Career highlights from 2019 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees

Kellen Winslow and Shannon Sharpe did well to lay the groundwork for receiving tight ends. Tony Gonzalez provided the path from the 20th-century stars to what the "move" position looks like today. That process ignited around the Y2K scare. After an 11-touchdown 1999season that landed the Chiefs jump ball monster the first of his five First-Team All-Pro seasons, Gonzalez's 2000 saw his nearly unmatched ceiling emerge. The former Cal hoops standout posted a 93-catch, 1,203-yard slate, and Elvis Grbac found him for nine TDs. 

Past generations of tight ends were largely not used like Gonzalez, who by his 11th season (2007) was closing in on Sharpe's then-tight end-record 62 touchdown catches. While the '07 Chiefs were set for a free fall, Arrowhead Stadium lit up one October Sunday. Gonzalez needed one TD to tie Sharpe and two to set the new NFL record. He accomplished both in a win over the Bengals, snaring a Damon Huard toss in the corner of the end zone. Over the next six-plus seasons, Gonzalez pushed that record to 111 TD receptions. Antonio Gates eclipsed it, but he can thank Gonzalez for opening the door to a new era.

Gonzalez's 14 Pro Bowls tie an NFL record, but separating him from nearly every other Hall of Fame pass catcher: a lack of quarterback continuity. Gonzalez's Pro Bowl run spanned from 1999-2013. In that time, six primary starting quarterbacks — headlined by Matt Ryan and Trent Green — targeted him. Gonzalez's most notable season, through this lens, came in 2008. A 2-14 Chiefs team used seventh-round QB Tyler Thigpen most of the year. Gonzalez's Chiefs finale nevertheless included 96 catches, 1,058 yards and 10 TDs, helping him back on the All-Pro team for the first time since 2001.

Had Gonzalez not intervened, the NFL this decade might have featured two Seahawks-49ers NFC title games. Traded to Atlanta in 2009, Gonzalez finished 2012 as a first-team All-Pro — one of just two skill-position players to do this after age 36 (the other is a fullback). But the Falcons blew a 20-point lead and had 25 seconds for a field goal drive. Ryan's second completion of this drive went to Gonzalez, who shed a Bobby Wagner tackle attempt on a 19-yard reception to put the Falcons in field-goal range. Matt Bryant gave Atlanta a 30-28 divisional-round win — Gonzalez's only playoff victory.

While Gates now has 116 touchdown catches, no tight end will catch Gonzalez in yards for a long time. Persuaded to delay retirement for one more year, Gonzalez played a 17th season in 2013. The Falcons could not match their previous year's success, but in Week 15, their season had meaning when Gonzalez became the fifth NFLer to surpass 15,000 receiving yards. That stands sixth all time as of 2019, but among tight ends, good luck getting there. Gonzalez's 15,127 yards are nearly 3,000 more than the next-closest tight end (Jason Witten).

Ed Reed totaled 12 interceptions in his first two years, but his third established a Hall of Fame route. The Ravens' 2002 first-round pick ripped off one of the greatest seasons in NFL history. In 2004, the ex-Miami Hurricane showcased otherworldly playmaking ability by forcing 12 turnovers (nine INTs, three forced fumbles), amassing 402 return yards and scoring twice. The latter of the safety's two TDs set an NFL record. Reed's shoe-tops pick stalled a Browns game-tying drive, and the emerging superstar returned it 106 yards for a touchdown. Check out Stuart Scott's recap of the nationally televised event. 

Four years later, Reed had already staked his claim as the greatest playmaker in safety history. The interception return yardage page of the NFL record book reflects this, as Reed holds the top two spots . After his 106-yard pick-six in 2004, Reed took back a Kevin Kolb en zone toss 107 yards in 2008. This one that turned into six for the Ravens featured a higher degree of difficulty, with Reed deftly eluding several Eagles to reach pay dirt. This capped off Reed's second nine-interception season. He finished his career with 64 picks (seventh all time) and a preposterous 1,590 INT-return yards (107 more than anyone else). 

