Witten has screwed the Cowboys twice now

[Stash]

How is this Wittens fault. If he Dak holds the ball and Wittens working his way back to him. This is a team effort. To blame just the TE isn’t right.

I'll "blame" the TE for running a 5-yard route on 3rd and 7. And the thankfully former playcaller.

 

[Stash]

People are seriously whining about a first ballot HOFer and one of the best players in franchise history coming back on a dirt cheap 1-yr deal?

Peopare are actually "praising" paying $3.5 - $5 million for the return of a 37-year-old retired player? How set career lows two years ago?

Don't let sentimentality override common sense.

 

[glimmerman]

I'll "blame" the TE for running a 5-yard route on 3rd and 7. And the thankfully former playcaller.

No you won’t blame Witten. You take it back right now mister. It’s all linehans fault. Gonna be exciting to see what Moore does. He isn’t gonna rewrite the playbook. But a few simple changes could go along way. Even the situational playcalling will possibly help. Or the whole thing blows up in our faces and we blow.

 

[foofighters]

I don't give a damn about the so called hindering a players development. I care about winning games, if guys are out there making plays they will see more playing time and if they are not getting it done as was the case most of last year then we need to get someone in who can make the plays. Dallas used 4 TE last and combined they could not produce to the level Witten did in 2017.

You have to admit that our TE position was starting to click at the end of the year. At the beginning of this year, Witten is going to get more snaps than the other guys even if they are better. It's the way this organization is. He may be a better technician than the other guys but will he be able to compete physically? He doesn't have the speed or agility...not that he ever did but it's worse now. Jason will be wide open but I am afraid that 8 yard pass will be one yard short of moving the chains.

 

[Stash]

The addition of Coop will no doubt give him better numbers if he actually starts and plays all year. He also didn't have Zeke for 6 games to take away some of his routes.

And he's two years older and has been out of football for a year and a half. You and I both know how all of these stories end.

 

[foofighters]

No you won’t blame Witten. You take it back right now mister. It’s all linehans fault. Gonna be exciting to see what Moore does. He isn’t gonna rewrite the playbook. But a few simple changes could go along way. Even the situational playcalling will possibly help. Or the whole thing blows up in our faces and we blow.

Jason doesn't have the speed to overcome a 3rd and 8 by going past the chains. Now throw in Dak's inability to beat the rush (which I hope he works on) and we have a double negative.

 

[Stash]

No you won’t blame Witten. You take it back right now mister. It’s all linehans fault. Gonna be exciting to see what Moore does. He isn’t gonna rewrite the playbook. But a few simple changes could go along way. Even the situational playcalling will possibly help. Or the whole thing blows up in our faces and we blow.

 

[glimmerman]

Jason doesn't have the speed to overcome a 3rd and 8 by going past the chains. Now throw in Dak's inability to beat the rush (which I hope he works on) and we have a double negative.

If Dak would learn to take off when he is holding the ball and there is a hole big enough for 2 people to run through up the middle it would change the whole game.

 

[nightrain]

Last year, he retired unexpectedly, leaving the Cowboys to go into the offseason with subpar TE talent. This year, he throws a monkey wrench in the plans again, at the last minute, and puts the franchise in an odd position.

He's going to leech snaps from any TE they may draft, and hinder the development of the guys already on the roster. He's definitely taken them out of the free agency mix for TEs.

I think the world of Witten, but think it was a bad idea to bring him back given his age and inactivity. Jerry is the one doing the screwing. Been that way for over two decades.

 

[Doomsday101]

You have to admit that our TE position was starting to click at the end of the year. At the beginning of this year, Witten is going to get more snaps than the other guys even if they are better. It's the way this organization is. He may be a better technician than the other guys but will he be able to compete physically? He doesn't have the speed or agility...not that he ever did but it's worse now. Jason will be wide open but I am afraid that 8 yard pass will be one yard short of moving the chains.

