Witten humbled to pass Sharpe, but more concerned with winning

Published Sep. 19, 2013 4:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

IRVING, Texas – Cowboys tight end Jason Witten said he was humbled to pass Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe on the all-time receptions list for tight ends on Sunday.

"It's special," Witten said. "I really think for any tight end around my age, Shannon Sharpe was the guy you looked to in Denver, him and Elway and what they were able to achieve.

"To pass him, it was pretty special and definitely humbling for sure."

Witten passed Sharpe to move up to No. 2 on the list. Witten now has 817 career receptions and trails only Tony Gonzalez, who has 1,249.

Witten passed Sharpe's total of 815 in the second quarter with a catch that actually lost two yards. At the time, losing the game at Kansas City, 17-16, meant more to him than climbing the record books.

"It means everything, really, at this point," Witten said. "This is the league we live in. It's a one-possession game across the league. You've got to find ways to win those games."

With the Cowboys off to a 1-1 start, Witten says the Cowboys can't fall into the pattern of following a good game with a bad one, especially since they have finished 8-8 the last two seasons.

"You can't go back and forth," Witten said. "Obviously we found ourselves, the last couple of years, in that situation. You've got to move forward and find ways to win games and play winning football."

Follow Keith Whitmire on Twitter: @Keith_Whitmire