I'd love to hear his real thoughts.
I'd rather not hear those real thoughts. Not publicly anyway. I like how Witten chose to stay above the fray and in the process, quietly make MB look more the fool. But here's my guess at it.
"...Marty is a good player. He really is. He enjoys entertaining, but I'm glad he's in a good place now and he's having a good year so far. He is, he's a good football player."
Translation: His childish comments aren't really worth my attention. He's more about flash than substance, and he's good. Not great. Good.
"Hey look, I've always taken a lot of pride in that I want to play and play at a high level,"
Translation: If he's not good enough to play at a high enough level to beat me out, he won't get to play. He wanted it handed to him.
"I'm always communicating and helping and all of that stuff. And there is a part of the business that I get. Martellus probably wanted his opportunity and to be able to go play and I get that. I don't know where all that really kind of stems from. So that's why I said I know he's in a good place."
Translation: I communicated and he was too dense and entitled to listen. Opportunities are earned, not gift-wrapped and if he decided to hate me because I wouldn't roll over for him, that's not worth wasting my time. Now he's a 2nd TE where he belongs and with a coach who won't take his crap for long.
"For me, every day you've got to go prove it and you've got to go earn it and that's something I have a chip on my shoulder and it really gives me confidence because that's the way I approach it."
Translation: I work hard and I'm not giving my job to someone who wouldn't work as hard as I do.
"...I'm a better player because of that [competition] and I think hopefully other people would say the same things."
Translation: MB was a whiny child who couldn't understand that he had to earn the job and was too lazy do it. I hoped he might one day understand what it takes to be great, but he obviously doesn't.
How was that?