Gonzalez catches piece of history with No. 1,000
By Phil Axelrod
For the AJC
PITTSBURGH -- It wasn't the most memorable catch in what most certainly will be a Hall of Fame career for Tony Gonzalez, the standard for tight ends in the National Football League. But the 20-yard reception over the middle early in the third quarter of Atlanta's 15-9 loss to the Steelers on Sunday was a milestone for the 34-year-old Gonzalez.
He became the first tight end in league history with 1,000 catches and the seventh player to reach that plateau.
"Yeah, it means something to me, but it's overshadowed by the loss," said Gonzalez, who latched onto No. 1,001 late in the fourth quarter, a 15-yard sideline pass in front of the Steelers' Troy Polamalu. "What do 1,000 catches tell me? I've been in the league a long time. It's pretty special. It says I've been lucky to stay healthy. It tells me I've been lucky to have been in good systems. It tells me I've been lucky to have been surrounded by great players.
"I don't take it lightly."
Neither does Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who is in his second season throwing to Gonzalez since a 2009 trade for a second-round draft pick in 2010 brought Gonzalez to the Falcons from the Kansas City Chiefs.
"To be the guy to deliver it [No. 1,000] was pretty special," Ryan said. "That speaks to his consistency throughout his career. To my knowledge, he is the first tight end to ever do that, so it's incredibly impressive and couldn't happen to a better person."
Both of Gonzalez's catches set up field goals of 39 and 23 yards by Matt Bryant.
"That's kind of inexcusable because we should have scored at least one touchdown," Gonzalez said. "You've got to give the Steelers' defense some of that credit."
The centerpiece of that defense is Polamalu, who has the freedom to roam and made an acrobatic interception along the sideline in regulation.
"He's going to squat on routes. That's what he does," Gonzalez said. "I love to go against Polamalu. I'd love to do it every week. You see how you measure up against the best. It's an honor to play against him."
Against the Steelers, Gonzalez caught two of the five passes thrown in his direction. He thought he had No. 1,000 about a minute earlier than it officially counted, but his catch was nullified when a replay revealed he had stepped out of bounds.
"I knew I had," he said with a sheepish grin. "I figured I'd get it sooner or later."
Gonzalez had 1,001 receptions for 11,842 yards and 82 touchdowns to lead NFL tight ends in all categories.
"I've been a tight end since my freshman year in high school," he said. "At tight end, you have the best of both worlds. You get to block people and also catch passes. It's the hardest position on the offensive side of the ball except for quarterback. There's a special talent to being a tight end; I've always liked that."
