certainly helped my game. And, it's something I'm proud of."
And he should be proud.
That's what I like about Jason Witten. He's probably the most down-to-earth player on this team. Not to say that all of the other guys are fake, but Witten is as real as it gets. He doesn't dance around certain questions, but yet still finds a way to say things in a non-offensive manner.
Like last year, when it was said that a certain preseason magazine picked him as the eighth-best tight end, Witten could've easily shrugged it off and said something to the fact of why he doesn't read the papers or magazines. That's what most of them say.
Witten just smiles, but gives a funny look and says, "Eight? Really? I don't know about that."
He just stores it away and uses it as motivation. Whatever happened, it worked last year. He wasn't the eighth-best tight end, unless that is talking about best all-time. And while it sounds a bit premature to discuss just where Witten stands among the all-time greats at his position, his numbers are starting to prove otherwise.
Once again, Witten discusses that topic in his best PC-form.
"Well, you want to be considered the best - we all do," Witten said. "I know that playing for the Cowboys, you get compared to Jay Novacek a lot and to me, that's an honor. Jay was one of the best. Even when it was third-and-six and the whole stadium knew he was getting the ball, he still made the play. And that's the type of player I want to be."
The good thing for Witten is that he's already there. He's already that type of player. But there's no reason to tell him that. Whether he already knows it or not, he's gong to continue to work just as hard.
But don't sweat the No. 2 receiver so much. Sure, it would've been nice to have Terry Glenn or another speed demon opposite of Owens. But, that's not the case. There really weren't many, if any, top-flight receivers in free agency. And obviously there was nothing worth jumping on in the draft, considering no receiver went in the first round.
This is what the Cowboys have. Crayton and Hurd will have to pick up the slack, but neither one of them is the true second receiver.
That belongs to Witten, who probably would be the first option on many other clubs. So, it's really not as bad as you guys think.