Yes TE play improved and I hope they continue to improve. I think they will get their chances or I should say one of them will get a chance, we can't continue with musical TE someone needs to stand up, be it Jarwin, Schultz or someone else. Dallas like using 2 TE sets and when the opportunity comes their way they must make the plays they must show they can be dependable game in and game out. As for Witten coming up short? He also has produced a lot of 1st downs, he is not controlling where the QB throws it, he is running his rout where he has to be. If you need 15 yards to pick up the 1st then throwing a 8 yard pass be it to Witten or Jarwin or any TE is probably not going to pick up the 1st. One thing I do not favor is this mindset that somehow reg season is a training ground, this team needs to win games not train a guy with hopes they will one day get it. If Jarwin goes out and makes plays he will see his chances increase.

 

[DoctorChicken]

Peopare are actually "praising" paying $3.5 - $5 million for the return of a 37-year-old retired player? How set career lows two years ago?

Don't let sentimentality override common sense.

I’m not praising it but I’m not bent out of shape, nor do I think Witten has screwed the Cowboys.

 

[Risen Star]

It's cool though. He's Jason Witten. He's more important than the team.

 

[CouchCoach]

Right after QB, TE is the hardest position to play on the offense because the mental part is so critical. Witten's knowledge of defense and how they line up is his greatest strength. And he was a quick study for Parcells to trust him as much as he did. When the D is bringing it, it is the TE's responsibility to bail his QB out and how many times did we see Witten do that for Romo and then Prescott in his rookie year? Countless, that many.

Gronkowski has become a very good blocker and I can recall him addressing Witten's completeness to his game as the motivation for that. And that was harder for him than running routes and getting his bigself open. But he worked on it.

There are players with intangibles that we do not see, we only hear about them. No player exhibited "team" better than Witten when his best friend was benched for a rookie and then not allowed a shot back at his job. You know every coach and player on that team looked at him to see how he would handle it. He's not a vocal guy but he still sends messages. Like that time he excused himself from his interview and went over just to stand by Dez as he was going off on a reporter and asking Dalrymple for help. Think any other player on the team could have done that? Not the first time he tried to get Dez in off the ledge.

When a team has that certain intangible, that becomes more apparent when it's missing. Garrett saw that and so did the other coaches, part of the soul of the team was missing, the mental toughness. Witten is not just back to block, run routes, read defenses, catch passes and make 1st downs. Jason Witten is back to be Jason Witten.

 

[BillyBates]

I'm not understanding announcing his departure AFTER the draft. did I miss sumthin? I cant see why he couldn't have been put on staff rather than on the field. we really can use the 3.5m else where, his stats from 2013 continue a downward spiral into 2017. JJ and JG have lost their minds. we need to move on from he and the old guard.

 

[Manwiththeplan]

I agree, his numbers were at career lows in 2017, does anyone really expect them to improve two years later?

To be honest, I'd be fine if he duplicated the TD numbers. I doubt it, but he scored a good amount in 2017.

 

[foofighters]

If Dak would learn to take off when he is holding the ball and there is a hole big enough for 2 people to run through up the middle it would change the whole game.

Which leads to another problem...that's coaching and we expect that coach to be the savior of the team.

 

[foofighters]

Yes TE play improved and I hope they continue to improve. I think they will get their chances or I should say one of them will get a chance, we can't continue with musical TE someone needs to stand up, be it Jarwin, Schultz or someone else. Dallas like using 2 TE sets and when the opportunity comes their way they must make the plays they must show they can be dependable game in and game out. As for Witten coming up short? He also has produced a lot of 1st downs, he is not controlling where the QB throws it, he is running his rout where he has to be. If you need 15 yards to pick up the 1st then throwing a 8 yard pass be it to Witten or Jarwin or any TE is probably not going to pick up the 1st. One thing I do not favor is this mindset that somehow reg season is a training ground, this team needs to win games not train a guy with hopes they will one day get it. If Jarwin goes out and makes plays he will see his chances increase.

I hope you're right about Jarwin but I don't see him getting a shot with Witten there.

 

[reddyuta]

I never thought Witten was selfish but he really has screwed us again.

 

[glimmerman]

Which leads to another problem...that's coaching and we expect that coach to be the savior of the team.

Lol. Growing pains.

 

[Stash]

I’m not praising it but I’m not bent out of shape, nor do I think Witten has screwed the Cowboys.

I agree, "screwed" might be a bit strong.