Dec 28, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) runs the ball as San Diego Chargers defensive back Jahleel Addae (37) attempts the tackle during the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won 19-7. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
This is a hard topic to cover for me as a Kansas City Chiefs fan. I started following the team in 1995 so I missed the glorious Joe Montana years. However, I did get to watch the story unfold just a couple of years later of my all-time favorite Chiefs player, Tony Gonzalez.
There was nothing on a cool fall afternoon like watching T.G. soaring in the end zone and snatching down what looked like an uncatchable ball, followed by his famous goal post dunk. He was electric and changed the tight end position forever, making prolific catches look easy.
For years it seemed unfathomable that another tight end for Kansas City could be anything close to Gonzalez, but I could be wrong. The Chiefs drafted tight end Travis Kelce out of the University of Cincinnati with the first pick in the third round. Kelce wasn’t considered the highest-graded tight end in the draft, and he also slid to the third round due to a suspension for smoking marijuana.
Kelce had a strong rookie camp which built up some excitement for his debut. However, that ended quickly as he ended up dealing with a bone bruise in preseason before having a micro-fracture procedure on his knee, ending his season. Kelce, along with the fan base, had some concerns as to how he would return.
A few NFL players to reportedly have the surgery in recent years include tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. (2007), running backs Maurice Jone-Drew (2011) and Reggie Bush (2008), and wide receiver Marques Colston (2009, 2011).
In the NBA, Jason Kidd, Chris Webber, Anfernee Hardaway, Tracy McGrady, Greg Oden and Amar’e Stoudemire are among players to have undergone microfracture surgery.
Next: Moving on from injury