Tony Gonzalez is all that is left for the Atlanta Falcons. With injuries having plagued key members of the offense and defense, things now rest on the shoulders of Matt Ryan and the veteran tight end. When Gonzalez opted to forego retirement and play one last year, he thought the Falcons would be in the running for a Super Bowl. Now that is no longer the case, but no matter what, he is dedicated to finishing the season in Atlanta.
When Julio Jones was ruled out for the remainder of the season, trade rumors around Gonzalez ran rampant. Many believed Gonzalez deserved to be traded to a team in contention and go for a championship in his last year. Immediately, the Kansas City Chiefs said they were interested. General manager John Dorsey considered handing the Falcons draft picks in exchange for their former tight end since his team his undefeated on the season. However, Mike Smith is shooting down the idea Gonzalez is leaving.
"That's preposterous that Tony would be traded,'' Smith said, via ESPN.com. "He's an integral part of our offense and has been since he's been here. And he's having another Hall of Fame season. In my mind, the last two weeks have been maybe his best two games since he's been here. So he's an integral part -- and will continue to be -- to the success we're going to have.''
The Falcons are currently 1-4 on the season they intended to at least return to the NFC Championship for a second season. Instead, Gonzalez to head into retirement while facing triple coverage from defenses. No matter, the tight end is committed to Atlanta and has always intended to end his career with the Falcons.
"We are still in this,'' Smith said. "There are still 11 games to be played, a lot of football to be played. We're focusing on us and focusing on what we have to do to get a win. We can't look beyond our next opponent. And right now, our opponent is the Atlanta Falcons this week. And next week, we'll start focusing on Tampa Bay.''
Ryan is not surprised at the rumors surrounding Tony. The tight end is having one of his best seasons as the second-leading receiver on the team with 33 catches for 339 yards. While Jones out and Roddy White struggling with hamstring and knee issues, Gonzalez becomes one of the most important pieces to the Falcons remaining games.
"Obviously, we know he's such a big part of what we do offensively,'' Ryan said. "He has been for the last five years. He's been unbelievable for us. He's been doing a great job. And I expect him to keep doing a great job for us.''
For now, Atlanta has signed veteran Brian Robiskie to help fill the void at the receiver position. Harry Douglas will move up as a starter and Drew Davis and Kevin Cone will be expected to step up.
