If Yards After Catch is 0, can we get a route that has Witten past the chains

[TheCount]

Honestly, Witten is a vet, he should know where he has to get to for a first down.

That being said, receiver routes has been a mystery for years. I still believe you put any of our guys (Dez, Williams, Beasley, Escobar) on a lot of other offenses in this league, they are doing way better.

 

[Nightman]

it is one of those Catch-22s or should it be a Catch-82s

If he runs past the sticks he won't be open enough to catch the first down
If he runs short of the sticks he is open but won't get the YAC.

It would be nice to see more routes that were going North/South though to give him a fighting chance.
Those outs and sit downs just aren't cutting it.

 

[btcutter]

Since he is not a TE that breaks tackles (except for Philly game when helmet came off)...can JG group design some plays with routes that find the feet past the chains?

The other team's DBs realize this as well so they make sure they keep Witten in front of them and short of 1st down marker.

 

[Cmac]

Witten has 30 first-down catches among his 65. He is tied for 18th in the NFC in first-down catches and third among tight ends in the conference (can't find the overall numbers, but it looks like he might be fifth in the NFL among tight ends). This is despite having Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel throwing him the majority of his passes.

.....you left out rank in YAC? I love JWitten, but he's running like he wearing cleats 2 sizes 2 small.

 

[gimmesix]

Nonsense, he's like every other player who has ever 'laced them up' , when the skills go, the playing time is reduced accordingly.

The list is as long as the, well any analogy you want to use, of players that have to take a back seat to the young. It's up to professional coaches and executives to realize when this is necessary, we unfortunately possess neither.

The nonsense is believing Witten's skills have gone. He has 65 catches in a year when Dallas has been mostly without its QB.
Witten hasn't changed much from the player he was when he entered the league. He was never much of a YAC guy because he's always been slow (yes, he's naturally slower now). His game is build on knowing how to get open and catching the passes thrown his way. He still does that.

What's unfortunate is that we have some fans who don't value what Witten still brings to the game. He's a player we can win with with the right pieces around him. Those other pieces fell apart this year.

 

[gimmesix]

.....you left out rank in YAC? I love JWitten, but he's running like he wearing cleats 2 sizes 2 small.

When has YAC ever been part of Witten's game? He's not a future Hall of Famer because he can run with the ball.

The reason Dallas was able to steal him in the third round is because he lacked the kind of speed that makes tight ends coveted. What GMs failed to see is that Witten knows how to play the game. He knows how to find the open spot. He knows how to give that subtle fake to get the defender to go one way while he goes the other.

That's his game and he hasn't lost that.

Frankly, if his game was based on speed, he'd probably be done by now. Instead, he just keeps racking up catches. However, that's not enough for those who want him to be something that he's never been.

 

[Cmac]

When has YAC ever been part of Witten's game? He's not a future Hall of Famer because he can run with the ball.

The reason Dallas was able to steal him in the third round is because he lacked the kind of speed that makes tight ends coveted. What GMs failed to see is that Witten knows how to play the game. He knows how to find the open spot. He knows how to give that subtle fake to get the defender to go one way while he goes the other.

That's his game and he hasn't lost that.

Frankly, if his game was based on speed, he'd probably be done by now. Instead, he just keeps racking up catches. However, that's not enough for those who want him to be something that he's never been.

....this Public Service Announcement has been paid for by the JWitten Defense Fund.

 

[gimmesix]

....this Public Service Announcement has been paid for by the JWitten Defense Fund.

Just a fan who understands what we've got.

 

[Chuck 54]

My questions are actually more about Hanna.

When Hanna was a rookie, he was too small, but was considered a speedy pass catching TE.
Now, he's our best blocking TE who is almost never targeted....does this mean he has spent this long with the Cowboys and learned nothing about route-running or reading zones from Witten? Or is it a case that the offense will always defer to Witten until he retires? Will Hanna be the next full time TE?

 

[DallasDomination]

.....you left out rank in YAC? I love JWitten, but he's running like he wearing cleats 2 sizes 2 small.

I love Witten he'll be a Cowboy great. But you don't deliver a perfect pass to him and it's not a catch...or worse he reaches out his hand to tip it for a interception.