Top 60 Jason Witten Quotes

You want to be able to run seam routes and do all that, but to have something that you can hang your hat on and know that it’s going to convert first downs, that’s what tight ends are paid to do. And I’ve certainly taken a lot of pride in that over the years.

Like most tight ends I was a pass-receiving tight end coming into the league.

My game’s really never referenced as shake ‘n’ bake.

My career has been defined, in a good way, on the option route. And a lot of times, it’s a bang-bang play. It’s a great play because it can convert first downs. But at the same time, you don’t get a lot of those opportunities in the open field.

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.

I just want to be deliberate in the process of knowing what it takes to play.

There’s so many ways to be passionate about what you do.

Fortunately for me, my grandfather gave us a life I could never dream of. He was my high school football coach, my best friend, my school teacher – really my dad.

I’ve seen the negative impact social media can have, particularly on younger players, who grew up with Twitter and Instagram as an integral part of life.

I’ve always felt like I know how much I’ve put into every offseason.

There’s an old saying in football – the circus doesn’t stay in town forever. The older you get, the more you realize there’s a deeper meaning. It’s better to leave 3 hours too soon than a minute too late.

I work hard every day not only to be a success on the football field and a credit to my team – but to be a good husband, father, son, grandson, teammate – to be the kind of man that is as respected as Walter Payton was.

From minute one, I thought that after I called a game, I said ‘Man, I thought I would enjoy calling a game a little more than I probably did.’ I thought I would enjoy that part of it. I didn’t have the fulfillment that I thought I probably would.

I’m a steak and potato guy.

You got to be able to listen to what the coaches are saying and not get your feelings hurt.

We all get motivated differently and I think as you get older, you’d be foolish not to draw on your experiences from the past.

As a kid, you just want to play football. For me one day it will end, but until the end I love getting the opportunity to go out there and play at a high level.

I have a lot of respect for every opponent. I don’t know if there’s just one who I say, ‘that guy intimidates me.’ When I was young and first came into the league, Ray Lewis was that guy. I was young.

There’s high expectations for Cowboys. There’s been some great quarterbacks who have come through that organization.

I think you’ve got to have an unbelievable amount of passion and love for the game, even though it’s a job and there’s a lot of things that go on in the business side of it.

I believe in myself.

You have to be able to recognize the value of the people around you.

There comes a point in every season for every team that you start to separate yourself, and you see the league do that every year.

I’m going to be humble, I’m going to be accountable, do it with a smile on my face, make other people around me better.

Look, I had a great experience in the booth. I saw a different perspective.

A big part of me has been tied to coaching and I want to get into coaching and make a difference that way.

Negative social media can ruin a player. Reading your mentions? It’s poison.

People talk about how precious the relationships of teammates are and the brotherhood and bond.

I am a gamer. I became a gamer since I had kids… much more than I used to be when I’d play ‘Madden’ and ‘NCAA Football’ in high school and college.

Granddad taught me a long time ago, act like you’ve been there before.

Once you’re a player, you always have a little bit of that in you.

Wins in this league are precious.

If you want to grow as a player, it takes commitment.

The things I learned early on from my granddad, the things he instilled in me, are still to this day a huge part and a huge priority of my own life. Even the little stuff like my granddad always telling me to tuck in my shirt at church. It sticks with you.

I know this: the opportunity to play, when that leaves, it is over.

Fitting in with teammates has never been an issue for me. It’s always something that came very natural.

You want to fight for everything you can get, every yard, every drive, every opportunity that you have.

A lot of guys I’ve seen in my career that played at a high level and were done, they moved on, never thought another day about it.

I love to play football. And I think anybody that’s ever been my teammate or I’ve been theirs understands how much I love that.

There’s something to be said with your quarterback your leader being there on Day 1.

It’s special to me, a privilege being a role model. I take pride in being a good one.

There’s nothing better than having a positive impact on kids.

Yeah, I probably talk a little bit of trash.

When I’ve had injuries where there’s nothing structurally wrong and I know it’s just about gutting through? I have the ability to say, ‘Get better. I’m good.’

Ideally, if you ask most tight ends, they would say we want the defender on us early. The reason for that is we feel like, for one, we know where we’re going. Two, we can attack leverage, it declares itself if it’s truly man coverage. We can work the release.

Early on, yeah, my life was a bit of a roller coaster.

When you call a game, it’s almost like you’re doing a three-hour movie and the production of it all, living in the moment in real time, the replays, all the intricacies that go into putting a game in a broadcast. It’s not just 100 percent football.

Head coach is the leader. He’s the guy that sets the tone for the whole organization as far as the structure of the football side of things.

The mental focus it takes to compete against the best players in the world is not easy to maintain. Developing mental toughness is a learned trait, and if you can’t develop it in your pursuit of success, you likely won’t last in any competitive line of work for more than a cup of coffee.

I took pride in knowing, ‘Hey, my numbers may be down, but football guys know I’m playing at a high level.’

You try to make the decisions that you think are best in realtime.

My job is to be able to perform for three hours or three and a half hours every Sunday and I’ve got to work my tail off to get to the point where I can do it, and that’s what motivates me.

I’m always going to be a Cowboy.

I don’t believe in moral victories. I don’t think in pro ball they exist, and they shouldn’t exist.

I have a deep desire to have success, to play a high level, and to win championships.

Aaron Rodgers, he throws that back-shoulder throw so well.

Every time you go out, you want to help your team, play your best and don’t let any opportunities slide by.

That’s what a team does is stay together.

You just constantly are evaluating and learning and drawing players and coverages and talking through it. It’s part of making you the player, how you want to approach the game.

I have so much respect for this game and the process that goes into playing at a high level.