ad a good ride with the Falcons in his first four years, helping the

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Tony Gonzalez is having a harder time saying goodbye to the NFL than he imagined. As he prepares to host 40 family members and friends in Atlantas season finale, Gonzalez sounds as if he isnt entirely ready to walk away. When the Falcons announced in March that he would return this year, the 13-time Pro Bowl tight end was "100 per cent certain" he would retire after the season. Now Gonzalez wonders if he could change his mind again if Atlanta returns to playoff contention next fall and general manager Thomas Dimitroff gives him a call. "Id have to cross that bridge when I get to it, but right now I dont have any plans," he said. "I know for sure I wont be on an opening day for roster anybody. Im going to-- this is it. This is it." Meeting with reporters Friday, Gonzalez focused most of his answers on the end of his career. The 37-year-old insisted that hes pleased to "go out on his own terms" and added that hes "thankful for the opportunity" to have stayed healthy and productive for 17 seasons. Gonzalez ranks second in career catches, fifth in yards receiving and sixth in touchdown catches. No NFL tight end ever put up such numbers, but Gonzalez hardly returned this year to pad his stats. He craved playing in his first Super Bowl, winning a championship and making a legendary exit. The Falcons, though, never had a chance. Julio Jones, Sam Baker and Kroy Biermann suffered season-ending injuries. Sean Weatherspoon played in only seven games. Roddy White made 12 starts and Steven Jackson made 11, but both players were hurt most of the year. Quarterback Matt Ryan was harassed all season behind a weak offensive, and Atlantas defence was gouged repeatedly for big plays. Not surprisingly, Gonzalezs production dropped off as opponents double-teamed his routes. In October and early November, Gonzalez openly discussed his frustration and held out hope that the Falcons could still turn the season around. By the first of December, though, Gonzalez took a different approach with reporters, reminiscing about his early morning drives from hectic Buckhead to the picturesque mountain view at team headquarters. He talked about missing quality time with his kids but also feeling grateful to former teammates and coaches in Kansas City and those hes worked with in Atlanta the last five years. "I know I could come back and play a couple of more years if I wanted to, but its time for me to go," Gonzalez said. "Its time for me to get back to my family, get back to California, where Im from and explore that next chapter of my life. Im going to have fun with it." Television work is a possibility for Gonzalez, but playing football might not be out of the question. The Falcons, after all, signed him to a two-year, $14 million contract last March, and if they get off to a strong start next season, Gonzalez might reconsider, but he stopped short of saying that he plans to file retirement papers with the NFL. Then again, the aches and pains of a 16-game season arent getting easier, this despite the Falcons allowing him to miss over three weeks of training camp and preseason games last summer. "Like I said, dont anybody ever feel bad for me," Gonzalez said, smiling. "The things Ive accomplished in my career are more than anybody ever deserves." With one full day remaining before Atlanta (4-11) hosts the playoff-bound Carolina Panthers (11-4), Gonzalez is eager to go out with a victory. He had a good ride with the Falcons in his first four years, helping the team go 45-19 and win his first playoff game last January. But after narrowly beating Seattle in the divisional round, Atlanta fell 10 yards short against San Francisco in the NFC title game. "You never know when it can come to an end, and thats always been my approach," Gonzalez said. "Ive never said that Ive arrived with my accomplishments. Ive never, ever said that thats good enough for me or Ive caught enough balls to last a lifetime. I always wanted to keep working and keep working in case this is it, and now that Im coming into my last one, Im glad Ive done it that way. "It worked out, and hopefully Ill carry those habits into my next career, whatever that is." Herman Edwards Eagles Jersey .Y. - Through three quarters, the Brooklyn Nets could not shake the NBAs worst team. JJ Arcega-Whiteside Jersey .C. -- The Charlotte Bobcats said head coach Steve Clifford underwent a successful procedure Friday to have two stents placed in his heart. http://www.theeaglesfootballauthentic.co...x-black-jersey/. Not Peyton Manning. Hes holding on to the heartache to stoke his competitive fire. Ron Jaworski Youth Jersey . While he was away, it was the division-rival Baltimore Orioles conducting a little business of their own, scooping up Ubaldo Jimenez on Monday evening to a reported four-year, $50-million contract. Custom Eagles Jerseys . At least 90 players who had college eligibility remaining are expected to enter the draft, shattering last years record number of 73. "Its a humongous number, so the first reaction is it makes you step back a little bit," said NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, a former scout with the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles.Richmond, VA (SportsNetwork.com) - Justin Andersons status heading into Saturdays game was questionable. He appeared fine on the court, however, and his performance spearheaded seventh-ranked Virginias 74-57 win over VCU. Anderson, who sprained his left ankle in Wednesdays win over No. 21 Maryland, missed the two days of practice leading up to the game, then scored 21 points with eight rebounds to lead the Cavs. Anthony Gill supplied 18 points and Malcolm Brogdon added 15 for Virginia (9-0), which has won 11 of its 13 all-time meetings with the Rams. Treveon Graham did all he could late for VCU (5-3), but his team-high 17 points was not enough to slow down Anderson and company. Melvin Johnson was the only other Ram in double figures with 15 points. Graham gave VCUs sputtering offense a jolt with three straight 3-pointers to help trim its deficit to 59-55 with 6:58 remaining. London Perrantes quelled Grahams little surge with a tough driving layup before Evan Nolte knocked down his first basket of the day, a deep three, as part of 15 straight for the visitors. Anderson also hit a 3-pointer during the run and Brogdon capped it with a trey from the top of the key as the Cavs won it going away.dddddddddddd Jordan Burgess two free throws ended a drought of 5:51 for the Rams to account for the final margin. Virginia did a nice job in the first half in breaking VCUs press. Because of that, coupled with stingy defense of its own, it built a 10-point lead at the break. Johnson cut the Rams deficit to 25-23 with over seven minutes remaining in the half, but the Cavs defense proved to be too much for the hosts to close the frame. Anderson followed Johnsons basket with a layup that jump-started a 13-5 run over the final 6:44. Virginia shot 64 percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes and limited VCU to 35 percent shooting, taking a 38-28 lead at the break. Game Notes VCU took a 59-56 win over the Cavs last season in Charlottesville ... Gill and Mike Tobey each pulled down eight rebounds for Virginia ... Perrantes dished out nine assists in the win ... Virginia shot 28-of-41 for the game, including 6-of-11 from beyond the arc ... The Rams were held to 23-of-60 shooting and made just seven of their 24 attempts from deep ... VCU forced 16 turnovers. ' ' '