Kitna's past taught him not to flinch in face of adversity

Kitna's past taught him not to flinch in face of adversity

Published Nov. 20, 2010 8:38 p.m. ET

By Gerry Fraley
The Dallas Morning News

Jon Kitna has taken some horrific beatings in his NFL career.

With Detroit from 2006 to '07, he was sacked a league-high 114 times. Through it all, he never missed a start, never flinched in the pocket.

Kitna still has not flinched, even after taking 312 sacks in his career. If Detroit is to sack Kitna in today's game against the Cowboys, the Lions will have to knock him down.

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No phantom sacks for an Eastsider.

"Where I come from, you don't flinch," Kitna said. "If you do flinch, you don't last."

Kitna said that without a hint of bravado. He was telling the truth.

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