Fansided

Zach Ertz gets great advice from Tony Gonzalez

By Nathaniel Reeves

JZach Ertz made a brilliant 15-yard touchdown catch on a pass from Nick Foles to give the Philadelphia Eagles a 10-0 lead over the New York Giants then celebrated his score with LeSean McCoy Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
JZach Ertz made a brilliant 15-yard touchdown catch on a pass from Nick Foles to give the Philadelphia Eagles a 10-0 lead over the New York Giants then celebrated his score with LeSean McCoy Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tips from the legendary Tony Gonzalez can be nothing but beneficial for the promising young Philadelphia Eagles tight end.

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If you want to become a better tight end, getting advice from the best ever might not be such a bad idea.

That’s exactly what Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz has been doing this offseason. While visiting Southern California, Ertz decided to text former Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons star Tony Gonzalez in the hopes of meeting the legend.

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Despite never meeting Ertz, Gonzalez cordially responded and agreed to help him out. From Ertz’s website:

"“We talked about a lot of things. When it came to football, we talked about the steps I needed to take to go from being good to great. We talked about little things — the nuances of how to run a certain route, what’s advantageous against certain coverages, that sort of thing. He also talked about the importance of having a routine. He had a routine of greatness that he would do every day. He felt it gave him the edge over the competition in the long run.”"

The Eagles have to be thrilled with Ertz’s attempt to better himself during the offseason. While all of the tools are there for Ertz to be one of the best tight ends in the NFL, he’s been inconsistent so far in his young career. This will only be Ertz’s third professional season so there’s plenty of time for him to improve, but Philadelphia would like to see that massive potential turn into more production soon.

At 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, with great athleticism and good speed, Ertz certainly could develop into a dangerous weapon in the passing game. Ertz turned that physical potential into a very prolific career at Stanford, leading the nation in receiving yards for a tight end in 2012.

In two NFL seasons, Ertz has managed a good-but-not-great 1,171 yards on 12.5 yards per reception and seven touchdowns. His total number of receiving yards went up in 2014 with more targets, but Ertz’s yards per catch fell and he caught one less touchdown.

Ertz’s main problem has been consistency, in everything from his hands to blocking. One of the big criticisms of Ertz has been his route-running, which Gonzalez could certainly help with.

If Ertz can live up to the hype, opposing defenses could be in trouble. A good tight end is a massive weapon for any offense, but Ertz seems to fit particularly well in Chip Kelly’s scheme. Ertz has the flexibility to line up all over the field and could help the Eagles show even more looks offensively.

While it’s impossible to replicate what Gonzalez did on the field, his advice can only help the young promising tight end.

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