To all the people saying Witten is on the downside of his career...

[GIFTS]

Originally Posted by jterrell

Witten is on the downside of his career.
That isn't even debatable. This is the 10th season for him and he has battled every one of them.

It has nothing to do with ANY other player.

Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are on the downsides of their career as well.


As to who people would rather have? Who cares?

Witten is still a top notch tight end. He is an above average blocker and a devastatingly effective route runner with great hands. He gets little separation but doesn't need a lot.

What he does need to do this year is keep his butt onsides. No stupid penalties.

He has another handful of seasons to be sure but his body has taken a beating for a long time. He can use some rest in games and slightly less of a receiving role. Much rather the team look ahead and plan for that instead of expecting him to remain a freak of nature into his mid 30's.

well said to both of you guys. Cowboys mike and this guy i quoted. Excellent post to both of you.

[jterrell]

Originally Posted by CowboyMike

I agree with most of your post, but what's to say he can't remain a freak of nature into his mid-30s? Gonzales has done it. Many wide receivers have remained productive well into their 30s.

Running backs slow down after their 30s due to the absolute pounding they take. Other positions tend to last a little bit longer and their still in their prime in their early 30s.

Just to be clear. No one is saying OMG let's cut Witten.

If Witten catches 40 balls a year I'd still want him here.
He would still be a tremendous asset on and off the field.
He'll almost assuredly retire a Cowboy and go into the Ring of Honor then Hall of Fame.


All that said what makes Witten special is he is a true combo player. He is an OL type technician in the blocking game and in the weight room. He is also a WR type in all the route-running and hands work he does... as well as additional speed and agility work. He has been at this for a long time. And it is a full-time gig. His body is pushed regularly. To quote Barkley "Father Time bests us all".

It isn't fair to count on Witten being a 26 year old version of himself. Give the guy a rest every now and then. He doesn't need full series off but surely some plays would help.

If we get Witten to 70 catches with still top notch blocking that is outstanding production.

I saw Staubach age, then Emmitt. The most special ones give you all they've got but eventually they do run out. I am a life long athlete but at 39 there is no way I could hope to compare to myself at 25. Human bodies just aren't made that way.

Witten has great football intelligence and great hands. Those things tend to last. How long he can run routes with great agility and handle blocking 24 year old DE's is really the question. But I dont think anyone is saying he can't do those things right now.

With TNew I was very worried about his last contract. He was an aging player at an unforgiving position. I felt he was slightly overrated here. Good coverage guy but seldom the playmaker you'd like for a top 5 pick. If 3 years from now Witten has a TNew like fall-apart season I want the team to be prepared to handle it better than they were with TNew (rolling out Frank Walker).

[Dodger]

Originally Posted by Idgit

Jackals. Once a player gets surpassed by a rookie, anywhere in the league, they start circling to make the case that other young players aren't far behind. Who can be the first to say his blocking has dropped off? Who noticed his passing production might or might not have dipped? We'll assume it did, because he's getting older.

This is the first stage of disengaging emotionally. It's full of posts that include the phrase 'Nobody is a bigger fan of the guy than I am, but..." Next comes distancing ourselves from the player. Then, we turn on him in earnest. Finally, when he really is done, we pat ourselves on the back for how prescient we were because we saw it first. The rest of us are just floored by how impressed we are with the whole spectacle.

I think I noticed Demarcus Ware deteriorating in pass coverage, btw. I saw it first.

Spot. On.

[GIFTS]

DWARE pass coverage is dropping off? LOL are you sure you were not seeing Spencer playing LOL. Please explain your theory on this. I would love to hear it. And do not get me wrong, i am not bashing your opinion. I just do not quite agree.

[Dodger]

Originally Posted by GIFTS

DWARE pass coverage is dropping off?

He was being sarcastic to make a point.

[jday]

Originally Posted by CowboyMike

So you guys would sacrifice the blocking ability and complete TE in Jason Witten for pass catchers like Davis, Hernandez, and Finley? Not to mention probably better character and leadership in Witten.

I understand you're trading age for youth, but you'd really prefer them over Witten right now?

Just curious, but as an obvious Witten fan, do you ever find yourself complaining when they keep him in to block on passing downs?

[CowboyMike]

Originally Posted by jday

Just curious, but as an obvious Witten fan, do you ever find yourself complaining when they keep him in to block on passing downs?

Not really. I played the position myself, albeit only in school. I got the same thrill by sealing off the edge to spring my running back free that I did by catching a pass. I respect the fact that Witten is an all around complete tight end. To me, if he's staying in to block, he's just doing his job.

I don't think a Tight End should be a pass catcher only. To me, that's not a tight end. A lot of people like a bunch of the fancy guys around the league because they're pass catching tight ends. Well the beauty is about Witten was that he helped usher in this pass happy tight end age while still making his game complete by being a good blocker. He does the dirty work while still putting up elite numbers. That's what separates him from the rest, in my opinion.

So when he stays in to block, no, it doesn't really bother me. Although if it becomes a thing we're doing a lot and we're not going to him in the passing game, I might be calling for us to take a shot at him to see if we can move the chains.

[CowboysYanksLakers]

Vernon Davis...

[Lonestar94]

Jason Witten is still the best Tight End in the game to me..