, 2013 Apparently they're working out the deal as we speak. Love that he's coming back, dude could play until he's 40, but very nervous about the $7 million he's said to want, and what that means for the Falcons trying to fill other holes. Starting to think they'll let Grimes or Baker walk, especially if the Stephen Jackson rumors come to fruition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevegrab Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 Three TV offers, he'll certainly have no trouble finding a job when he does decide to retire. He still seems to play at a pretty high level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazinib1 Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 Not surprised at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tripleshot Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 I'm not surprised either. But will he match last year's production? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irish Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 I'm not surprised either. But will he match last year's production? Why not? Guy's a stud! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delusions of grandeur Posted March 14, 2013 Author Share Posted March 14, 2013 (edited) Why not? Guy's a stud! Yep, he "lost a step" a couple years ago, but still beats guys with superior technique. He's Ryan's safety blanket too. When a play breaks down and Ryan has to scramble, he'll break off his route and get open every time.... Not to mention that he's a huge redzone target as defenses will be forced to key on on Julio more and more. He should only continue to benefit from them having to pick their poison, and not being able to double cover him like they used to a lot more. I don't know if I'd count on him catching 93 balls again, since Julio is rapidly becoming the centerpiece of the offense, and my hope is that the running game will improve to where it's not 3rd and long all the time where Tony makes his living.... But he should still be a virtual lock as a top 5 TE barring injury. Edited March 14, 2013 by delusions of grandeur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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