My Antonio Gates Blog

Antonio Gates was born June 18, 1980 in Detroit Michigan. Ever since Gates was a young child it was obvious that he was going to be a great athlete in one sport or another. Standing at 6 foot 4 inches and weighing 260 pounds, he has all of the physical skills that a top notch NFL tight end could need. When you add this to the mental aspect of his game, it is no wonder why many people consider him to be the best tight end in the game.

Gates is a bit different than the rest of the players that you see in the NFL. Before his rookie season in the league, he had not played in an organized football game since high school. Gates decided that he wanted to go to Michigan State University to play both basketball and football, but when he was told by then Coach Nick Saban that he could only play football he decided to transfer. Subsequently, this led him to Eastern Michigan University then two junior colleges until he finally settled down at Kent State University in Ohio.

After his college basketball career was over, NBA scouts felt that at 6'4" he was not big enough to make it in the league. In turn, he began to focus his energy on getting ready for the NFL. Nearly 20 teams attended his workout, and the San Diego Chargers were so impressed that they signed him to a contract.

After a slow rookie season in 2004, Gates quickly became an offensive threat. Throughout the next three seasons combined he caught 241 passes for 2,989 yards and 32 touchdowns. This was good enough to land him in the Pro Bowl each of these three years, and also establish himself as a top offensive threat. For a guy that did not play college football, Gates is doing just fine in the NFL.

Bob writes for DraftDayPicks.com and MVP ProShop. Where you can purchase a Antonio Gates Jersey or information about a Antonio Gates Jersey [http://www.fanfrenzyzone.com/nfl/antonio_gates_bio.html]

The San Diego Chargers have some questions marks this year as key players have departed although our expert insiders for NFL Picks project them to finish #1 in a weak AFC West Conference. The Chargers will be led by their quarterback Phillip Rivers who is one of the NFL's elite quarterbacks and an explosive offense that scored at least 20 in every game last season.

Rivers put up ungodly numbers last season as he was the best quarterback in the AFC West with a passer rating of 104.4 only behind Drew Brees and Brett Favre. Rivers is known for his big time arm as he has thrown for 105 touchdowns verses 44 interceptions in four years as a starter while going a perfect 19-0 in December and January regular season games. He has plenty of options to utilize with an elite receiving core featuring Antonio Gates, Vincent Jackson and Malcom Floyd who combined for 192 catches and 18 touchdowns in 2009.

The Chargers will have to help Rivers and the passing game out this season by improving a running game that only produced 3.3 yards per carry. They made some key changes in the backfield this offseason by letting go of future hall of famer LaDainian Tomlinson and will now rely on the speedy Darren Sproles plus draft pick Ryan Mathews out of Fresno St. The Chargers made a great pick here and filled a need as Mathews led the nation with a gaudy 150.7 yards a game and will be a good combination for Sproles who is unable to carry the load as a full time back.

The Charger defense will be a question mark coming into the season after taking a huge gamble by letting go of a big play cornerback Antonio Cromartie and his 15 interceptions over the past three years. Cromartie will be replaced by cornerback Nathan Vasher from the Chicago Bears so they will need Shawne Merriman to get back to pro bowl form to help their pass defense after he only had four sacks for the Chargers in 2009. The defensive line lost nose tackle Jamal Williams so the Chargers hope Antonio Garay, Ogemdi Nwagbuo and rookie Cam Thomas can secure their rushing defense which gave up 117.8 yards a game ranked 20th in the NFL last year.

The Chargers will be able to score points on anyone but the defense is a huge question mark for the 2010 season. They are in a weak AFC West division so their offense can overcome some deficiencies although when they get to the playoffs, their weaknesses will be exposed once again with an early exit out of the playoffs.

Get all your winning Football Picks and NFL Expert Predictions this season at http://www.jrtips.com/

10. Zach Miller, Oakland Raiders. The young tight end broke out last season, with consistent yardage per game, having caught for 778 total yards. Unfortunately, he only scored 1 TD, and the Raiders' ability to score will heavily factor into his value this season.

9. Jeremy Shockey. A top-5 tight end not too long ago has slipped in the rankings, despite the fact that he plays for a top-3 fantasy quarterback in Drew Brees. Last season was a major letdown for Shockey and his owners, marred with injury (he missed 4 games), and Shockey amazingly scored no TDs. He also posted a career low 483 yards. Look for a bounceback season from Shockey, but the risk factor places Shockey at #9.

8. Chris Cooley. Another traditionally top-5 tight end, Cooley only found the end zone once last season. While he did post a career high in receiving yards (849), fantasy football is all about the touchdowns, and Cooley missed the boat there. He has easy top 5 potential with those yards should he score 5 or 6 TDs, but the Washington offense is questionable and others look more attractive given their QBs.

7. Owen Daniels. This young talent continues to improve each year, and has quietly emerged as one of the most reliable TEs in football over the past couple seasons. His 862 receiving yards were third best for a TE, but Daniels only scored two TDs. Still, his reliability combined with his upside will make most GMs happy, and Daniels falls at number 7 on the list this season.

6. Greg Olsen. A true sleeper this season in the sense that Olsen probably possesses more upside than any other tight end this season. With Jay Cutler at the helm, Olsen could easily have a breakout year at tight end, seeing as how involved Cutler traditionally likes to get with his tight ends. Olsen caught for 574 yards and scored 5 TDs last season, but should definitely best both of those numbers with Cutler's help.

5. Dallas Clark. When Peyton Manning is your quarterback, it's not hard to do great things. Clark has become an increasingly reliable option with each season, as Manning deals with an often double-teamed Reggie Wayne and an aging Marvin Harrison. Clark's 848 yards and 6 TDs are just too good to pass up, offering true value at the TE position.

