OXNARD, Calif. – Jason Witten believes the combination of linemen and playmakers could give the offense the potential to be one of the best he's played on.
Witten said he's careful not to get ahead of himself, because every year is different and unpredictable, but the makeup's there for the offense to be among the better units in the league – and it starts with a revamped line.
OXNARD, Calif. – Jason Witten believes the combination of linemen and playmakers could give the offense the potential to be one of the best he's played on.
Witten said he's careful not to get ahead of himself, because every year is different and unpredictable, but the makeup's there for the offense to be among the better units in the league – and it starts with a revamped line.
"This is the best offensive line we've had in a long time," Witten said. "I think that gives you a lot of confidence. They were the hardest working group on the team. So any time you have that, you feel confident when you go out to practice; because when you're able to protect and run behind those big guys and they're as good as they are, I think we all get confidence from that."
The Cowboys already saw a dramatic improvement on the offensive line last year, reaping the benefits of first-round picks Tyron Smith and Travis Frederick. They followed that by adding another first-round pick this year on an offensive lineman, Zack Martin, who's slated to start at right guard.
That should allow for more time to get the ball to the playmakers, from Dez Bryant to DeMarco Murray to Witten. The talented line would also ideally allow for Romo, coming off back surgery, to stay on his feet more.
"I think this has the potential to be a really, really good offense," Witten said. "I think there's a great mindset. Obviously, our running game came back last year. We did a really good job. I think there's a lot you can build off that. The good teams are able to run when they want to run, and everything else plays off of that.
"Last year's over. You've got to reestablish that. Bringing in Zack, he's obviously played really well and kind of embraced this opportunity. Very mature, and I think he'll make us a lot better football team." [embedded_ad]
The Cowboys finished in the top five in scoring last season but right in the middle of the pack in total offense. They'll need to keep more drives alive and better their yardage totals if they're to become one of the best offenses in the league, but Witten believe they have the pieces to do that.
"I'm always cautious to talk about talent, because this game is so much more than that, but we do have a lot of good players that have had a lot of good football behind them made up of the right stuff that have shown consistency, and that's what you look for," he said.
Witten added he believes the Cowboys have the players to be able to run when they want to run, pass when they want to pass, do play fakes or take shots deep when the situation calls for it. In other words, they can dictate whatever they want to do.
"We've just got to work together," Witten said. "I think Coach (Scott) Linehan coming in with his plan and his ideas and working together, it gets me excited, I know that for sure."
"This is the best offensive line we've had in a long time," Witten said. "I think that gives you a lot of confidence. They were the hardest working group on the team. So any time you have that, you feel confident when you go out to practice; because when you're able to protect and run behind those big guys and they're as good as they are, I think we all get confidence from that."
The Cowboys already saw a dramatic improvement on the offensive line last year, reaping the benefits of first-round picks Tyron Smith and Travis Frederick. They followed that by adding another first-round pick this year on an offensive lineman, Zack Martin, who's slated to start at right guard.
That should allow for more time to get the ball to the playmakers, from Dez Bryant to DeMarco Murray to Witten. The talented line would also ideally allow for Romo, coming off back surgery, to stay on his feet more.
"I think this has the potential to be a really, really good offense," Witten said. "I think there's a great mindset. Obviously, our running game came back last year. We did a really good job. I think there's a lot you can build off that. The good teams are able to run when they want to run, and everything else plays off of that.
"Last year's over. You've got to reestablish that. Bringing in Zack, he's obviously played really well and kind of embraced this opportunity. Very mature, and I think he'll make us a lot better football team." [embedded_ad]
The Cowboys finished in the top five in scoring last season but right in the middle of the pack in total offense. They'll need to keep more drives alive and better their yardage totals if they're to become one of the best offenses in the league, but Witten believe they have the pieces to do that.
"I'm always cautious to talk about talent, because this game is so much more than that, but we do have a lot of good players that have had a lot of good football behind them made up of the right stuff that have shown consistency, and that's what you look for," he said.
Witten added he believes the Cowboys have the players to be able to run when they want to run, pass when they want to pass, do play fakes or take shots deep when the situation calls for it. In other words, they can dictate whatever they want to do.
"We've just got to work together," Witten said. "I think Coach (Scott) Linehan coming in with his plan and his ideas and working together, it gets me excited, I know that for sure."
