News: Darren Woodson: Jason Witten greatest tight end ever

[CCBoy]

• Darren Woodson: Jason Witten greatest tight end ever
  

• Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer
  http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas-cowb...-woodson-jason-witten-greatest-tight-end-ever

OXNARD, Calif. -- It’s easy to say now after 10 Pro Bowls and a Dallas Cowboys-record 943 career catches that everybody could see way back when that Jason Witten would become one of the best tight ends in football.

Darren Woodson saw it in 2003 as a teammate.

“Yes, at 20 years old,” Woodson said.

Woodson, the Cowboys’ all-time leader in tackles and a current ESPN analyst, has a telling story from Witten’s first training camp.

“I played the nickel and I had to cover receivers and when we did one-on-ones, I’m on the other field with the cornerbacks and the safeties are with the tight ends," Woodson said. "I’d never come over to cover tight ends. I remember him challenging me, calling me out, ‘Hey, you need to come over here. There’s a tight end that can finally run some routes on you.’”...

 

[RS12]

Witten is one of my favorite Cowboys ever, and a future HOFer no doubt. Better than Tony Gonzalez or John Mackey is questionable though.

 

[Swanny]

With fantasy football and gambling now a days its hard for people to see why anybody would consider Jason Witten the greatest of all time. Blocking, while still be a great Receiving TE is rare. Usually you have a TE that specializes in one of those areas. When you look at the whole body of work Blocking and Receiving i think its hard to argue that he is not the greatest of all time. I think Woody nailed it on the head and I do not understand how or why Cowboys fan do not start a buzz about Witten being the greatest of all time.

 

[DallasEast]

Game recognizes game.

 

[Swanny]

Witten is one of my favorite Cowboys ever, and a future HOFer no doubt. Better than Tony Gonzalez or John Mackey is questionable though.

No doubt about it Gonzalez was a better receiving TE. Not even a debate. But Witten is a FAR superior blocker. John Mackey I couldn't argue I don't know enough about him to argue that.

 

[casmith07]

Game recognizes game.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[pacy]

Witten best ever. I vote on that.

 

[LucaBrasi]

Game recognizes game.

End of thread

 

[erod]

He's the best I've ever seen for sure.

Although those false starts.....

He's like Billy Jo Dupree and Jay Novacek rolled into one.

 

[NickZepp]

Can't put him above Ozzie Newsome or Shannon Sharpe, or Kellen Winslow. Definitely not as good as Mackey or Gonzalez. He's a sure hall of famer though. Definitely top 10 in NFL history. I'm not sure if he'll go down as good as Antonio Gates or Jimmy Graham in this era but those are different TEs.

 

[joshjwp]

There is no doubt in my mind that he's the greatest of all time, overall. There are some that were/are better receivers. There are some that were/are better blockers. However, nobody has ever been as good of a combination of both in NFL history IMO.

 

[erod]

Can't put him above Ozzie Newsome or Shannon Sharpe, or Kellen Winslow. Definitely not as good as Mackey or Gonzalez. He's a sure hall of famer though. Definitely top 10 in NFL history. I'm not sure if he'll go down as good as Antonio Gates or Jimmy Graham in this era but those are different TEs.

None of those guys blocked like Witten. And none of them have his statistics either, except for Gonzalez and Sharpe, and Witten's about to pass Sharpe.

 

[Idgit]

With fantasy football and gambling now a days its hard for people to see why anybody would consider Jason Witten the greatest of all time. Blocking, while still be a great Receiving TE is rare. Usually you have a TE that specializes in one of those areas. When you look at the whole body of work Blocking and Receiving i think its hard to argue that he is not the greatest of all time. I think Woody nailed it on the head and I do not understand how or why Cowboys fan do not start a buzz about Witten being the greatest of all time.

I sort of agree. I still prefer Gonzalez (because of the TDs), but if Wit gets a Superbowl and if he keeps playing forever at a relatively high level like I think he's going to probably do (his game has always been built on his smarts and soft hands and his ability to block, and not his speed), he'll finally get legitimately in the conversation. Right now, there are players that aren't as good as he is that regularly are considered 'ahead' of him still. Part of that's his team's lack of playoff success. Part of it is probably his no-nonsense personality. If there were clips of him on the sidelines calling in the national guard, people might think differently. Who knows? Because it'll thankfully never happen. He's just business-as-usual, all day, every day.

 

[Doomsday101]

 

[perrykemp]

No doubt about it Gonzalez was a better receiving TE. Not even a debate. But Witten is a FAR superior blocker. John Mackey I couldn't argue I don't know enough about him to argue that.

REALLY hard to compare modern TEs to great TEs of yesteryear like Mackey, Ditka, Winslow, etc

Witten will be a HOFer when all is said and done. That's enough for me.

 

[remdak]

Jerry Jones asks Witten, "Do you think Woodson should be in our Ring of Honor?"
Witten, "Only if he says that I am the greatest Tight End ever"

 

[Doomsday101]

REALLY hard to compare modern TEs to great TEs of yesteryear like Mackey, Ditka, Winslow, etc

Witten will be a HOFer when all is said and done. That's enough for me.

That is true, However Witten is about as throw back of a TE in the game today. A TE who is very good at blocking and receiving. Many of todays TE are no more than oversized WR they will not block. Jason does the entire job of the TE position.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

There are posters on this board (you know who you are) who have wondered if Witten is a HoF. Those discussions frankly were some of the most ridiculous ever to be had on the zone.

 

[perrykemp]

None of those guys blocked like Witten. And none of them have his statistics either, except for Gonzalez and Sharpe, and Witten's about to pass Sharpe.

I agree with your assessment that nobody in the recent modern era can compare to Witten as an all around TE.

I can't say, with any confidence, that is clearly better than Mackey, Dikta, etc.

Witten is a certain HOFer -- probably a 1st ballot HOFer.

His ultimate issue (depending on how things go in the remainder of his career) is has never been a TE that really struck fear in opposing team, he's never been flashy, and he has never sniffed any sort of real post-season success.

Having said all that, I think Cowboys fans can make a strong case as Witten as the best TE of all time, however,t it will never be clear cut like it is with some other positions (Deion as CB, Jerry Rice WR, etc)

 

[sideon]

Definitely best Cowboys TE ever, but as far as overall Sharpe & Gonzalez were better than him imo.