Pat Ranks NFC South Linemen

[ed bell]

Have the TE rankings been posted?

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/nfcsouth/0-12-8/Ranking-the-NFC-South-tight-ends.html

1. Tony Gonzalez. Atlanta. He might be the best tight end ever. Yes, he's nearing the end of his career, but the Falcons didn't bring him in to be a decoy.

2. Kellen Winslow, Tampa Bay. He never has quite reached his potential because of injuries and other reasons. But Winslow has as much physical talent as any tight end in the league. If he can show it on a consistent basis, the Bucs will justify the trade for him.

3. Jeremy Shockey, New Orleans. It's difficult to be patient, but you have to hold off on the final analysis of the trade the Saints made to get Shockey last year. He never was fully healthy and his numbers suffered. This will be a critical season for Shockey, but the guy does have the ability to be a force.

4. Jeff King, Carolina. It's not really fair to judge King by the same standards as the other three tight ends in the NFC South. They're all put in the role of pass-catcher and King is not. He had 21 catches last year and is capable of more -- if the Panthers wanted it. But King's main job is to be a blocker in one of the league's best running games and he does a solid job.

A TE is an offensive lineman more often than a receiver. Who says TE's must be judged mostly on pass catching merits? A well rounded tight end will be an effective blocker. Durability ought to be another standard that weighs heavily for the TE category. Gonzales is the gold standard, the rest ought to be re-evaluated in this ranking.

[Carolina Crazy V2]

Wharton needs to be bumped up a spot or 2 and Baker and Penn need to be off. Add Carl Nicks and Ryan Khalil. Fain needs to drop down too.