"In this overanalyzed, blog-til-you-drop, 24/7, Tweet Tweet media world, it's not surprising that most commentaries about the Falcons generally boil down to these few words: "They're really good, but…"

That's what the NFL has become. Teams fall into three categories: 1) Laughable disaster (Dallas Cowboys); 2) Just OK; and 3) "They're really good, but …"

New England just got whacked by Cleveland. Pittsburgh has lost twice and needed a late field field to beat Miami. The New York Giants were drilled in consecutive losses to Indianapolis and Tennessee (combined score: 67-24). You're going to nit-pick the Falcons for being 6-2 and having lousy special teams in a win over Tampa Bay for the NFC South Division lead?

The Falcons are a potential Super Bowl team. The record says it. The landscape screams it. Tony Gonzalez thought this before the season and he believes it more than ever - more than last season when he was traded to Atlanta, crying to get out of the wasteland of Kansas City; more than when the Falcons began the year 4-1 (only to fizzle); more than even in July when he saw the collection of players in training camp and realized the possibilities.

"We have the players," he said. "You can have great coaches and Xs and Os and all that, but it really comes out to players going out and making plays for you."

If Gonzalez is paying a little more attention to the big picture than others, there's an obvious reason. He'll be 35 in February. He can see the end. He briefly considered retirement after last season and he'll do the same after this year. He doesn't want the career gravestone to read, "He was a great player, but …"

Gonzalez played in only three playoff games in Kansas City. Lost them all."