Jason Witten’s caught more passes than any player in Cowboys history, but he wasn’t sure he was going to get that far, thanks to Bill Parcells and a halftime snack.
Witten said he was scared to death when soon-to-be-enshrined Hall of Fame coach caught him eating a hot dog at halftime of a 2006 preseason game.
Speaking at an Independence Bowl event in Shreveport, La. Wednesday, Witten recalled the game against the Saints there when he thought his career might be much shorter.
“It was raining, and I had played most of the first half, catching a touchdown pass, and we were beating the Saints pretty good,” Witten said, via Jimmy Watson of the Shreveport Times. “I figured I was finished at halftime, because starters usually didn’t play that much in preseason games. I walked under the stadium and saw the most beautiful hot dog you’ve ever seen. I dressed it all up with mustard, and ketchup and relish — then I was in mid-bite when coach Parcells walked in.
“I felt about this big. I didn’t figure I’d play another game as a Cowboy.”
Somehow or another, he survived.
The hot dog, and Parcells.