NFL San Diego Chargers

San Diego Chargers’ Antonio Gates is One of the Best Ever

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By @AnthonyBeers

Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports

Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports

What was lost in the midst of a Denver Broncos victory over the San Diego Chargers last night was a celebration for Chargers tight end Antonio Gates.

Following a third down conversion, Gates had officially passed former Chargers wide receiver Lance Alworth as the Chargers’ all-time leader in receiving yards. This does not even begin to hint at the NFL dominance that Gates has brought to the table throughout his career.

After playing basketball at Kent State University, Gates was signed in the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2003. The man had never played a down of college football, but his size and athleticism drew interest from many teams. The Chargers were the ones that signed Gates and it remains the greatest steal in franchise history.

In today’s NFL, the players who get the most hype are the quarterbacks. The mental perseverance it takes to excel at that position is unfathomable. But from a pure football stand point, it is not nearly as physically grueling as some of the other positions on the field. Perhaps the most physically demanding position on the football field is tight end.

Most teams do not have the fortune of having an established franchise tight end that can play for three plus years consecutively. A lot of that has to do with the position. Tight ends need to block, run, catch and hit. The blend of speed, strength and leaping ability is such a rare balance that hardly ever do fans see something like this. The only career that comes close to Gates’ is the astounding success of Tony Gonzalez.

Sure, the New Orleans Saints’  Jimmy Graham and the Denver Broncos’  Julius Thomas have provided consistent success in recent years. But the offenses they play in essentially have them playing wide receiver and are not nearly as demanding as Gates’ offense. To have the type of numbers Gates does over long years and still be such an effective blocker is incredible.

Fans of this generation are spoiled from the great play of Gonzalez in recent years, and the play of Gates now. Lengthy consistency from a tight end is more rare in football than today’s fans realize. Gonzalez finished with 111 career receiving touchdowns, and is sixth all time in NFL history. While Gonzalez finished with those touchdowns in 12 seasons, Gates is currently 10th all time with 96 in the midst of his ninth season. Even more unfathomably, Gonzalez played 99 games more than Gates currently has. Gates is 34 years old, and if he elects to continue playing, he will undoubtedly break Gonzalez’s record.

What’s most amazing about Gates is he’s shown no signs of slowing down. His highest amount of touchdowns in a season was when he had 13 at age 24. A decade later, he already has nine with the season only halfway over. He is an NFL legend, and is going to be a first ballot Hall of Famer.

While the media obsesses over quarterbacks who are pampered by the league, fans argue over which quarterback is the greatest player in the game today. That conversation does such an injustice to players like Gates, whom has quietly and respectfully dominated every second of his career in all aspects. Fans, please save one less Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning conversation and realize that Antonio Gates is one of the best players in the NFL today.

Anthony Beers is a Contributing Writer for RantSports. You can follow him on twitter @AnthonyBeers

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