We all know Witten, Gates, and Gonzales all have had hall of fame careers so far, and are still considered elite tight ends in the NFL, but there comes a time in age where your body starts slowing down and the speed of the game catches up to you. Players around the league are only getting younger and faster, it’s only a matter of time until father time catches up with Witten.

Jason Witten has been the best tight end the Dallas Cowboys have had in a while. Witten has produced as a top tier tight end year in and year out and hasn’t showed any signs of fatigue. That’s great, but everyone knows that unless you’re a quarterback once your age hits 30 your performance starts declining. Jason Witten has showed little to no decline in the past years but its very possible that we will start seeing him slow down very soon.

So what happens if Witten loses his spark and slows down because of age? Its simple Tony Romo loses his security blanket and his best receiving threat. Witten has bailed out Romo in countless situation and Tony has been able to check it down to Witten in the knick of time. Having a big pass catching tight end like Jason Witten matched up against linebackers is a luxury any quarterback would enjoy. To lose that luxury is the last thing a quarterback would want. So how can the Cowboys try to prepare for a potential decline of performance in Jason Witten; they got to find his replacement before Witten declines.

Just like any other position in the NFL a team always wants to be prepared for a potential loss of a star player on the team. The only way to do that is to develop a player that shows some flashes of greatness, a player that has the potential to be quick on his feet and be prepared when his name is called out. Right now the Cowboys should prepare by drafting or trading for Wittens replacement. At the moment the only other players behind Witten that are worth mentioning are John Phillips and the unproven Rookie out of Oklahoma James Hanna.

The fact is, times running out for Witten that being said he is still performing at a high level and can go toe to toe with any other tight end in the NFL. Unfortunately, there will come a time when Jason Witten will no longer see the production he once had before. So until that time comes lets hope Tony Romo and company find a way to get over their playoff slump and make a run at the Super bowl with Romos number one target at hand, Jason Witten.

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Jason Witten became the fifth Dallas Cowboy named to NFL Networks Top 100 players of 2011.  Witten checked in at number 36 for the year and was the highest of all the Cowboys. Andre Gurode was No. 57, Miles Austin No. 70, Tony Romo No. 72 and Jay Ratliff  No. 75. The last Cowboy on the list will be DeMarcus Ware, the linebacker will probably be somewhere in the top 10.

Witten was the 4th tight end that made the list, Tony Gonzalez No. 46 , Dallas Clark No. 78 and Vernon Davis No. 88. I would assume that the only tight end that could possibly have made the list higher than Witten would be Antonio Gates.  Vernon Davis said of Witten that he has the best hands in the NFL and watches him to help him improve, this statement is just a testament to how respected Witten is in the league.

A very well deserved honor for Witten and I think all Cowboys fans would agree that aside from Ware that Witten is our best player. He comes to play every week and will run through a brick wall to get in the end zone. He is also a very caring and compassionate guy in the league. Witten is that kind of guy that you wish was on your team and leading in the locker room. I just hope that the lockout ends soon and Witten will get to show off his talent once again.

Remember this post and all of the whining that came from the minority Anti-Cowboys bloc? Of course, the biggest cries came from the weak Chiefs fans. Well, it should be noted that their loverboy, Tony Gonzalez, ranked SIXTH. Yes, that is the number 6.

There are reasons why so many bloggers and writers are saying that Jason Witten is the top tight end in the game. It doesn’t take a genius to realize he has skills in almost every facet of the game. It’s laughable that anyone would even try to argue he is not a top tight end, like the Chiefs fans tried to do earlier.

Other notable ranks are:

2.  Antonio Gates, Chargers.

3.  Jeremy Shockey, Saints. (ridiculous)

7.  Chris Cooley, Redskins.

12.  Alge Crumpler, Titans. (washed up)

24.  Anthony Fasano, Dolphins.