Buckeyes in the NFL: Gonzalez hitting stride with Colts – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/11/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Indianapolis plays host to San Diego at 1 p.m. Sunday in the divisional round of the 2007 NFL Playoffs
By Michael Marot
Associated Press – Jan. 4, 2008
INDIANAPOLIS — Former Ohio State standout receiver Anthony Gonzalez walked into his first NFL training camp with bright eyes and big hopes.
Then his head started spinning.
The rigors of learning the Indianapolis Colts’ extensive playbook, the no-huddle offense and the audibles Peyton Manning makes was frustrating — even to a self-proclaimed fast learner.
But in the past two months, Gonzalez has settled in and settled down, emerging as an increasingly important cog in the offense and becoming a vital part in what the Super Bowl champions hope is a playoff run to defend their title.
“Any time you do the same thing for 16 weeks, you start to get more comfortable,” Gonzalez said. “For me, personally, it just took some time to get comfortable with this offense, and like I tell everyone, I’ve still got a lot of work to do.”
At first glance, Gonzalez considered Indy (13-3) a glamorous situation. He relished the thought of making big plays, scoring touchdowns, playing with two Pro Bowl receivers and catching passes from a two-time league MVP. Not to mention playing with a Super Bowl team. What’s not to like?
But the reality is that slow starts have always been part of the learning curve for Indy’s receivers.
Marvin Harrison caught only 59 passes in the first season Tom Moore took over as offensive coordinator before reeling off four straight 100-catch seasons.
Two-time Pro Bowl receiver Reggie Wayne caught 27 passes as a rookie and 49 in his second season, before breaking out in his third year. And tight end Dallas Clark had 29 catches in his first NFL season, in 2003, before a leg injury cost him the final six games.
The common thread was that all three were first-round picks, like Gonzalez, who seemed destined to follow a similar trajectory after catching 15 passes for 207 yards and no touchdowns in his first 10 games.
Everything changed Thanksgiving night, when Gonzalez caught six passes for 105 yards in Atlanta.
Suddenly, his season got a jump-start. During the next four games, he caught 16 passes for 264 yards and three TDs, producing a second 100-yard game and suddenly emerging as a solid fill-in for the injured Harrison.
“Probably the toughest thing for me was not a football thing,” he said. “I was still getting used to the lifestyle, living in the city, all the things that most people struggle with when they take a new job.”
The Colts drafted Gonzalez to add a slot receiver after releasing the oft-injured Brandon Stokley, and to find a potential replacement for Harrison, now 35.
When they decided to start giving Gonzalez the expanded version of the offense by letting him line up outside more frequently, things began to click.
“I think his biggest strides have been learning the entire offense and how he fits in it,” coach Tony Dungy said. “A lot of that came when he started moving around. That’s what he’s really done is learned the whole thing and become a lot more relaxed.”
