FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper couldn’t recall all the details, but he remembered being fascinated the first time he spoke with Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez.
"Obviously, as a kid growing up watching him, I just enjoyed his style of play," Hooper said. "I can’t tell you when that first talk was, but after the conversation I was like, 'Man, that guy is cool as hell -- super cool and laid-back, like SoCal.'"
Hooper, from San Ramon, has a California vibe similar to that of Gonzalez, who was born in Torrance and raised in Huntington Beach.