Witten latest ex-Cowboy to lasso TV gig

It has been a long, long, long time since the Dallas Cowboys have collected any Super Bowl hardware, but that hasn’t stopped the NFL’s glam franchise from churning out fresh talent for highprofile TV gigs.

Last year, Tony Romo had a stunning debut for CBS. Now Jason Witten launches a new career with ESPN as an analyst for Monday Night Football.

Funny thing, with all of this Cowboys crossover on the airwaves: Romo, who incredibly went straight to a No. 1 analyst role and aced it with enthusiasm, humor and a penchant for correctly predicting play calls, has pretty much set a new standard for his onetime most trusted target.

Can Witten catch fire like Romo? As if replacing the colorful Coach Chucky (Jon Gruden) in the MNF booth isn’t enough, the manner in which Romo made it look so easy adds context to expectations for Witten.

The former tight end might not have to predict plays, but his success on the big stage will undoubtedly hinge on whether he can develop a TV persona that wins with the consumers. That’s insight wrapped in style and pizzazz. Some signature phrase or hook — veteran viewers remember the first ex-Cowboys star in the booth, “Dandy” Don Meredith, crooning, “Turn out the lights… the party’s over” — is good for his business, too.

“We aren’t chasing a star,” Jay Rothman, ESPN’s lead producer for MNF, insisted to USA TODAY. “We’re not trying to ride the Tony Romo wave.”

But of course, Rothman is banking on Witten, paired with veteran play-byplay announcer Joe Tessitore, to develop into a star in his own right.

At least he knows there’s some intensity at work. In Oakland the day after Witten’s emotional retirement news conference, Rothman received a text message from Witten at 4 a.m. that captured the mind-set: “Let’s go!”

Witten was chosen among 12 candidates, with Rothman hailing his “upside” as a swing factor. Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, an NFL Network studio analyst and who has had reps as a game analyst, might have been the favorite. Joe Thomas, the gregarious, just-retired Browns tackle, has always struck me as a natural. Greg Olsen, the tight end who recently re-upped with the Panthers, was also in the mix.

Yet the cachet that Witten carries from starring for the NFL’s most visible franchise had to be another factor.

Just look at NFL content on any given week. Former Cowboys — including a few who indeed have Super Bowl rings — are everywhere. Troy Aikman is the No. 1 analyst at Fox, which could also include doubled exposure as his network will broadcast the Thursday night games. Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders, bringing the sizzle they were known for as players, bring much electricity to the NFL Network as studio analysts. Jimmy Johnson is humming as studio analyst for Fox’s pregame show. Darren Woodson, Daryl “Moose” Johnston and DeMarcus Ware toil for ESPN, CBS and NFL Network, respectively.

This is not a mere coincidence. Even with their Super Bowl drought spanning 22 years, the Cowboys have remained the NFL’s top TV draw and well, longestrunning soap opera. The intense coverage of the team helped Witten and Romo become comfortable in expressing themselves publicly. Yet the high amount of national TV games (the Cowboys always max out, which means six regular-season games this year, excluding possible games that are “flexed” to NBC’s Sunday Night Football), also brought another type of exposure as Dallas’ star players repeatedly are tapped to participate in network production meetings a day or two before the game, where strategy and team issues are typically discussed in detail.

There are production meetings with every team. But Rothman admits that sessions over the years with Witten allowed for some depth that clearly helped the connection that led to the MNF job.

And he adds, “I’m not worried about how he’ll handle the bright lights. The Cowboys thing gives you bright lights.”

It’s striking that of the No. 1 analyst jobs at the four networks that carry NFL games, three are held by former Cowboys — Aikman, Romo and Witten.

“Some of it has been the moon and the stars aligning,” Rich Dalrymple, the Cowboys’ senior vice president for communications, told USA TODAY. “They all had serendipitous stuff happen.”

Aikman’s shot at a No. 1 role came when John Madden left Fox. Witten’s opportunity comes as Gruden went back to coaching. Romo landed after injuries wiped out the bulk of his final two seasons.

As Witten contemplated his move, Dalrymple told him, “There are four of these jobs in the whole world as lead game analyst. They may not open up again in 10 years.”

Sorry, Cowboys haters. Whenever that high-profile role opens up, well …

Dak Prescott might already have a path to his next career.

RICHARD RODRIGUEZ/AP Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, center, flanked by head coach Jason Garrett, left, and team owner Jerry Jones, formally announced his NFL retirement Thursday. Witten is now taking his talents to television.