Despite the Ravens employing Hall of Famers Reed and Ray Lewis and future Canton inductee Terrell Suggs, they went seven years between playoff wins. Reed changed that. Keying a dominant Ravens victory in John Harbaugh's postseason debut, Reed intercepted two Chad Pennington passes and, it being Reed, covered a considerable amount of ground in returning one of them 64 yards for a touchdown. (It's the flashiest of Reed's NFL-record nine playoff picks.) The safety's second INT that Sunday cemented Baltimore's 27-9 wild-card win. The Ravens notched a divisional round upset and knocked on the door of Super Bowl XLIII.

Despite Matt Schaub's injury, the T.J. Yates-quarterbacked Texans were driving for a potential game-tying touchdown in a 2011 divisional round game. Yates had the Texans inside the Ravens' 40-yard line at the two-minute warning but tried an end zone shot to perennial Pro Bowler Andre Johnson. Reed interceded, notching a leaping INT near the goal line. (Reed also batted away a Texans Hail Mary attempt minutes later.) The Ravens escaped with a 20-13 win. This may be better remembered had Billy Cundiff not missed a 32-yard, game-tying field goal in the next week's AFC championship game in New England.

After a surprising run to Super Bowl XLVII, the Ravens nearly gave up a 22-point, second-half lead following a well-timed (for the 49ers) blackout. Baltimore's defense needed to mount a goal-line stand to preserve the franchise's second Super Bowl title. In Reed's and Ray Lewis' final acts as Ravens, the Baltimore warhorses helped keep Colin Kaepernick and Co. out of the end zone. While Jimmy Smith probably got away with some extra contact on Michael Crabtree, Reed eschewed a blitz assignment to make Kaepernick's look a bit tougher. Oh, and, yes, another Reed interception occurred in this game. 

Champ Bailey's most memorable years came when the Broncos employed him and Jake Plummer. The future teammates first crossed paths as NFC East opponents, and Bailey won their first battle. Washington's No. 7 overall pick in the 1999 draft intercepted the Cardinals quarterback twice, taking one back 59 yards for a touchdown, and picked off backup Dave Brown late in the game. Bailey, at 21, became the youngest player in NFL history to intercept three passes in a game. The Redskins ended that season as NFC East champions.

The Broncos entered 2005 with lofty goals but lost their opener, 34-10, to a low-level Dolphins team. In Week 2 the Chargers led 14-3 in the teams' matchup in Denver. Bailey provided a rescue effort. The second-year Bronco, after a blockbuster 2004 trade, stepped in front of Drew Brees' first second-half pass and sauntered for a short return touchdown. The Broncos rallied to win, 20-17, and went 12-2 the rest of the way. Bailey picked off seven more passes that season, finishing the '05 slate with his second straight First-Team All-Pro honor.

The undisputed zenith of the post-John Elway/pre-Peyton Manning Broncos: the night they ended the Patriots' three-peat bid. Going into that 2005 divisional round game, the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady partnership was 9-0 in the playoffs. The No. 2-seeded Broncos pulled away after the longest non-touchdown play in NFL history. Trying for a go-ahead second-half score, Brady couldn't get a pass by Bailey, who sprinted 100 yards to the Patriots' 1-yard line (before Ben Watson's maniacal hustle derailed a TD). The Broncos beat the Pats, 27-13, to advance to the AFC title game.

Ending with a cornerback-record 12 Pro Bowls, Bailey's prime lasted longer than perhaps any corner's. The supreme technician's 15-year career peaked in 2006. The Broncos' superstar intercepted a league-high 10 passes and did his best to lift a flawed team to the playoffs. That did not happen, with the Broncos going 9-7, but Bailey resided as the NFL's premier corner at this point. A bizarre six of those INTs came inside his own 5-yard line, and the last of them went for a Week 17 touchdown. Bailey, who lost the '06 Defensive Player of the Year Award to Jason Taylor, also recorded 21 of his NFL-record 203 passes defensed that year. 

