Atlanta Falcons on a Roll After Tony Gonzalez's Record-Setting Catch!

By Sharmaine Jones

Tight-ends aren't known for being great catchers – unless your name is Tony Gonzalez. The 14 year veteran of the Atlanta Falcons became only the seventh player but the first Tight-End in NFL history to catch 1,000 passes!

Image: Getty Images

Gonzalez's 1000th catch came during the first game of the season in a 9-15 overtime loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He humbly accepted his congratulations via twitter but was more concerned with the loss:

“Thank you to all of u telling me congrats. You guys are the ones that make the NFL go. It's an honor to be apart of the 1000 catch club.” He goes on to tweet, “Tough loss yesterday. The defense played great. We will be back next week ready to roll."

He wasn't kidding because since then, the Falcons went on to destroy the Arizona Cardinals 41-7 in the second game of the season and thanks to an outstanding performance by the record-setting tight end, they defeated the reigning champion New Orleans Saints in a shocking 27-24 overtime win on Sunday, September 26. Gonzalez caught 8 passes racking up 110 yards. Saints kicker Garrett Hartley missed a 32-yard field goal that would have gave his team the win with 4 seconds left in regulation. Everyone was amazed but the Falcons had to regroup and capitalize on their second chance in overtime.

“I was absolutely stunned,” Gonzalez said. “I thought for sure the game was over.”

After the win, a very humble Gonzalez gave props to his teammates as well as his opponent on twitter:

“Just got back to ATL. Great win for us today. Total team effort! Saints made it tough.”

Handing the reigning Super Bowl Champions their first loss of the season is no small feat and if the Falcons use that confidence to build on their success, they're going to be a force to be reckoned with. Their next game is scheduled for October 3 against former division rival San Francisco 49ers. Good luck!

Congratulations to Tony Gonzalez who joins a very impressive list of receivers including Jerry Rice, Marvin Harrison, Chris Carter, Tim Brown, Isaac Bruce and Terrell Owens to be a member of the 1,000 catch club.

Are you impressed by Tony Gonzalez's 1,000 catch accomplishment? Leave your comments below or @MTV3!

Tags Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, NFL, Tony Gonzalez, twitter