The comparison was almost too easy. It was like Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter stole it from one of those cheap player-comparison generators used during television shows.
When asked about Bucs second-year tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Koetter likened him to a familiar future Hall of Famer.
"I tell you, if Austin is healthy, he reminds me ... I coached Tony Gonzalez at the end of his career. Our tight ends coach, Jon Embree, had Tony in Kansas City," Koetter said, per the Tampa Tribune. "Austin's talented."
ASJ is a talented pass catcher, but he needs to show more than the 21 reception he hauled in as a rookie before being tossed into the same sentences as Gonzalez.
"I'm Austin Seferian-Jenkins," Seferian-Jenkins said, dismissing the comp. "He's Tony Gonzalez. He's the best tight end to ever play the game. So that's a real strong comparison. I'm just going to do my job and leave the comparisons up to the coaches and the media.
"... I just want to be the best version of me," he added. "Let's figure out at the end of the season how good that is compared to everyone else. I'm talking about the best me."
The 6-foot-5 tight end's first job is to stay healthy after missing seven games in 2014 due to injury. The next is learning a new offense that should provide him a plethora of opportunities.
If he stays on the field, ASJ has the athleticism to put up numbers in Koetter's offense and make that Gonzalez comparison look less outlandish.
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