2. Don’t forget Gonzo. It has been vogue in some circles of the blogosphere to write off Gonzalez and assume that Wayne, Garcon and Collie will be the top three wide receivers next season. That’s probably safe to assume with Wayne, but don’t assume Gonzalez won’t make an equal contribution – and get equal or more time – than either or both of the other two. How the wide receiver position shakes out will be a major theme in the upcoming OTAs, and it probably won’t be known until next season, but Gonzalez will be a factor. Because he missed all but a half last season, it’s easy to forget that at times in 2007 and 2008, he was close to becoming a consistent big-time threat in the offense. He is effective running after the catch and showed an ability to break tackles and to make big plays – even deep plays – at critical times. There has been blogosphere speculation about trading Gonzalez, but don’t expect that. As is the case with Sanders, you don’t give up on early-round selections who have shown big-time playmaking ability. Once you get rid of that kind of ability, you can spend a lot of time trying to replace it.
I wasn’t aware there had been a lot of talk about moving Gonzo. That would obviously be a mistake. You don’t move him for less than a first round pick (only because I would move almost anyone on the roster for that price). That kind of offer is unlikely to come, so I’d say he’s safe. If anything, it’s Collie that’s unlikely to see as much playing time next year.
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