Has anyone seen Gil Brandt lists this offseason?

[phildadon86]

Is anyone else worried he may be going senile? Have you seen some of his lists this offseason? Its actually starting to scare me. Man had Witten not in the top 10 of TE's of all time....He may be losing it.

 

[RS12]

Is anyone else worried he may be going senile?

Gil has forgotten more than most of will know about football. Has a slipped a little over the years? Sure. However if anybody posting here had the reputation to make easy money on their name, wouldnt they?

 

[CWR]

Is anyone else worried he may be going senile? Have you seen some of his lists this offseason? Its actually starting to scare me. Man had Witten not in the top 10 of TE's of all time....He may be losing it.

As much as I love football my knowledgebase only goes back so far. But I dont believe TES were very prolific pass catches before my time?? The only two I can think of with numbers are Shannon Sharpe and Tony Gonzales. Most of the rest are still playing. So how Witten doesnt get on a top 10 list blows my mind. Not only that but his all around game and the intangibles he brings to a team.

 

[YosemiteSam]

Mike Ditika was basically the player that began the evolution of the TE position.

 

[phildadon86]

As much as I love football my knowledgebase only goes back so far. But I dont believe TES were very prolific pass catches before my time?? The only two I can think of with numbers are Shannon Sharpe and Tony Gonzales. Most of the rest are still playing. So how Witten doesnt get on a top 10 list blows my mind. Not only that but his all around game and the intangibles he brings to a team.

Sharpe was like 8 or 9 on his all time list. So there you go

 

[LucaBrasi]

Witten is #14 on Gil's list. 8 of those guys are in the HOF. The 4 active guys are not as of yet: Gronk, Gates, Witten, Olsen. Tony Gonzalez is a sure bet. The only guy either not active, not Gonzalez, and not in the HOF is Russ Francis I believe.

You could put Witten anywhere from 9-14 and I'm ok with it. Great players on the list for sure.

 

[NorthwestDallas40]

I immediately turn him off when I hear him on Sirius NFL radio... while I respect what he has done, he is barely coherent as a radio host

 

[TheFinisher]

Being listed as the 14th greatest player ever at your position is very high praise, I don't see the issue with where he has Witten.

The game has evolved and Witten has been in a situation very favorable to putting up numbers throughout his career. You can't just look at his raw catch numbers and assume that means he's the 2nd greatest of all time... it's not really an apples to apples comparison.

 

[CCBoy]

Being listed as the 14th greatest player ever at your position is very high praise, I don't see the issue with where he has Witten.

The game has evolved and Witten has been in a situation very favorable to putting up numbers throughout his career. You can't just look at his raw catch numbers and assume that means he's the 2nd greatest of all time... it's not really an apples to apples comparison.

We all know and appreciate the value of Jason Witten to the Cowboys. He has been both, old school in positional talent, and chocked full of integrity. It is a privilege to support the player, as he contributes to all around him, or just with a need. I can't rank that...

 

[phildadon86]

Being listed as the 14th greatest player ever at your position is very high praise, I don't see the issue with where he has Witten.

The game has evolved and Witten has been in a situation very favorable to putting up numbers throughout his career. You can't just look at his raw catch numbers and assume that means he's the 2nd greatest of all time... it's not really an apples to apples comparison.

Name me a player better ALL AROUND at his position over the last decade. Who has played in as many games and been as consistent as he's been.

 

[tyke1doe]

Is anyone else worried he may be going senile? Have you seen some of his lists this offseason? Its actually starting to scare me. Man had Witten not in the top 10 of TE's of all time....He may be losing it.

I'm not trying to be snarky when I say this, but who cares? He's a historian, but like all historians, he's not exactly in touch with modern history because his head is so far in the past. It's like guys who think Johnny Unitas is the best quarterback ever and won't even entertain more modern quarterbacks like Montana, Peyton or Brady because, they say, the game was more difficult when Unitas played.

I like the historical perspective he provides and the inside stories from yesteryear (for example, his story about the Cowboys trying to trade with the Saints to get Lawrence Taylor and the Giants worried we would take him from them). But I pay little attention to his assessments of modern players.

 

[BourbonBalz]

Gil also had Emmitt as the # 10 RB of all time. That's as bad of a ranking as it gets. The Witten ranking is also laughable.

 

[CWR]

Gil also had Emmitt as the # 10 RB of all time. That's as bad of a ranking as it gets. The Witten ranking is also laughable.

Emmitt still doesn't get the respect he deserves. The talk about his offensive line is stale. When he was breaking state records in Pensacola I guess his oline deserved the credit there also.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Gil also had Emmitt as the # 10 RB of all time.

 

[Silver Surfer]

The good news is: Your evaluation of Witten is worth just as much as Gil's. Its his opinion. You've got one too. Isn't that cool?

 

[Ranching]

He's number two on my list, behind Gavin Escobar.

 

[mattjames2010]

Sadly, blocking isn't as "flashy" as receptions and yards.

So, I guess it comes down to how you view it. Some TEs are such exceptional receivers that you can overlook their average blocking. But if you put an emphasis on a TE needing to be good/great at every job that comes with the TE position, there really isn't many TEs better than Witten throughout NFL history.

I think Witten has fit perfectly with our schemes over the years. When we went to a more pass-happy style offense, Witten had 6 straight seasons where he averaged 900-1,000 yards. Now that we have moved to a run-first/balanced style offense, you might as well consider him another offensive lineman out there.

Either way, he's a future HOF no matter where he's placed on lists.

 

[Longboysfan]

Gil's lists are not criteria for HOF.

 

[erod]

Being listed as the 14th greatest player ever at your position is very high praise, I don't see the issue with where he has Witten.

The game has evolved and Witten has been in a situation very favorable to putting up numbers throughout his career. You can't just look at his raw catch numbers and assume that means he's the 2nd greatest of all time... it's not really an apples to apples comparison.

But most of that "greatest" list couldn't block me.

Witten is a true tight end in every sense of the word. Very few can say that.

 

[revospeed]

Witten is the greatest all around TE of all time.

Gonzalez is a beefed up WR. Gronk gets hurt too much. If I need a TE for a game, I'm taking Witten over Gonzalez, Gronk, Sharpe, Ditka, Winslow, ect. You want to throw the ball to Witten and you want to run to his side.

Side note: Malcom Butler was on his list of greatest corners ever. Just sayin.