Witten's lack of YAC starting to become a concern?

[B_Milly_M8ker]

Let me start off by saying Witten is one of our best Players and i think he could end up being a HOF TE.

But it is frustrating to see him go down to first contact ever single time he catches the ball. There were a couple of plays in the Texans game where i though Witten had a chance to get a first down but was tackled on the spot.

You cant argue with what Witten does for us in the blocking game, he is essentially another LT/RT at times, he is one of the best blocking TE's in the game.

If Witten misses a game or two, i would be excited to see what Marty B can do if he gets a few more looks. He had some nice plays in the Texans games and i feel like he adds another dimension to our offense.

Marty is a big dude, but he is also fast! If you get him running in the open field he is very hard to take down. I would like to see us desgin more plays for Marty and give him an opportunity to make some plays after the catch.

I might get flamed for this thread. Like i said im not throwing Witten under the bus, he is playing hurt and is an absolute warrior. Its just an observation and i feel like Marty is a tad bit underutilized in this offense. He could make some big time plays for us if he is given a few more chances

 

[joseephuss]

I see these same complaints every year. By the end of the season Witten is among the leaders in receptions and yards for tight ends and on his way to another pro-bowl.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

It's the way we use him.

For some reason since '08 we've used him as more of a safety valve/checkdown early on and then we start using him on deeper pass patterns where he can catch it on the run and make a defender miss.






YR

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

What's important is that Witten gets healthy. But I like what i've seen from Bennet this year.

 

[WV Cowboy]

Let me start off by saying Witten is one of our best Players and i think he could end up being a HOF TE.

But it is frustrating to see him go down to first contact ever single time he catches the ball.

Witten is one of my all-time favorite kind of players, and Cowboys.

But I have to agree with this.

I don't want him over extending every play, risking injury or a fumble, ... but there are times I feel he could get extra yards and he doesn't even look to.

 

[RS12]

I am only concerned with false starts and his health.

 

[Zman5]

Like someone else mentioned, he doesn't run routes that allows him to get YAC. He usually runs to a empty spot in a zone that has been vacated by a LB where a ball may be thrown to. And because of the zone defense, there is going to be serveral defenders near by ready to gang tackle him.

 

[B_Milly_M8ker]

TBH my thread tittle is a bit misleading. The point i was trying to make is that Bennett can be a dynamic player after the catch and i would like to see him get more chances to make some plays.

 

[Tractor1]

Witten is one of my all-time favorite kind of players, and Cowboys.

But I have to agree with this.

I don't want him over extending every play, risking injury or a fumble, ... but there are times I feel he could get extra yards and he doesn't even look to.

He seems to run very tall and that gives the tackler a clean shot. He always seems to get hit from the waist down. I'd like to see him lower his shoulder every now and again.

 

[Stautner]

Witten has never been a guy to make a lot of yards after the catch, so it's not as if this is a new thing that is keeping his yards per caatch average down. It does bother me a bit that with his size and strength he never runs over people and plows ahead for extra yardage, but even without that he is one of the best receiving TE's in the NFL and a valuable weapon. At the end of the season his numbers will be very good as they always are.

 

[WV Cowboy]

He seems to run very tall and that gives the tackler a clean shot. He always seems to get hit from the waist down. I'd like to see him lower his shoulder every now and again.

Many times he is content to go down at first contact, without even trying to extend the play.

 

[WV Cowboy]

Witten has never been a guy to make a lot of yards after the catch, so it's not as if this is a new thing that is keeping his yards per caatch average down. It does bother me a bit that with his size and strength he never runs over people and plows ahead for extra yardage, but even without that he is one of the best receiving TE's in the NFL and a valuable weapon. At the end of the season his numbers will be very good as they always are.

Agree with all 3 sentences.

 

[Baileyneverfailey]

Witten has spent his entire career perfecting his little side step move that never works. Seriously though, Jason is just a very crisp route runner, who is smart as hell and a hard worker. He has never been, nor will he be, an extremely fluid athlete who runs after the catch well. The key is that he makes tough catches and you can always count on him, so it doesn't matter that he doesn't get a ton of RAC.

Besides, all the RAC he'll ever need in his career was made in the helmetless 50+ yard run against the Eagles. It's timeless, especially since now they blow the play dead if your helmet comes off. :laugh2:

 

[AdamJT13]

Every year, we hear complaints about Witten's YAC, and every year, he finishes with a higher average YAC than many of the other top tight ends. Last year, he had a higher average YAC than Vernon Davis, Tony Gonzalez, Kellen Winslow and Visanthe Shiancoe. He also finished seventh in the NFL in total YAC, behind three wide receivers and three running backs (all of whom had more YAC than total yards, thanks to screen passes).

 

[juck]

Witten is very reliable. The new generation of TE seem to be more like Wrs. But either/or Witten is a top TE every year.

 

[Deep_Freeze]

Every year, we hear complaints about Witten's YAC, and every year, he finishes with a higher average YAC than many of the other top tight ends. Last year, he had a higher average YAC than Vernon Davis, Tony Gonzalez, Kellen Winslow and Visanthe Shiancoe. He also finished seventh in the NFL in total YAC, behind three wide receivers and three running backs (all of whom had more YAC than total yards, thanks to screen passes).

Well I saw this one coming......I do believe he gets more than people give him credit for. It is easier to remember the plays where he is sitting in an open spot of the zone in the middle of the field and goes down immediately, but he does have plays that he runs near the sidelines where he does get YAC.

 

[dallasfaniac]

Yeah, I saw Bennet's rac on his first catch where there wasn't a guy within 10 yards of him because they were loading up on Witten and Austin deeper down field, but where was Bennett's yac on his 2nd catch, the 3rd and 3 that he caught at the sticks but lost 2 yards and forced us to punt? How about his 3rd and final catch of the game? What did he get, something like a yard rac even after the LB vacated his zone to cover Witten and left him with 10 yards of grass for the reception? I don't care if Witten can't catch a 5 yards pass and run for 7 more, he gets open on his own and catches it for the 12.

 

[DanManJ]

Why do people assume that witten is jsut gonna wake up one day and have this great speed. Witten has great hands, good rout running, and is one of the best blocking tight ends in the league. I know some of the fans want a flashy jump in the air and hten run 50 yards tight end but that just isnt witten. He has been acknowledged as one of the best tight ends in the league and has been sent to multiple pro bowls because of his play. Stop wishing he would do more. The man is a beast. Enjoy what we have and stop slapping him in the face with these threads.

 

[elcowboi]

I don't really recall Witten ever being a YAC guy. He normally goes about a good 10-15 yards makes the catch and then goes down. Maybe I haven't been really paying attention like I should be but it seems like the difference is the amount of catches he's not getting that's hurting his stats.

 

[Stautner]

Well I saw this one coming......I do believe he gets more than people give him credit for. It is easier to remember the plays where he is sitting in an open spot of the zone in the middle of the field and goes down immediately, but he does have plays that he runs near the sidelines where he does get YAC.

I don't think anyone is saying he can't run a little when he has open field, they are talking more about going down easy when someone hits him. Which is true - he isn't a run over people guy or a guy who makes moves. He runs well, but he isn't particulcularly difficult to tackle. that said, he's still one of the best in the business.