MIAMI -- If you're a Chiefs fan, you like Brodie Croyle or are one of Croyle's relatives, then look away.
This is not the story for you.
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As good as Tony Gonzalez is, he needs to rely on his quarterback.
(US Presswire)
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While Croyle may develop into a decent quarterback and could even lead the Chiefs to the playoffs (although that would be a stretch this year), he is ruining many Fantasy teams. As a Fantasy owner, Croyle doesn't do his job, and this has nothing to do with drafting him on your team.
Croyle doesn't get the ball to Dwayne Bowe and Tony Gonzalez enough. Not even close to enough.
Gonzalez is a No. 1 Fantasy tight end, and Bowe has the potential to be a No. 2 Fantasy wide receiver. But both players will never be as good as they can with Croyle under center.
Last year, Croyle started six games and passed for 927 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions. He is not asked to make many plays throwing the ball, so his stats will never be overwhelming.
But during his starts, Gonzalez caught only 37 passes for 388 yards and a touchdown, and Bowe had just 27 catches for 336 yards and two touchdowns. Take away Week 16 at Detroit, when Gonzalez (10 catches for 137 yards) and Bowe (eight catches for 97 yards and a touchdown) went off against a poor pass defense, and they really would have really struggled with Croyle.
For the season, Gonzalez had 99 catches for 1,172 yards and five touchdowns, so imagine how good he would be with a star quarterback and not Croyle or journeyman Damon Huard? Gonzalez said he's still one of the elite tight ends in the NFL no matter who is throwing him the ball.
"There are some great tight ends," Gonzalez said after playing the Dolphins in the third preseason game. "I remember when I first started coming into my own there weren't too many tight ends out there. But now, you look at almost every team, they have that receiving guy that can go down the field and play good ball. ... Antonio Gates, Kellen Winslow, Jason Witten -- there are a lot of really good tight ends in the league."
Gonzalez then mentioned how Fantasy analysts tend to downgrade him.
"I hear it from other people that I was ranked fourth or sixth, but that's fine with me," he said. "Then also, they're talking about that I lost a step because I'm 32 years old. That I'm slowing down. If you watched last year, I don't think I slowed down. I don't plan on slowing down for a long time. I still feel really good out there. I still feel like I can get better. That's the bottom line."
Gonzalez knows part of the reason for the negative thoughts is because of Croyle.
"I'm sure that has a lot to do with it," Gonzalez said. "You have a first-year starting quarterback. You have an offensive line that's not coming off the greatest year. I feel like I've been there before. We can make it work. All it's going to take is extra work. Me and Brodie, we'll get on the same page. We'll get it going in the right direction. There's no doubt about it."
Bowe, who had 70 catches for 995 yards and five touchdowns, also feels he can make things work with Croyle. Bowe was a top rookie last year and is being drafted as a No. 3 Fantasy option, although his production and potential would lend itself to a higher value.
His stock not improving has to do with Croyle.
"Brodie's played really good," Bowe said. "Brodie has been a leader. And when the season rolls around he's going to do big things."
That might happen, but Croyle is probably not going to change much. Croyle is not an elite passer, even with standout weapons like Gonzalez and Bowe.
And Gonzalez said Bowe has the chance to be a superstar.
"When he came in, he had such great talent," Gonzalez said. "He has that unbelievable receiver body. It's not about can he do it, it's about him working hard and trying to become the best receiver in the league. It's a process. He's not there yet, but he can be there. He's going to put up some great numbers. Barring injury, he's going to be one the best receivers in the league this year. His upside, he hasn't tapped into it yet. He still has a ways to go. Once he gets there, he's going to be phenomenal receiver in this league."
But can he get there with Croyle? And can Gonzalez continue to dominate with a less-than-stellar passer?
They think Croyle can get the job done, but Croyle has a lot to prove. And Fantasy owners could suffer with his poor play.
All Croyle has to do is get the ball to Gonzalez and Bowe when he drops back to throw. Think about how happy that would make Fantasy owners.
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