IRVING, Texas - Without a doubt, two of the best tight ends in the business will be on the Cowboys Stadium turf come Sunday.
But if you're expecting any war of words between Atlanta's Tony Gonzalez and the Cowboys' Jason Witten, don't hold your breath.
Nothing but love and respect from these two guys.
On Wednesday, Gonzalez told Dallas reporters through a conference call that Witten is the best tight end in the NFL today. The Falcons' stud and future Hall-of-Famer said Witten's blocking makes him the most complete player at his position.
That compliment was passed on to Witten, who promptly, and graciously, dismissed it.
"I heard that. I think you just laugh that off," Witten said of Gonzalez' high praise. "Coming from him, I'm humbled that he respects my game. We're all trying to get where he's at. Personally, I think I've had a lot of success, but nothing compared to what he's got. I admire the way he plays and every year you strive to be where he is. It's very nice of him to say that, but he's the best and he's been the best for a long time."
Until this year, Gonzalez did most of his damage in the AFC, starring for the Chiefs before he was sent to Atlanta this season. But the perennial All-Pro hasn't missed a beat with the Falcons in his 13th NFL season.
Witten said Gonzalez is still the standard that all tight ends must measure up to.
"I have a lot of respect for what he does, by the way he plays the game. To do it the way he's done it, year in and year out that way for over a decade, all you can do is take your hat off to him. I think he's the top of the pack. He's the guy everybody looks to. For a long time, he didn't have a lot of help in Kansas City, but he still made plays. I've always looked at him and admired the way he plays."
While Witten (28 catches, 259 yards) has similar stats to Gonzalez (23, 267 yards), he only has one touchdown, to three for the Falcons' veteran.
That score came against the Giants on a one-yard pass, one of the few red-zone scores for the Cowboys, who rank 21st in the NFL in touchdown percentage inside the 20-yard line.
Witten said the Cowboys have focused more on that aspect of the offense here during the extra time the bye week provided.
"Yeah, to be the (No. 2) offense and not have the points to show for it, that's the area," Witten said. "You talk about penalties putting yourself in too many bad situations. And just not capitalizing and scoring touchdowns down there, that's an area we've worked on. You have to get there first, but when we do, we have to take advantage of those."
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo agreed the red zone has been a problem for the offense, but said there's nothing definitive to change, other than better execution.
"No. I think you just have to stay the course. The reality of it is we had some plays to be made. Myself, different personnel, different people. We just have to make a play, whether we hold up a block a little longer, or I throw it a little bit better. Someone catches it with a couple of people around there. That's part of executing. We've worked at doing that this last week and a half. Hopefully that will show this week."
Earlier this week, Wade Phillips addressed the problem and said getting the ball to Witten will be emphasized even more on Sunday. The tight end said that's always a good thing to hear.
"Absolutely, you love it when they start mentioning your name and those opportunities," Witten said Thursday. "You just have to be ready. Obviously a big deal was made because I didn't go out (on the fourth-down play) in Denver. You just have to stay ready and those opportunities will present themselves and you have to take advantage of them. Simple as that."
From the sound of things, doing anything against the Falcons defense won't be that simple. While Atlanta ranks only 24th in total defense, Witten said the Falcons force teams to execute in the passing game.
"They do a good job of keeping you in long distance," Witten said. "You don't see a lot of third-and-two and third-and-three. It's a lot of third-and-eight and third-and-nine. I just think their front seven is where their strength is and they have a lot of good players that they rotate."
But it's not their only strength. Obviously, the Falcons have made a serious upgrade at tight end, too.
"He's still one of the best," Witten said. "He's so steady. People talk about it all the time how consistent you have to be and the message is clear to your team and to individuals as well. Just the way he's done it for so long, it's hard to find a game where he didn't play well."
The Cowboys can only hope that trend will change Sunday.
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