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Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates: how tight ends fit into receiver matchups
Pigskin Ladder puts tight ends in the same receiver group as wide receivers. Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates therefore face players with very different jobs. Their totals show how tight ends compete with receivers, and where they fall short.
| Player | Receptions | Rank (of 13) | Receiving yards | Rank | Receiving TD | Rank | Yards per catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Gonzalez | 1,325 | 2nd | 15,127 | 5th | 111 | 7th | 11.4 |
| Antonio Gates | 955 | 12th | 11,841 | 13th | 116 | 6th | 12.4 |
Gonzalez: volume
Tony Gonzalez’s 1,325 receptions rank second on the ladder, behind only Jerry Rice (1,549) and well ahead of every wide receiver below them. His 15,127 receiving yards rank fifth. The difference between those two ranks is the story: he gained only 11.4 yards per catch, the lowest in the group. Gonzalez was a high-volume target who moved the chains.
Gates: the scorer
Antonio Gates has 955 receptions, 12th of 13, and 11,841 yards, the lowest yardage on the list. But his 116 touchdowns rank sixth, ahead of Gonzalez (111), Tim Brown (100), Isaac Bruce (91) and Andre Johnson (70). Gates scored once every 102 yards, second only to Randy Moss (98) among all 13 receivers, compared with 136 for Gonzalez. His 4.3% edge in touchdowns over Gonzalez is also one of the closest touchdown matchups in the game.
Reading tight end matchups
- Receptions: Gonzalez beats every receiver except Rice. Gates is near the bottom, so he loses to almost everyone.
- Yards: Gonzalez (15,127) is a legitimate contender against Isaac Bruce (15,208), Randy Moss (15,292) and Terrell Owens (15,934). These are among the closest matchups in the game. Gates loses most yardage matchups.
- Touchdowns: Gates (116) is a strong pick against anyone but Rice, Moss, Owens, Carter and Harrison, and Gonzalez is not far behind.
The comparison also shows why the receivers group is harder than it looks: the same position label hides very different roles. Read more about this in how to estimate career stats under a clock, step 4. The full numbers are in the receivers table, and you can test yourself in a round.