SAN DIEGO – 
With his fourth reception in today’s game against the Arizona Cardinals, Gates became the fastest tight end ever to reach 500 career receptions.
“Obviously it’s a milestone and you dream about becoming one of those elite guys,” Gates said. “One thing that is not recognized are all the people that helped along the way. You see my name and you see 500 (receptions) but I tell you by just having the confidence and being around a great group of guys that believe in me, the Chargers awarding me with a new contract and believing in me, I think that together has gotten me to this point and hopefully it continues.”
Tony Gonzalez of the Atlanta Falcons, the all-time record holder with more than 1,000 and counting, became the fastest tight end to 500 career receptions during Week 8 of his eighth season.
Gates’ 500th reception came during Week 4 of his eighth NFL season, passing Gonzalez’s previous record by four weeks.
“It’s impressive even for any position,” Chargers tight end
“It’s a great milestone, not too many guys can say that they’ve caught 500 passes. It could not have happened to a better football player. Gates is a great player and the one thing about it is that he’s still doing it. He’ll definitely be making that 600th catch in the near future.”
Another Chargers great, tight end Kellen Winslow, also accomplished the feat of 500 career receptions, but didn’t get there until the seventh week of his ninth NFL season.
“I think it’s awfully hard to cover Gates,” Chargers Head Coach Norv Turner said. “We try to move him around a lot. If you’re ganged up in there to stop the run which they were on a couple of deeper balls, then you’re asking for it in terms of trying to keep him contained."
Gates has racked up 24 receptions for 386 yards this season. Through only four games, Gates already has scored six touchdowns and may be on his way to breaking his season-record he set in 2004 with 13 touchdowns.
“I think in the last eight years, it tells you that we’re trying to throw the ball to Gates,” quarterback
Gates enjoyed one of his best years last season, but didn’t score his first touchdown until Week 4. Gates’ two touchdowns in today’s game gives him a touchdown in every game in the 2010 season thus far and is the second straight home game where he has scored two touchdowns.
“When you stop improving is when you have the yellow jacket on,” McMichael said. “When you’re in the Hall of Fame, that is when you stop improving. He knows that he can go out there and still do better and he’s going to continue to do that because he works hard and he’s a very smart football player.”
Week 4 has proven to be a good week for Gates over the past two seasons. In 2009, Gates had nine receptions for 124 yards and two touchdowns against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Today against the Arizona Cardinals, Gates racked up seven receptions for 144 yards and two touchdowns.
“I think it’s a combination of me understanding what the coverage presents,” Gates said about his success on the field in today’s game. “They played cover zero on my second touchdown and I knew it was cover zero and they had a linebacker shaded outside so I knew it was going to be a quick throw and I knew Philip (Rivers) wasn’t going to have a whole bunch of time. Obviously the (offensive) line, it goes back to the fundamentals of the game, the offensive line protected for the quarterback and gave us a chance to make the play.”
As impressive as it is to be the fastest tight end to reach 500 receptions, it’s even more impressive that Gates continues to acknowledge that it was those around him that made him the player he is today.
“He’s probably the most professional guy that I’ve been around,” fellow teammate for the past seven seasons and Chargers center
