Jerry Jones has owned the Dallas Cowboys since 1989 and been around copious champions at every level of the NFL. But tight end Jason Witten is a player that is in his top tier of remarkable people he has met in his 27 seasons in the NFL.
"Jason's in the top-5, on my hand, he's the top-5 of the people: commissioners, owners, former players, players, our coaches, any coaches," Jones said Tuesday on "Shan & RJ" on 105.3 The Fan. "He's in the top-5 people of the people I've known in the NFL. He's that substantive in many, many different ways. And he's certainly rare and he's just an inspiration."
Witten added to his legendary status on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons when he caught six passes for 65 yards, the second-most in both categories. All of this was after a week where the 10-time Pro Bowler struggled through practice with both ankles a knee injured from the team's Week 2 showdown in Philadelphia.
"He just has a mental toughness, a will, a mindset that is not only of things that -- what, you want to say it -- legends," said Jones.
"But Jason is just a unique asset to this team, has been for years, and his stories are legendary of how he deals with pain, better still on how he deals with practice. And we, literally, you almost have to handcuff him at practice to keep him from overdoing it."
Witten did not appear to sustain any further injuries Sunday in the team's 39-28 loss that drops them to 2-1 on the season. The two-time All Pro is expected to be a full go this week as the team prepares to travel to New Orleans to take on the Saints.
