Is Jason Witten the Greatest Tight End of All Time?
No, but he is the greatest athlete to ever come from the Tri-Cities, TN area.
Jason Witten may have played his final game in the National Football League.
It isn’t official, and I am of the opinion if he does leave for color commentary duties on Monday Night Football he will probably be the least charismatic announcer the broadcast has ever had.
Let’s face facts. Jason Witten is not Howard Cosell. Do a search for “Jason Witten, quotes” and you’ll see doozies like “No, no, or well, not really, maybe.”
When Don Meredith did an ad for Lipton Tea, you knew it was him saying “Dandy Tastin’!”
When Jon Gruden plugs Hooters, he’s even a bigger star on the commercials than the waitresses.
When Jason Witten does an ad, you focus on the Geico Cavemen.
Regardless, now the Tri-Cities media is asking the question if Witten is the greatest tight end of all time.
No.
It’s exciting that a local athlete will soon have a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It’s a deserving honor. Witten ranks fourth all time in pass receptions, which should cement his place in Canton alone.
But Witten isn’t even the most prolific receiver among tight ends. That honor belongs to Tony Gonzalez.
Who, incidentally, averaged more yards per reception than Witten (11.4 to 10.8).
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Gonzalez is universally looked upon as the top tight end in National Football League history. Ranker, Athlon, and even Gil Brandt, the former director of player personnel of the Dallas Cowboys, have compiled lists that back this up.
Witten is ranked fifth, ninth, and 14th respectively by these sources. Yes, Brandt, who compiled his list of the 14 greatest tight ends in football history last year, ranked his own franchise’s star tight end 14th.
That sounds a little low, but consider one of the reasons tight ends rack up so many receptions today is the Ty Law and Mel Blount rules that prohibit any contact with a receiver beyond five yards downfield. This has allowed tight ends to come across the middle, something that once upon a time in pro football would have gotten a receiver killed.
Witten went from 35 catches to 87 in one season after the Law Rule was in effect.
Is this an argument for “players were better back in the day?” On one hand, no. Witten is roughly 40 pounds heavier and as much as four inches taller than Hall of Fame tight ends Mike Ditka and John Mackey.
On the other hand, yes. Ditka once caught 75 passes in a 14 game season where throwing passes was more of a third down proposition and it was more difficult to get open. In his rookie season Ditka caught 12 touchdown passes. Witten’s career high is nine.
And Ditka not only starred on the 1963 NFL Champion Chicago Bears, but also played in two Super Bowls and caught a touchdown pass from Roger Staubach to clinch the Cowboys’ first World Championship.
Interesting concept; Witten is the Cowboys’ greatest tight end, but Ditka is the greatest tight end to play for the Cowboys.
Some have contemplated Witten as the franchise’s greatest player. But while Witten is fourth in catches, Emmitt Smith easily trumps this statistic as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher.
Though I would probably take Troy Aikman as the Cowboys’ all-time quarterback, Roger Staubach is probably the player most associated with the franchise historically.
Don Meredith and Deion Sanders are more iconic; the players that even non-fans would recognize as they became part of popular culture.
Bob Lilly was the only member of the NFL’s 75th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1994 that played the majority of his career for the Cowboys. He will likely be on the 100th Anniversary All-Time team as well.
Witten is the greatest receiver in Cowboys history. He’s a future Hall of Famer. In an area that has produced a home run champion and a Heisman Trophy winner, he’s the greatest athlete to ever come from the Tri-Cities.
Greatest tight end? Greatest player to ever play for the Cowboys?
No.
Marky Billson hosts Tri-Cities Sports NOW on 1420 NBC Sports Radio Tri-Cities 12–2 p.m. ET weekdays. Watch his archived show here and here.