Quarterbacks did not challenge Bailey as much in the late 2000s, but he kept making Pro Bowls into his mid-30s. However, a foot injury led to 2013 being his final season. He came through when the Broncos needed him. With emerging standout Chris Harris tearing his ACL in the divisional round, Denver deployed a wounded Bailey as a starter in the AFC title game. A Broncos defense missing Harris, Von Miller and Derek Wolfe muzzled the Patriots, helping Peyton Manning and Co. build a 26-3 lead. The 35-year-old Bailey played a key emergency role to help the Broncos to their first Super Bowl in 15 years.

A Bill Parcells first-round pick in 1995, Ty Law broke into the Patriots starting lineup early. The physical cornerback debuted as a full-timer during the Pats' 1996 AFC championship season and stayed around through Leg 1 of the Bill Belichick dynasty. Law didn't lead the NFL in interceptions under Parcells or Belichick but did in 1998 under Pete Carroll. Law snared nine INTs, helping the team to the playoffs. During his first Pro Bowl season, Law intercepted Peyton Manning, Steve Young and Dan Marino. One of Manning's rookie-record 26 INTs was a Law touchdown.

One of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history probably would not have happened had Law and Mike Vrabel not combined on a defensive game-changer. Vrabel's blitz forced an errant Kurt Warner throw, and Law's 48-yard return gave the Pats a 7-3 lead. In addition to Law's most famous Patriots play, he led the big-stage containment of "The Greatest Show on Turf." New England's press coverage on Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt minimized the Rams' electric offense. Law also finished with eight tackles and two pass breakups (one against Bruce in the end zone) in the Pats' 20-17 win.

If Law's February 2002 pick-six isn't his most memorable Patriots sequence, his January 2004 day is. Law had a better read on Peyton Manning than any defensive back the icon faced. Counting the playoffs, Law picked off Manning eight times. The ninth-year corner won big in the 2003 AFC championship game. An '03 All-Pro, Law grabbed Manning passes in a classic DB outing, helping the Pats' No. 1 defense key a 24-14 victory. Law and his teammates' physical tactics led to the NFL implementing stricter illegal contact rules henceforth, helping create the aerial paradise today's QBs enjoy. 

Law made only five Pro Bowls in a 15-year career, but his best work came as the Patriots began their ascent. The Michigan product intercepted 13 passes and scored three defensive touchdowns in this span, helping New England feature top-six defenses in its first two Super Bowl seasons. The Pats won an NFL-record 18 straight regular-season games between the 2003-04 seasons. These Patriot defenses halted the high-flying Rams and Colts (twice) during the dynasty's first leg, and Law is the first Hall of Fame representative from that group. 

Law played five seasons after his Patriot tenure ended, and the first of those (2005) produced a largely forgotten superb season. The Jets signed Law to a one-year deal in '05 and watched as he intercepted a league- and career-high 10 passes. Only seven players reached the 10-INT threshold this century; Law did so in his age-31 season — one that included a pick of Tom Brady. The Jets went 4-12 that year, but one of those wins (over the Bills) came on Law's back. He snared three Kelly Holcomb passes in Week 17.

After four Pro Bowl-less seasons on forgettable Seahawks teams, Kevin Mawae began to receive overdue recognition. He signed with the Jets in 1998, and that season, Gang Green advanced to their first AFC championship game in 16 years. Bill Parcells' team acquired Curtis Martin in 1998 as well, and Mawae played an essential role for Martin, Vinny Testaverde and Keyshawn Johnson to lead the Jets back to relevance. The Jets, 1-15 in 1996, ranked 22nd in total yards in '97. With Mawae, Testaverde and Martin around in '98, New York went 12-4 and finished fourth in offense.

Although Martin peaked before fantasy football's ubiquity, the Hall of Fame back is the biggest name in what became perhaps Mawae's defining trend. The Jets center paved the way for seven Martin 1,000-yard seasons, leading the running back to Canton. In Mawae's 16 seasons, 13 of them included a 1,000-yard rusher. Before Martin, Chris Warren produced three in Seattle. In Tennessee, Travis Henry, LenDale White and Chris Johnson glided into four-digit territory. After Martin's 1,697 2004 season, which won him the rushing title, Mawae had played 16 games for 10 straight years.

