Early lessons spur Jason Witten’s record-setting career
One of the first lessons Raiders’ tight end Jason Witten learned upon entering the NFL has stayed with him to this day.
“Bill Parcells told me early on reliability, dependability and consistency are how you make it in this game,” Witten said this week. “Those are traits I’ve kept near and dear to me.”
He has taken those words to heart in a career that has spanned 17 seasons and will culminate with an NFL-record 271st game played by a tight end when he takes the field Sunday against the Broncos, breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez.
“I think in this league, the minute you feel like you’ve arrived or you belong, you’re going to get passed up,” he said. “I think my advantage and my edge was that every moment of every day, I never felt like this game owed me anything. I had to earn it by going out and playing.
“You hear people talk often that it’s a show-me game. I feel like those traits I learned early from a legendary coach, then to have this moment this many years later, I think will be pretty special for me and my family.”
Here are three things to watch when Witten and the Raiders play the Broncos at 1:25 p.m.:
Is this the end?
Witten, 38, declined to make a definitive statement on whether he plans to retire after this season.
He has already stepped away from the game once when he spent the 2018 season in the broadcast booth only to be lured back for a season with the Cowboys and then this, his first season playing with any other team.
Witten, one of the most productive tight ends in league history, has produced modest numbers this season. But his contributions extend far beyond the 13 catches for 69 yards and two touchdowns.
“He’s been great,” coach Jon Gruden said. “He’s been great for the tight ends. He’s been great for me. He’s been great for our offense. He’s had a real impact on our guys with his preparation, his focus and his desire. He’s one of the great war daddies of all-time … and it’s great to have been a small part of that.”
Darren Waller was already one of the league’s most talented tight ends, but he has credited Witten with teaching him some of the veteran tricks Witten has perfected over the years.
It has paid dividends. Waller also has a chance to make history on Sunday. He enters the game with 98 catches, six behind Tim Brown for the franchise single-season record.
You play to win the game
Gruden intends to treat Sunday’s season finale just like he would a game that might have a bit more meaning, even though the Raiders are out of the postseason hunt.
“I love winning,” he said. “I’d rather go into the offseason after a win than a loss.
“So we’re going to do everything we can to win this game. We need to see the best 11 on each side of the ball play and play together well enough to get a win.”
He scoffed at the suggestion he could use the game to get an extended look at the team’s depth players to begin offseason evaluations.
“That almost makes me laugh,” he said. “I mean, who do you want to see? We’ve seen about 80 players this year. I want to see my starters play. So to answer your question, no.”
A win would end a three-year run of losing seasons.
Rivalry week
Even with both teams out of the playoffs, the rivalry between the Raiders and Broncos does still carry some weight.
The Raiders have won three of the past four meetings, including a 37-12 win on Nov. 15, and now have a 66-54-2 lead in the all-time series.
“To me, (the rivalry) means a lot,” Carr said. “This the 14th time I’ve played them and to me, it means something to beat those guys. It’s not just another game to me. You can ask everybody else, but to me it definitely means something.”
The teams have split the season series every year since 2015, a stretch that followed an eight-game Broncos winning streak in the rivalry.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.
