"Think of Antonio Gates as a performance car with a tire problem. Hit the gas and he goes. Shift gears and he responds. Turn the wheel and he can still weave through traffic with rack-and-pinion precision.

There's a lot of life left in that engine. The trouble is with the tread. The Chargers' transcendent tight end began training camp in earnest Thursday still contending with a stubborn case of plantar fasciitis in his right foot, but most of him is in showroom shape.

"Guys come into the league with the same problems I've had and you just say, 'Wow,'" Gates said. "I'm looking at that situation and I ain't that bad. I've got really low mileage based on what I see with other guys."

Gates starts his ninth NFL season at the age of 31, a year older than was Kellen Winslow when he caught his last professional pass. Tight ends are known for their toughness and their versatility, but few of them have achieved Gates' longevity with so many of their original parts intact.

Five of the eight tight ends elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame caught fewer than 60 career passes following their 31st birthday. Four of them - Mike Ditka, John Mackey, Charlie Sanders and Winslow - totaled only three touchdowns at or after Gates' age. Because the position blends blocking big people with catching passes amid converging traffic, careers tend to be brief."