The records just keep falling for Cowboys tight end Jason Witten.
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A week after the veteran passed Michael Irvin to become the team's all-time leader in receiving yardage, he'll break another cherished Cowboys record, passing Ed "Too Tall" Jones as the team's all-time leader in games played, with 225. The Cowboys play at Denver Sunday afternoon.
Incredibly, the 35-year-old Witten has missed only one game in his career, the result of a broken jaw during his 2003 rookie season.
Witten's within easy reach of several more statistical milestones this weekend. Entering Sunday with 1,096 career receptions, he is set to pass Cris Carter (1,101 receptions) and Marvin Harrison (1,102) for fourth on the career list. With 11,947 career yards, he's only 115 yards away from passing Derrick Mason for 25th on the all-time list.
While his standing as one of the game's all-time greats is secure, Witten is much more concerned with winning a championship than his own legacy.
“Certainly, I know where I am in my career, and all of my focus truly has been on that there is a happy ending to the final chapters here, and that is competing and winning a championship,” Witten told ESPN last week. “I’ve enjoyed the relationship now with new guys coming in, and as you grow together, guys like Sean Lee that motivate so much on the other side, those relationships have an even deeper meaning and growth. I just think there will be a time when I do that.
"I have so much respect for this game and the process that goes into playing at a high level. Excellence is a high performance over a long period of time. That’s what I’ve tried to focus on. ... For me, I’m all in with this team, and I believe it’s a really good football team. Now we’ve just got to go and continue to play and play well.”