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PRO: After emerging as an offensive bright spot as a rookie, Jason Witten took the next step toward elite status at tight end with his performance in year two. Putting together the greatest receiving year by a tight end in club history, Witten set club marks for receptions and receiving yards by a tight end with a team-leading 87 catches for 980 yards. He fell one yard shy of becoming the first tight end in club history to lead the team in receiving yards in a season. With those numbers, Witten also stood out as one of the NFL's up-and-coming stars. His receiving totals led the NFC and were second in the NFL to Kansas City Chiefs perennial All-Pro Tony Gonzalez. Witten's 87 catches were the 11th-most in NFL history for a tight end. Only five tight ends had ever caught more passes in a season than Witten, and two of those players, Ozzie Newsome and Kellen Winslow, are in the Hall of Fame. The others were Gonzalez, Todd Christensen and Ben Coates. Year three for Witten was more of the same. While his receiving numbers fell shy of his previous total - 66 receptions for 757 yards - his role in the offense was greatly expanded, and he was selected to his second consecutive Pro Bowl in place of the injured Jeremy Shockey. With his second Pro Bowl appointment, Witten became the fourth tight end in club history to make multiple appearances, joining Jay Novacek (five), Doug Cosbie and Billy Joe DuPree (three). Witten's 66 catches marked the first time in club history and just the 11th time in league history, that a tight end had recorded back-to-back 65-plus catch seasons. Witten's evolution as a clutch receiver can be seen in the fact that 101 of his 188 career receptions have gone for a first down, including 36 on third down to convert first downs. Regarded by many as one of the best pass catching tight ends in college football, Witten's love of contact as a former high school linebacker shows up in his desire to search out defenders and deliver key blocks for the ground game. In three years of college, Witten went from being a defensive end prospect to a third round NFL Draft choice (69th overall) as one of college football's top all-around tight ends. As he enters his fourth NFL season, his star continues to rise.
2005: In being named to his second consecutive Pro Bowl, Witten also became the first tight end in club history to post back-to-back 65-plus catch seasons. He finished third in the NFC (sixth in the NFL) among tight ends in receptions (66), fourth in the NFC (seventh in the NFL) among tight ends in receiving yards (757) and fourth in the NFC (tied for sixth in the NFL) among tight ends with a career-high tying six touchdown grabs. Witten finished second on the team against Washington (9/19) with four catches for 35 yards before leading the team with six catches for 85 yards and a touchdown at San Francisco (9/25). Each of his six catches on the night went for first downs. At Oakland (10/2) he led the team for the second consecutive week with five catches (four for first downs - including three on third down that kept scoring drives alive) for 49 yards. Against Philadelphia (10/9) he tied for the team lead with seven catches for 80 yards then posted five grabs for 56 yards and a touchdown against the N.Y. Giants (10/16). In the game, he hauled in a 26-yard pass in overtime to set Dallas up with a first down en route to the game-winning field goal. At Seattle (10/23) he led the team with 47 yards on two catches. He was second on the team with five catches for a game-high 71 yards, including a season-long 34-yard snag, against Arizona (10/30). Against Denver (11/24) on Thanksgiving Day, Witten tied his single-game career-high with nine catches for 82 yards and a score. He registered his 50th catch of the season - his only of the game - for five yards at the N.Y. Giants (12/4). Witten posted a season-high 93 yards and a touchdown on seven catches against Kansas City (12/11). He then led the team with four catches for 41 yards and a score at Washington (12/18). In the season finale against St. Louis (1/1/06), he was second on the team with four catches for 50 yards and a touchdown, his career-high tying sixth of the season.
