Tony Gonzalez of Kansas City Chiefs Is No. 1 on the Field and in Fans' Hearts

The question has been asked time and time again: How does Tony Gonzalez continue to dominate opposing defenses year in and year out?  The answer lies with what the tight end they call Gonzo has done on the field each and every game.

Maybe it's his excellent route-running or possibly his knack for always knowing how to split the defense and get open. Most people believe that it's his uncanny ability to break tackles in space and lug down the field while at times carrying linebackers and safeties on his waist.

I, like many Chief fans, let out a sigh of relief yesterday afternoon when I heard that the Chiefs did not trade Tony G to a Super Bowl-contending team.

We all know that Tony deserves better in Kansas City than what he's had in Kansas City since he first busted onto the scene in '97. His most reliable quarterback during his tenure was Trent Green, even though that only lasted a few years. It's a shame that the Chiefs have not been able to produce a solid QB over the last 10+ years.

In fact, the only consistent part of the Chiefs' offense in these last 10+ years has been Tony Gonzalez. Tony G deserves to be on a championship team, and Carl Peterson and the Chiefs have failed miserably to achieve this.

It's a wonder how a man like Gonzalez has stayed with the Chiefs this long. It seems to me as if Tony wants to get off the current Kansas City ship before it sinks straight down to the bottom.

The Chiefs' management wants to make Tony happy. At the same time, if Tony is traded, the Chiefs' fanbase will no doubt take a major hit. He is an icon, a legend, and a phenomenal talent on and off the field.

Chiefs fans couldn't see him suiting up for another team in the same way that Packers fans couldn't see Brett Favre suiting up for the Jets at the beginning of this season.

The Chiefs have a lot of work yet to do during this season. However, losing Gonzalez would add an enormous amount of work on to the already piled up stack of papers on King Carl's and Herm Edwards' desks.

Inevitably, trading Gonzalez would likely be the answer for Tony. For the Chiefs, though, it could well be the final nail in the coffin on the already fading career of the once promising Carl Peterson.