Jason Witten is settling into retirement from the gridiron after a dominant career as a Dallas Cowboy. He is widely regarded as one of the best tight ends all-time, up there with names like Tony Gonzalez, and his 11x Pro Bowl, 2x First-Team All Pro, and Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year combine to make him one of the most well-rounded players to ever suit up.
As for his latest endeavor, a career in the broadcast booth, fans aren’t quite as sold yet.
Those fans would feel pretty validated after hearing a particular blunder Witten made during the Pro Bowl broadcast this Sunday. After Patrick Mahomes, quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs, connected with Eric Ebron, a tight end for the Indianapolis Colts, for an 18-yard score, Witten made a pretty glaring mistake.
This was, in fact, the first time Mahomes had ever thrown to Ebron. They definitely haven’t been doing this all year.
Witten realized his mistake pretty instantly and tried to do some damage control, but the scramble for explanation didn’t really explain much.
There are some possible explanations for the blunder that may make it a little more understandable. First of all, Ebron has certainly been the “red zone guy” all year. After four years with the Detroit Lions garnered a total of 11 touchdowns, Ebron managed to haul in 13 this year. That trails only Antonio Brown (15) and leaves him in a tie for 2nd with Devante Adams. It’s possibly that Witten momentarily forgot that the Pro Bowl’s format means that it isn’t Ebron’s usual quarterback throwing to him.
Another possible explanation, although unlikely, is that he actually thought the pass did come from Luck for a second. The Colts quarterback was suited up in the game, although he did not check in until the 2nd quarter, long after the Ebron touchdown.
Either way, people were on him a bit following the mistake.
(H/T SB Nation)