2004: Witten put together the greatest receiving season by a tight end in club history and earned his first Pro Bowl appearance along the way - the first tight end to represent Dallas in the game since Novacek went to Hawaii in 1995. He led the club and tied for seventh in the NFC, 11th in the NFL, in receptions with 87- tops in the NFC and second in the NFL among tight ends. With his team-high 87 receptions, Witten joined Cosbie as the only tight ends in club history to lead the team in receptions in a season. He finished one yard behind Keyshawn Johnson for the club lead in receiving yards with 980, ranking him 12th in the NFC, 27th in the NFL- tops in the NFC, second in the NFL among tight ends. With one more receiving yard, Witten would have been the first tight end in club history to lead the team in yardage in a season. In the home opener against Cleveland (9/19), he had a short-lived career-high 82 receiving yards on six catches, a harbinger of things to come. He reached the end zone for the first time in 2004 with a 10-yard grab in the 21-18 win at Washington (9/27) and then led the team with five receptions for 35 yards against the N.Y. Giants (10/10). Witten's season took off at Green Bay (10/24) when he led the team with eight catches for 112 yards and a touchdown. It was the first 100-yard receiving day by a Dallas tight end since Novacek had 104 yards against Green Bay in the playoffs on Jan. 8, 1995. Among his eight catches was a 42-yard touchdown catch, a career-best and the longest by a Dallas tight end since Cosbie's 61-yard scoring catch at the N.Y. Giants on Oct. 30, 1983. Against Detroit (10/31), Witten one-upped that performance with a career-high nine catches, good for 84 yards and a touchdown. It was the best reception total by a Dallas tight end since Novacek posted 11 against Green Bay on Jan. 8, 1995. Witten had a season-high 16.2 yard-per-catch average at Cincinnati (11/7) by leading the team with six receptions for 97 yards, including catches of 18, 25 and 33 yards. His hot streak continued against Philadelphia (11/17) when he set single-game career marks for receiving yards (133) and touchdowns (two) while tying his career-high with nine receptions. It was the first multiple-touchdown game by a Dallas tight end since Jackie Harris had two against San Francisco on Sept. 24, 2000. The 133 receiving yards were the second most ever by a Dallas tight end, behind Cosbie's club-record 159 yards at Detroit on Sept. 15, 1985. Six of his nine catches went for a first down, including grabs of 22, 29 (TD), 24 (TD) and 25 yards. On Thanksgiving Day against Chicago (11/25), he was limited to one catch for 17 yards, but he was a big part of the blocking for a running game that helped Jones rush for 150 yards - the first 100-yard rushing performance of the season by a Dallas back. At Seattle (12/6) he was second on the team with five catches for 61 yards, but his biggest play of the night in the Cowboys come-from-behind win came in the fourth quarter when he recovered an on-side kick to give Dallas the ball at the Cowboys 43-yard line, setting up the game-winning touchdown drive. He led the team with four receptions for 59 yards against New Orleans (12/12). His first catch of the day at Philadelphia (12/19) moved him past Cosbie's club-record for single-season receiving yardage by a tight end (793 yards), and his second catch moved him ahead of Novacek's club-record for receptions in a season by a tight end (68 receptions). He finished the game with a team-high six receptions for 66 yards. In the season-finale at the N.Y. Giants (1/2/05), Witten led the team with eight catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. He also hauled in a toss from Vinny Testaverde for a two-point conversion to put Dallas up 24-21 with 1:49 remaining. He had three catches for 40 yards on the final touchdown drive. He also had two catches to convert third downs on the third quarter drive that ended with his touchdown catch.