The Jets released Mawae in 2006, giving their center job to Nick Mangold. Mawae resurfaced in Nashville at age 35. He blocked for a different Titans 1,000-yard runner in his first three seasons and earned first-team All-Pro acclaim at 37. No other center has done that since the AFL-NFL merger. Mawae's third Titans season, 2008, featured Johnson and White combining for 2,001 ground yards, Kerry Collins earning Pro Bowl acclaim and Tennessee going 13-3. The Titans could not overcome a five-fumble showing in a divisional round upset loss, but Mawae may have secured his place in Canton that year.

Mawae also played an integral role in one of the NFL's great individual seasons. Chris Johnson created his CJ2K alias in 2009, rushing for 2,006 yards. The speedster averaged 5.6 yards per carry that year, Mawae's final NFL season. In eight additional slates, Johnson never again surpassed 4.5 yards per tote. Tennessee's center earned Pro Bowl acclaim at age 38 and cinched up his spot on the 2000s' All-Decade team — despite spending most of the aughts as a 30-something. Mawae finished his career with 238 starts.

Mawae also served as the NFLPA's president from 2008-12. That tenure overlapped with the 2011 lockout, one of the most contentious periods between the owners and players in league history. While the 2011 collective bargaining agreement was not perfect, it helped veteran players secure windfall free agency paydays and made a substantial working-conditions difference. NFL two-a-day practices are now a thing of the past, and this generation of players enjoys far more time out of shoulder pads than past NFLers. 

Prior to becoming the Kansas City Chiefs, the original AFL franchise spent three years as the Dallas Texans. The team's first-ever draft choice (in 1960): LSU's Johnny Robinson. (The NFL's Lions also drafted Robinson in Round 1.) After two years as a running back-receiver hybrid, Robinson moved to safety in 1962. That season ended with a double-overtime classic AFL championship game. The Texans overcame the Oilers' explosive passing attack. Robinson intercepted George Blanda twice and notched a key goal-line pass breakup in the fourth quarter in Dallas' 20-17 win. 

An AFL wild-card team, the Chiefs upended the Jets and Raiders to reach Super Bowl IV. Although the Vikings defense was heralded as the unstoppable force, with Minnesota entering as a 12-point favorite, the Chiefs' athletic unit won the day. Playing with three broken ribs, Robinson intercepted a Joe Kapp deep ball and recovered a Vikings fumble in the Chiefs' 23-7 win. As the Jets did in Super Bowl III, the Chiefs jumped out to a 16-0 lead. This marks Kansas City's lone Super Bowl title.

Robinson needed just 164 games to reach 57 interceptions. The latter total is tied for 13th all time, but the bulk of the NFL's great theft artists needed more games to move where Robinson did on this list. Only "Night Train" Lane and Bobby Boyd reached 57 INTs in fewer games than Robinson, the only player to lead the AFL and NFL in picks. Robinson notched 10 thefts in the Chiefs' 1966 AFL title season and produced another 10-interception season to lead the 26-team NFL in 1970. Against the Johnny Unitas-led Colts, Robinson posted three INTs and returned a fumble for a score.

The Steelers' famed Steel Curtain defense: four Hall of Famers. Robinson's induction gives the 1960s Chiefs unit a staggering six. Robinson follows linebackers Bobby Bell (inducted in 1983) and Willie Lanier (1986), defensive linemen Buck Buchanan (1990) and Curley Culp (2013) and cornerback Emmitt Thomas (2008). During Robinson's 12-season run, the Texans/Chiefs led the AFL in defense four times. Robinson was the only member of this sextet to begin his career as a member of the Texans.

Players and coaches obviously do the work that leads to championships, but Pat Bowlen's ownership tenure featured a clear spike in the Broncos' trajectory. Prior to the owner's 1984 arrival, Denver was 4-for-24 in playoff berths. The Broncos have since advanced to seven Super Bowls and endured only seven losing seasons. Bowlen was the first NFL owner to reach 300 wins in his first 30 years and is the only one in league history whose team reached the Super Bowl with four different head coaches.

