100 receptions for Witten in 2013

[durrrr]

Witten only had 50.6% of his catches result in 1st down. For TEs with 50+ catches that ranked him 15th. So I'd say it probably happens more often than you realize.

That stat is pretty meaningless on its own.

 

[JeffInDC]

I think 80 is even too high.

IF the oline is better than last year, demarco and miles stay healthy, dez takes the next step and the two other tight ends turn out to be legit then i dont want witten having no more than 70-75 catches next year.

I agree. I see (IF HEALTHY THE ENTIRE YEAR) Dez with around 90 catches, Witten & Austin with around 65-70 each, Murray with about 35, #3 WR & #2 TE 25 each, and #4 WR & #3 TE with around 15 each. That is at least 335 receptions, which is about 5-10 less than what Romo has averaged in his best seasons ('07, '09, & '11). And, if Romo only has that many completions this year, that probably means the team is running the ball well. I would love for this team to duplicate the balance they had on offense from '09 (their record-setting year for yardage). They just need to average more than the 22.6 points they scored.

 

[jobberone]

It will take a little better than 400 completions in 600 attempts for 5000 yds to be about the median of the top ten next year. Romo completed 425/648 last year. I'd like to see the rushing attempts stay about the same in the same 350 area at most 400. But we have got to do better than 3.6 yds into the 4.5 range plus break a few designed plays rather than broken ones. Passing ypa doesn't need to get a lot better but could improve at least a half yard. I'd love to see Tony around 10 per.

So you can divide up the pass completions like you wish but I'd prefer to see more go to the WRs esp the outside guys and bump the ypc and yac. I'd also like to see Tony cut down on his INTs. Like by a half. That'd bump his rating up into the 100s rather than the 90 he got last year.

They're not that far away. Just more consistent with less penalties, increase a little here and there, decrease INTs, and increase the RZ TDs.

Oh, yeah. Give up less points including less than the miserable 25 per game we did last year. You can't give up 400 and score a bit less and win.

Simple, huh?

 

[big dog cowboy]

Jason Witten was dead last of all the top WR/TE pass receivers in the NFL in yards per reception at 9.4... at least the guys listed in the top 40 pass receivers.

He can still catch anything thrown in his vicinity, however, he has lost almost all of his explosiveness after the catch.

His career average is only 11.1 so it's not like he lost much.

 

[Crown Royal]

Bad, not because of Witten, but because that many catches is indicative of an abandon of the running game. If Witten gets to 100 catches that means that for yet another year, we have not been exceedingly effective on the ground.

 

[JeffInDC]

It will take a little better than 400 completions in 600 attempts for 5000 yds to be about the median of the top ten next year. Romo completed 425/648 last year. I'd like to see the rushing attempts stay about the same in the same 350 area at most 400. But we have got to do better than 3.6 yds into the 4.5 range plus break a few designed plays rather than broken ones. Passing ypa doesn't need to get a lot better but could improve at least a half yard. I'd love to see Tony around 10 per.

So you can divide up the pass completions like you wish but I'd prefer to see more go to the WRs esp the outside guys and bump the ypc and yac. I'd also like to see Tony cut down on his INTs. Like by a half. That'd bump his rating up into the 100s rather than the 90 he got last year.

They're not that far away. Just more consistent with less penalties, increase a little here and there, decrease INTs, and increase the RZ TDs.

Oh, yeah. Give up less points including less than the miserable 25 per game we did last year. You can't give up 400 and score a bit less and win.

Simple, huh?

If they pass that much AGAIN and run so little again, the D is gonna be on the field a long time. This team needs to pass around 565-575 times and run about 450-460 times. That would be pretty balanced for a JG offense.

The ONLY way this team will be successful passing 600 times is IF they truly become an offense similar to NE's where the usually run close to 1100 plays a year. Last year, NE ran a staggering 1191 offensive plays. Yes, 1191 (compared to 1049 for Dallas). Folks, that's almost 75 plays a game. Those are damn near college numbers - Texas A&M ran 79 plays a game last year and Oregon ran almost 82.

DALLAS NEEDS TO RUN THE BALL EFFECTIVELY TO WIN!!!!!!!!

 

[Ren]

Jason Witten was dead last of all the top WR/TE pass receivers in the NFL in yards per reception at 9.4... at least the guys listed in the top 40 pass receivers.

He can still catch anything thrown in his vicinity, however, he has lost almost all of his explosiveness after the catch.

He was never really that explosive to begin with, his biggest strength has always been to always get open on the short and intermediate routes and he certainly hasn't gotten any worse at that, if anything last year proves the opposite. I think the lower YPC is more indicative of Romo having to get rid of the ball faster then Witten having lost a step

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

On a side note.

Still remember how Skins fans would argue that Cooley was as good or better than Witten.

Funny Stuff.

 

[Future]

I think 80 is even too high.

IF the oline is better than last year, demarco and miles stay healthy, dez takes the next step and the two other tight ends turn out to be legit then i dont want witten having no more than 70-75 catches next year.

