<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'></p> <font color="blue" style="color: blue ! important; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.2px; position: static;"><span style="border-bottom: 1px solid blue; color: blue ! important; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.2px; position: static; white-space: nowrap; padding-bottom: 1px; background-color: transparent;" class="kLink">Jason </span><span style="border-bottom: 1px solid blue; color: blue ! important; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.2px; position: static; white-space: nowrap; padding-bottom: 1px; background-color: transparent;" class="kLink">Witten</span></font> running downfield sans helmet is the stuff of which NFL legends are made.</p> Take it from Steve Sabol, <font color="blue" style="color: blue ! important; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.2px; position: static;"><span style="color: blue important fontfamily arialhelveticasansserif fontweight 400 fontsize 132px position static whitespace nowrap classkLink">NFL</span></font> Films president: "That's what we call a résumé play. We code with a little 'R.' Now if someone requests a clip of Jason Witten for a banquet or something... we have one.</p> "It might be superseded later on, but for now that's his résumé play."</p> The film archive at NFL Films is of biblical proportion. But -- similar to Jell-O -- there's always room for one more.</p> NFL Films is located in Mount Laurel, N.J., just across the river from Philadelphia where Witten, coincidentally, stamped his résumé Sunday night with a 53-yard catch-and-run without a <font color="blue" style="color: blue ! important; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.2px; position: static;"><span style="color: blue important fontfamily arialhelveticasansserif fontweight 400 fontsize 132px position static whitespace nowrap classkLink">helmet</span></font> against the Eagles.</p> "In my opinion, four of the greatest runs in our film library are made by tight ends," Sabol said. "I'm not talking about catches; I'm talking about runs after the catch."</p> Here's Sabol's list (in no particular order):</p> Mike Ditka, Bears, Nov. 24, 1963 -- Two days after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Ditka seemed to be "the only guy who wanted to play that day," Sabol said. With Chicago trailing the Steelers 17-14, Ditka snared a short pass and turned what was a third-and-33 into a 63-yard <font color="blue" style="color: blue ! important; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.2px; position: static;"><span style="border-bottom: 1px solid blue; color: blue ! important; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.2px; position: static; white-space: nowrap; padding-bottom: 1px; background-color: transparent;" class="kLink">touchdown</span></font>. He left six would-be tacklers in his wake.</p> John Mackey, Colts, 1965 -- What Sabol remembered about this NFL Films classic against Detroit is that Mackey "broke eight tackles on the play -- including Dick LeBeau twice."</p> Jackie Smith, Cardinals, early '70s -- Perhaps not as universally known as Smith's Super Bowl drop with the Cowboys, this Sabol pick occurred against the Cowboys. Said Sabol: "He ran over Lee Roy Jordan, then continued to get popped by one guy after another until finally <font color="blue" style="color: blue ! important; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13.2px; position: static;"><span style="color: blue important fontfamily arialhelveticasansserif fontweight 400 fontsize 132px position static whitespace nowrap classkLink">diving</span></font> into the end zone. Howard Cosell later said it was an 'impossible' play and that our camera angle probably made it look that way."</p> Mark Bavaro, Giants, Dec. 1, 1986 -- On Monday Night Football, Bavaro caught a dump pass over the middle, then dragged Ronnie Lott and six other 49ers about 20 yards into the end zone.</p> Tight ends may not get the girl in the movie, but they get plenty of love at NFL Films.</p> "We often say that the Mackey play is the single most unbelievable run in NFL history," Sabol said .</p> But the guru of NFL filmography isn't ready to put the Witten play in with Ditka, Mackey, Smith and Bavaro.</p> Instead, Sabol said, "I'll match these four plays up against any four you pick. You can have a Barry Sanders, a Gale Sayers, an Eric Dickerson... just remember, tight ends aren't weaving and juking when they run downfield."</p> I mistakenly remembered Ditka running downfield without a helmet in that old '63 footage. Well, maybe he should've lost his helmet.</p> "Yeah. Right," Sabol said. "Ditka's helmet fit him like somebody stuck a soup pot on his head."</p> That made me feel better.</div></p> Source: Star Telegram</p>
It's okay, but I don't know if it's all that. The shot that took his helmet off also helped stand him back up. He did the smart thing by running.</p> <div><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/k9PKBKL0F9s&"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/k9PKBKL0F9s&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350" /></embed></object></div></p>
It was an entertaining play, but I agree with you Dale, he didn't have to do too much to stay upright. Just being a TE helped him survive that blow. The yardage did make it a pretty good one though.</p>