Super Bowl titles eluded the Broncos for 35-plus years. Bowlen's three John Elway-led teams in the late 1980s wound up on the wrong end of blowouts against NFC superpowers. In 1997, the Broncos' fortunes changed. Bowlen brought Mike Shanahan back to Denver in 1995, and that year the team drafted Terrell Davis in the sixth round. Teaming with a still-top-tier quarterback, Davis led the Broncos to an upset over the Packers in Super Bowl XXXII. Bowlen's first words after that January 1998 victory — "This one's for John" — represent perhaps the defining phrase in Broncos history. They repeated as champs the next year.

Bowlen played an integral part on the NFL's broadcast committee. In 1993 and 1998, he helped secure mega-TV deals — the latter for a then-record $18 billion. But in the mid-2000s, the Broncos owner played perhaps the central role in changing how the NFL is presented today. Bowlen believed Sunday night, and not Monday, should house the NFL's showcase event, and he secured enough votes to set up the current format. NBC's "Sunday Night Football" has been the country's No. 1-rated show for eight straight years. This TV format has contributed to the salary cap's annual eight-figure rises.

Realizing he erred in hiring 32-year-old Josh McDaniels as head coach in 2009, Bowlen acted swiftly in firing him amid a messy  videotaping scandal in 2010. Less than two years later, the Broncos (4-12 in 2010) were a power again. Bowlen convinced John Elway to be his top front office executive in 2011, and that led to one of the NFL's biggest coups. The Broncos won the Peyton Manning sweepstakes in 2012. They went on to win at least 12 games in each of Manning's four seasons, reaching two Super Bowls and winning Super Bowl 50 — after which Elway exclaimed, "This one's for Pat."

The Cowboys began to build their dynasty in the 1960s, with vice president of player personnel Gil Brandt leading the charge at advancing the NFL's scouting system. Using computer technology by the early '60s, Brandt devised a blueprint that became the basis of the NFL Scouting Combine decades later. The Cowboys brought in an IBM statistician to help them create unprecedented scouting reports and categories. It led the team to find Hall of Famers in seventh-rounders — tackle Rayfield Wright and Olympic sprint champion-turned-wideout Bob Hayes. Tenth-rounder Roger Staubach worked out too.

The late-1970s Cowboys received an infusion of talent because of pivotal trades. While the Giants erred in trading what became the 1975 No. 2 overall pick (Hall of Fame defensive tackle Randy White) for Cowboys backup quarterback Craig Morton, Brandt played a key role in bringing Tony Dorsett to Dallas. Despite the Cowboys sitting at pick No. 14 in 1977, Brandt's hard push for the star running back — and the famed Cowboys computer system's high regard for him — prompted the team to trade up to the No. 2 spot. Dorsett was a first-ballot Hall of Famer. 

Brandt worked with Hall of Fame coach Tom Landry and Hall of Fame GM Tex Schramm to build one of the NFL's greatest dynasties. The Cowboys reeled off winning seasons for 20 years straight (1966-85). They won two Super Bowls, went to four, claimed 13 division titles in this span and added two appearances in NFL championship games. The Cowboys' innovative offense and multiple iterations of their "Doomsday" defense made the NFC East theirs for an unbelievably long time. Landry, Schramm and Brandt worked together for 29 years, during which the enduring "America's Team" moniker spawned.

In all, the Brandt era produced nine Hall of Fame draft picks. The first Brandt-Schramm-Landry draft (1961) brought in the first of those, defensive tackle Bob Lilly. Brandt was still aboard for Jimmy Johnson's first draft — which began with Troy Aikman going first overall in 1989. The 1964 draft produced three Hall of Famers — Hayes, Staubach and second-round defensive back Mel Renfro — while a key 1990s cornerstone arrived in Landry's final draft (1988 first-rounder Michael Irvin). Brandt had a hand in each of Dallas' five Super Bowl championships.