4. Kellen Winslow. The 2007 season was a career year for Kellen Winslow, having caught for over 1100 yards and posting a career TD high as well. Last season, Winslow regressed (he only played 10 games) - partly due to injury and partly due to a murky QB situation in Cleveland. Winslow joins its Buccaneers team and should play a major role in its offense. He's a riskier play in the sense that there's both more risk and reward than there is with options like Dallas Clark. Draft accordingly.

3. Antonio Gates. Until last year, Gates was the consensus #1 fantasy tight end. Gates' 704 receiving yards last season (7th best for a tight end) have dethroned him, for now at least. In his defense, he did score 8 TDs, second best for any tight end. Numbers anyone would be happy to take.

2. Jason Witten. With the absence of Terrell Owens, there are many question marks in Dallas. As long as Romo's there, however, Witten should see plenty of targets. In fact, Romo may come to count on Witten even more, especially in the red zone. Witten began last season as the best tight end in football, but quickly slipped after a nagging rib injury slowed his season. He's rested and healthy, and should be back to posting regular WR numbers each weekend.

1. Tony Gonzalez. 2008 was a revival year for Gonzalez, who led all TEs in yards (1058) and TDs (10) last season, carrying many of his owners to the fantasy playoffs. Gonzalez finds himself as part of a stronger offense in Atlanta, and should connect with Matt Ryan for long receptions and TDs on many Sundays. Gonzalez is one of the most talented TEs in the game, and has only missed two games in his 12 year career. He hasn't received for less than 900 yards in a season since 2002-2003. Enjoy him for everything he's worth.

Jesse Boskoff can be found talking sports at RootZoo's sports forum on occasion, and playing his hand at the largest database of sports trivia online at RootZoo, home to fantasy football leagues, sports videos, and much more.

Drew Brees is currently one of the most successful and popular quarterbacks in the National Football League. It hasn't been an easy road to get there though for Brees. He began his career in San Diego, where questionable play and injuries led many there to lose confidence in him. When it was time for him to test the market, the only team that showed the interest in him that he deserved was the New Orleans Saints. After coming to a team that had been experiencing little success and had just been devastated right alongside its city by Hurricane Katrina, he, head coach Sean Payton, and the rest of the team worked on building the Saints into one of the best teams in the league. That goal was reached following the 2009 season when the team won the Super Bowl by defeating the Indianapolis Colts. With that victory, Brees had really come a long way.

Here are five interesting facts about the Saints quarterback, Drew Brees.

#1 - Through the 2009 NFL season, Drew Brees had accumulated significantly more touchdown passes in the second quarter during his career than in any other quarter. He had thrown 38 first quarter, 47 third quarter, and 49 fourth quarter touchdown passes. During the same period, the total number of TD passes he had thrown in the second quarter was 68.

#2 - The first touchdown pass Drew Brees ever threw in the National Football League came in week eight of the 2001 season while he was playing with the Chargers. It went for 20 yards and was caught by wide receiver Freddie Jones in the fourth quarter of a 25-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. His last touchdown pass as a Charger also came in a loss to the Chiefs, this one was in 2005 and was an 18 yarder that was caught by tight end Antonio Gates.

#3 - Through the 2009 NFL season, nobody had caught more touchdown passes from Drew Brees than wide receiver Marques Colston with 33. In second place on that list was Antonio Gates, who Brees played with in San Diego, with 23.

#4 - Seven of the first 12 touchdown passes Drew Brees threw as a member of the New Orleans Saints were caught by wide receiver Marques Colston.

#5 - Brees was the starting quarterback on his high school football team for two seasons. During that time, Westlake High School of Austin, Texas had one tie game, no losses, and 28 victories.

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One of the best young quarterbacks in the entire NFL is none other than San Diego Chargers great Philip Rivers. He seems to have the full package when it comes to the physical abilities needed to play the position too. Rivers has become quite popular in recent years and play with a large amount of passion for the game and for winning.

Here is a look at five things you may not know about San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers.

Let's Play The Broncos Again!
Through the 2009 NFL season, Philip Rivers has thrown more touchdown passes against the Denver Broncos than he has against any other team in the NFL. His 14 TD passes against the Broncos are just one ahead of the 13 he has thrown during his career against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Someone Had To Be First
The first NFL touchdown pass that Rivers ever threw came in the fourth quarter of the last game of the 2004 season, a 24-17 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. It went for 13 yards and was caught by receiver Malcom Floyd.

The One Timers
Antonio Gates and Vincent Jackson have played a huge role in how successful Rivers has been during his four years as the starting quarterback of the Chargers. During that time, those two have caught the bulk of the touchdown passes. Four players during that time have caught just one touchdown pass apiece from Rivers. The one touchdown club members are Craig Davis, Jacob Hester, Lorenzo Neal, and Kris Wilson.

Out Of The Gates And In The Lead
No player in the league has caught as many touchdown passes from Philip Rivers as the great Antonio Gates. During their time together, they have hooked up for 32 touchdowns already.

Run Little Guy, Run
Through the 2009 season, the longest touchdown pass of Philip Rivers career has been an 81 yarder that was thrown in a 24-20 week two loss to the Baltimore Ravens. It was caught by running back Darren Sproles in the first quarter and had given the team the lead.

More great San Diego Chargers trivia can be found at IQFB.com! Use the knowledge found there to impress your friends, win bets, or even just for general information. Football trivia is popular with a lot of people whether they are fans of the NFL, USFL, Arena Football, Canadian Football, College Football, or any other level of the game. IQFB... Get Football Smart.