AFC NEWS ‘N’ NOTES

TIGHT ENDS CATCHING PASSES & ATTENTION

He is a land-moving bulldozer with jet engines and wings.  He is the cross-training shoe of NFL rosters.

He is a tight end.

Fifteen tight ends caught 40 or more passes in 2003 – a mark that had not been reached in nine seasons (1995).  In addition, the past five NFL Drafts have seen a total of nine tight ends selected in the first round.  That has never happened before over a five-year span.

“They create mismatches,” says Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end KELLEN WINSLOW, SR. on his position, which has become a generational trade in his family.  Winslow’s son KELLEN was drafted No. 6 overall by the Cleveland Browns in April.  “A linebacker that is good against the run but not the pass has a hard time staying with an agile tight end, and a smaller linebacker or even a safety that runs well can be out-muscled by a good tight end. 

“If you have a tight end that can split out wide,” Winslow continues, “it causes personnel problems for the defense.  You can place a defense into a guessing game.”

TONY GONZALEZ of Kansas City led all tight ends in receptions (71), yards (916) and touchdowns (10) in 2003.  The 6-4, 248-pounder has been voted an AFC All-Star for five consecutive years.

“The biggest advantage Tony gives us is his ability to catch the ball in crowds,” says Chiefs head coach DICK VERMEIL, whose team will defend its AFC West division title this season.  “He runs well, but he doesn’t have to outrun people to catch the ball.  The contact around him when he’s going for the football doesn’t bother him.  That makes him exceptional.”

The 10-year charts below cite the number of tight ends selected in the first round, and tight ends with at least 40 catches in a season:

Winslow, drafted No. 13 overall by San Diego in 1979 out of Missouri, believes that college football’s evolution has enhanced the position.  “For many years on the college scene, it was an ignored position,” he says.  “Now college coaches are looking to develop athletes at tight end who can both run and block.”

“When I was with the Eagles (1976-82), by the time I left, linebackers would stand over the tight end,” says Vermeil.  “Today, with defensive ends often playing in front of tight ends, it requires the tight end to be a better blocker.  I look for a player who can block like a lineman and catch like a wide receiver.  They don’t make many of them.  As a talent evaluator, you find a blend of those two talents that best fits your offense.”

Baltimore Ravens general manager and Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end OZZIE NEWSOME, who retired as the NFL’s all-time leading receiving tight end with 662 catches, knows he would have work to do in today’s world of tight ends.

“I was a wide receiver (at Alabama),” says Newsome, “so if I was entering the league today, I would have to learn to block at the point and become better releasing off the ball.”