I dont disagree. But I think that 80 is probably more realistic than 70. The guy is still really productive, and Tony loves him. I would like to see him get phased out a bit so that we could be more explosive, but I just dont see that happening, at least not this year.

 

[Crown Royal]

He was never really that explosive to begin with, his biggest strength has always been to always get open on the short and intermediate routes and he certainly hasn't gotten any worse at that, if anything last year proves the opposite. I think the lower YPC is more indicative of Romo having to get rid of the ball faster then Witten having lost a step

Yeah everyone loves to remember the helmetless witten running down field, but he's never been a YAC guy. In my opinion he's actually kind of goofy looking running with the ball :rofl:

 

[Future]

Yeah everyone loves to remember the helmetless witten running down field, but he's never been a YAC guy. In my opinion he's actually kind of goofy looking running with the ball :rofl:

I'm pretty sure for a lot of years he has been in the top five in the league in YAC. Especially when they used to get him running down the seam.

 

[Doomsday101]

Good or bad thing overall for the offense?

If we are winning games and moving the chains then it is good. As a TE Witten will be a safety valve for Romo and his ability to get open makes him a perfect target.

As for Dez I'm sure he will be very active and a big part of the offense.

And the stats? if they produce wins then that is the only stat that matters.

 

[lcharles]

Jason Witten is the best TE in Dallas Cowboys history. Let that sink in. Don't be so quick to kick him to the curb.


I think his role will change a little with Hanna and Escobar on board now but he is still very valuable to this team.


Hope he gets a championship this year.


He deserves it.

 

[Califan007]

On a side note.

Still remember how Skins fans would argue that Cooley was as good or better than Witten.

Funny Stuff.

Remember these funny ones? lol...

From a thread in 2007:

I disagree with this. Cooley is a SOLID TE. His numbers would be comparable to Wittens were he on Dallas. That's not taking anything away from Witten, I'm just stating Cooley is just as good.

But he is is every bit as good catching the ball and after the ball. It's not like this isn't even close like some of you homers are claiming.

Witten 2005 - 757 yds and 6 TDs
Witten 2006 - 754 yds and 1 TD

Cooley 2005 -774 yds and 7 TDs
Cooley 2006 - 734 yds and 6 TDs

That's Witten 1511 yds and 7 TD's
and Cooley 1508 yds and 13 TD's

To even suggest this isn't debatable is ridiculous. Ya, I would most definitely take Witten over Cooley but there are a lotta non-Dallas fans who would'nt...

It's close is all I'm saying.

True.

I think both sides can agree; we have elite TE's.

Gates, Gonzales (despite him aging), Winslow, Cooley, and Witten are elite TEs in the league. Any team would be lucky to have one.

Maybe it's because I see virtually every Skins game not airing at the same time as the Cowboys, but I think Cooley is definitely one of the best TEs in the NFC. Look at who's been throwing the ball to him over the years and his production. Right now, he's ranked 3rd in reception yards and 1st in TDs in the NFC among TEs.

Now, what WAS funny was Cowboys fans claiming that Roy Williams was a better safety than Sean Taylor lol...that had me rollin'.

 

[perrykemp]

What does it mean to be dead last of all the top receivers? How can you be dead last if you're a top receiver?

When I looked at NFL.com at the top 40 players in the NFL with the most receptions in 2012, his yards per reception was the lowest for any WR or TE on the list.

 

[blackbull]

Witten should only be a red zone option and when the defense shows Witten should be the target. Making him the primary guy is just stupid in 2013. I'm sure we will do it anyway though.

 

[Doomsday101]

Witten should only be a red zone option and when the defense shows Witten should be the target. Making him the primary guy is just stupid in 2013. I'm sure we will do it anyway though.

Romo targets him because he is where he should be and can be counted on. As Dez started coming on strong in the 2nd half of the season Romo confidence in him being where he should be when he should be increased.

 

[dogberry]

The number I'm interested in is catches per target.

 

[17yearsandcounting]

Probably bad, it means Tony is running for his life....again.

 

[Tex]

My fear is Romo relies on Witten too much as a safety valve. Meanwhile Witten is not good in YAC and goes down very easily. I love Witten but he is getting to the end of his career and he is not the type of TE that can get a lot of YAC. It's not good when it is 3rd and 8 and Romo throws a 5 yard pass to Witten and we are stopped short of the first.

On the other hand I'm pretty excited about Hanna and Escobar. Hanna looked very fast for a TE last year.

No Witten is a expert at finding the holes and being there when and where he is needed. I'll take witten with 110 catches averaging 9 yds a catch versus most TE getting 60 catches and averaging 12.

I think the OL and offense in general dictated wittens ROUTES to be shorter I dont think he has slowed down so much he cant still catch 12 yard passes.

No Romo doesnt need to be throwing a 5 yard pass on third down really to anyone if they need 8 for a first. It should be in the air far enough to make that first down most throws. Its sweet when dez or someone breaks a long one on 3'rd down. But if you need 8 on first down you friggin throw a 8 yard or longer pass?? Witten can still catch those passes. You use witten to just move the chains not break 4 tackles on a 60 YAC run.

Tex