2003: Witten emerged as an outstanding all-around tight end in his first season in the pro ranks, tying for 18th in the NFL among tight ends with 35 receptions. Among his rookie peers, Witten tied for fourth in the NFL among all rookies with 35 receptions and was tops among rookie tight ends. Of his 35 catches, 18 went for a first down, including nine that converted third downs. Witten earned his first NFL start in his NFL debut when the Cowboys opened the season against Atlanta (9/7) with two tight ends. He went on to record his first catch with a 13-yard grab for a first down in the fourth quarter. He caught two passes for 25 yards in the overtime win at the N.Y. Giants (9/15), and then his blocking was a key part of a Dallas ground game that rushed for 202 yards on 41 carries (4.9 avg.) at the N.Y. Jets (9/28). Against Arizona (10/5), Witten recorded a team-high tying four receptions for 41 yards before suffering a fractured jaw in the fourth quarter. The injury forced him to have three plates inserted into the area during surgery on Oct. 6. He was inactive with the jaw fracture against Philadelphia (10/12), but returned to action at Detroit (10/19). Witten had three receptions for 24 yards, including two catches on third down to convert first downs, against Buffalo (11/9). In the Cowboys 24-20 win over eventual NFC Champion Carolina (11/23), Witten tied for the team lead with six receptions for 49 yards. He also had a critical 13-yard grab on third-and-eight with 1:47 remaining in the game to seal the win. On Thanksgiving Day against Miami (11/27), Witten recorded season-highs with eight receptions for 58 yards. It was the best reception total by a Dallas tight end since Eric Bjornson caught eight passes at San Francisco on Nov. 10, 1996. It also tied for the second-most receptions in a game by a Dallas receiver in 2003. He did not record a catch at Washington (12/14), but helped provide some of the blocking that sprang Troy Hambrick for 189 rushing yards, the third best rushing day in club history. His one catch against the N.Y. Giants (12/21) was a season-long 36-yard scoring grab that gave Dallas a 10-3 lead on the way to a 19-3 playoff clinching win. It was his first career touchdown catch and the longest scoring catch by a Dallas tight end since Cosbie had a 61-yard scoring grab at the N.Y. Giants on Oct. 30, 1983. In the season finale at New Orleans (12/28), he was second on team with five catches for 45 yards. He also added his first career special teams tackle in the game. Making his postseason debut at Carolina (1/3/04) in the wild card playoff game, Witten tied for second on the team with four receptions for 30 yards.
COLLEGE: Witten left Tennessee after his junior season, but still managed to finish his career third among tight ends on the school's career reception list with 68 and fourth on the receiving yards list with 797. He closed out his collegiate career by establishing school records for receptions (39) and receiving yards (493) in a season by a tight end while adding five touchdowns in 2002. He was a consensus All-Southeastern Conference pick as well as an Academic All-SEC honoree as he led the conference's tight ends in receptions and receiving yards. Witten played in every game as a sophomore, starting three, and finished third on the team with 28 receptions for 293 yards (10.5 avg.) and a pair of touchdowns. Because of a personnel shortage, Witten was moved from defensive end and given a crash course at tight end as a freshman and installed in the lineup behind John Finlayson. He went on to see action in 11 games, starting twice.
PERSONAL: Christopher Jason Witten attended Elizabethton, Tenn., High School and was a consensus All-America selection at linebacker (Prep Star, Parade, Gridiron Greats, USA Today, Blue Chip Illustrated, Street & Smith) and the USA Today Player of the Year for Tennessee as a senior. The East Tennessee Player of the Year, Region Defensive Player of the Year and runner-up for the Mr. Football award, Witten racked up 163 tackles, nine sacks, two interceptions, two blocked kicks, five forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. He also played tight end, catching 26 passes for 345 yards and 14 touchdowns. A four-year starter at linebacker and tight end, Witten led his team to the state semi-finals three times and earned all-state honors his junior and senior years. He holds the school record for career tackles with 450. During the winter, he averaged 15 points and 12 rebounds-per-game for the basketball team. As a member of the Cowboys 2003 Rookie Club - a program designed to introduce rookie team members to community service in the Dallas area - Witten participated in charity visits to various non-profit organizations serving children and adults. Visits included work with the ChildCareGroup, The Salvation Army, Children's Medical Center Dallas and Kid's Cafe at The Voice of Hope Ministries. During the 2004 and 2005 seasons, Witten served as the Cowboys JC Penney Take a Player to School representative visiting the elementary school of the local winner. He and his wife also participated in an informal Q&A with the participants of the 2004 Cowboys Football 101 Workshop at Texas Stadium. The Witten's, annually participate in the team's support of The Salvation Army Angel Tree program - providing gifts to underprivileged children for Christmas. During the 2004 and 2005 offseasons, Witten suited up to serve as a celebrity escort in the Children's Cancer Fund Fashion Show and Luncheon, a fundraiser co-chaired by former Cowboys quarterbacks Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach that raises over $500,000 annually. He also strutted the ?catwalk' in Dallas's annual St. Valentine's Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Style Show in the 2005 offseason. Witten was an Arts and Sciences major at Tennessee. His wife, Michelle, is an emergency room nurse at Parkland Hospital in Dallas. |
