Jason Witten talks Jason Garrett, tight ends, broadcasting and more

ARLINGTON, TX - NOVEMBER 13: Jason Witten #82 of the Dallas Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium on November 13, 2011 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - NOVEMBER 13: Jason Witten #82 of the Dallas Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium on November 13, 2011 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images
Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images /

As a former player turned analyst for Monday Night Football, how do you figure out the right balance between a bland recounting of a play and giving too technical of an explanation of what just happened?

JW: Well, it’s that old saying: Your greatest strength can be your greatest weakness at times. Your knowledge and your experience over the last 15 years, you want to share that. And in a lot of ways, that’s why they hired you.

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But at the same time you want to speak in a way that people enjoy, they can understand, they can comprehend it. When we go sit on our couch, we don’t want someone just telling us all the time exactly how it’s done. I think just being likable and enjoyable, those are all things. Certainly, you want to teach. You want to share that knowledge.

But we’re calling a football game. We’re not sending rockets up to the moon. And so to be able to just take that approach. And I think more than anything else, this is one of the things Tony [Romo] did such a good job, is just enjoy that. Enjoy being a fan of the game, sharing your insight. That’s what I’m working towards, diving into it.

I think anytime you start a new career, even though you’ve spent a lot of time in the game, I think you have to go back and look at yourself and be critical of it … learn and grow just like you do when your playing. So that’s been my approach. And I’ve really enjoyed this process of trying to figure it out.