The Atlanta Falcons have a pretty good situation on their hands when it comes to the tight end position. Veteran and future Hall of Fame player Tony Gonzalez is back from one final shot at a Super Bowl while a very talented young rookie waits behind him. Atlanta drafted Levine Toilolo to be the future of the team after Gonzalez officially retires. As the veteran is likely to sit out the rest of training camp, Toilolo is taking advantage of the extra reps.
Gonzalez's absence from training camp was planned beforehand. When the tight end opted to re-sign with the Falcons, the two sides discussed his family commitments and what that meant for the training camp schedule. A family man first, Gonzalez is taking care of that before football.
"We knew this ahead of time. Not to rehash it but Tony had made these commitments to his family prior to deciding to come back and play. When Tony can be here, he is going to be here and be a part of it and I think that was very evident by him being here for the first three days of practice," head coach Mike Smith said.
Toilolo is now a star in the making, getting plenty of reps with the first-team offense. His 6-foot-8 frame makes him a match-up nightmare for defenses and Smith is loving what he is seeing so far. Toilolo is looking forward to learning as much as he can from Gonzalez throughout the season, but while the veteran is gone, he plans on proving why he deserves to the heir to the tight end throne. Smith plans on using Toilolo in games in 2013 no matter what. His size will be key in the red zone.
"Obviously, his efficiency in the redzone is well documented," head coach Mike Smith said. "To throw the ball to a guy in the red zone, you want to make sure he's going to catch the ball. I think that kind of says what kind of hands he has."
As the Falcons get underway with training camp, it is hard to miss Toilolo on the field. He is one of the tallest players on the roster and has been all over the field so far in practices. As of now, the rookie is simply battling for a backup spot with the Falcons. Tommy Gallarda is another tight end thriving under Gonzalez's wings. He was primarily a blocking tight end for the Falcons last season. Chase Coffman comes to the Falcons from the Bengals. He has offered a few noteworthy catches for the Falcons, but his ability to block is not great. Coffman's experience will likely keep him high on the depth chart.
