Jason Witten

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jason Witten
Date of birth	May 6, 1982
Place of birth	Elizabethton, Tennessee
Position(s)	Tight end
College	Tennessee
NFL Draft	2003 / Round 3/ Pick 69
Pro Bowls	2005, 2006
Statistics	Pro Football Reference NFL.com
Team(s)
2003-present	Dallas Cowboys

Jason Witten (born May 6, 1982 in Elizabethton, Tennessee) is an American football player who currently plays as a tight end for the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL. He attended the University of Tennessee.

In 2004 Witten was selected to the Pro Bowl, thanks to his 87 catches which were 11th most in history by a tight end, and a Cowboys team record.

[edit] Pro Career

After emerging as an offensive bright spot as a rookie, Jason Witten (AKA "The Woot" and "J - Dub") 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 are the 11th-most in NFL history for a tight end. Only five tight ends have 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 are Gonzalez, Todd Christensen and Ben Coates. Witten's evolution as a clutch receiver can be seen in the fact that 62 of his 122 career receptions have gone for a first down, including 25 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. His blocking was instrumental in the late-season success of Julius Jones and the Cowboys running game as Jones posted three of the top rookie rushing performances of 2004. 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 third NFL season, his star continues to rise. (Information above credited to http://www.dallascowboys.com)

Witten earned his second Pro Bowl appearance in his third season, being the 2005 season. He caught 66 passes for 757 yards and 6 TDs.