Tag: Jason Witten

Jason Witten believes Jason Garrett will help Daniel Jones ‘tremendously’

Jason Witten has high praise for New York Giants TE Evan Engram and says Jason Garrett will help Daniel Jones tremendously.

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When the Dallas Cowboys parted ways with head coach Jason Garret after the 2019 season, someone was about to get very lucky. Sure, the Cowboys and Garrett had run their course, but he was far from done.

When Garrett accepted the position as the offensive coordinator of the rival New York Giants, few thought much of the move. But it could end up being a seismic shift in the NFC East hierarchy.

Garrett is a fine offensive mind and the Giants have a young offense with a lot of interesting parts. Running back Saquon Barkley is one of the best players in the NFL at his position. Tight end Evan Engram is immensely talented and their three top wide receivers — Golden Tate, Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton — are all very capable players.

The player that matters the most is second-year quarterback Daniel Jones, who led all rookie quarterbacks in touchdown passes (24) last season. Garrett has just come off developing Dak Prescott into a Pro Bowl-level quarterback in Dallas and the hope is that he can do the same with Jones.

Former Cowboys tight end Jason Witten played for Garrett in 12 of Garrett’s 13 seasons in Dallas. Witten has profound respect for Garrett and believes the Giants have felt into good fortune here.

“You’re gonna be really proud to have him as your offensive coordinator,” Witten told the New York Post. “He’s one of them — hard-working, determined, lunch-pail-type guy, brings it every day. Don’t be fooled because he’s an Ivy Leaguer. He is very fair, very honest, a man of integrity, and he’s gonna find ways to affect the defense within his scheme, and play to his players’ strengths over and over and over again.”

Witten believes Jones will benefit greatly under Garrett’s system, just like Prescott has and Tony Romo did before him.

“It’s built for the quarterback’s eyes, that system,” Witten said. “And I think any young quarterback likes the fact that this system is something that Jason played in, and then he’s seen a lot of quarterbacks have success in that. And then, just the track record, he had Tony in ’07, which Tony had started nine, 10 games prior to that, and went on and had a really successful career. He took Dak Prescott as a rookie, and you saw what Dak has done in his first four years in the NFL, so for Daniel Jones, I think he would be ecstatic.”

As a future Hall of Fame tight end, Witten also commented on Engram, who could be in for a breakout season if he can stay on the field for 16 games.

“Evan’s an extremely talented player, and I can tell you from playing in that system they’re gonna get the playmakers the football, and find a number of different ways to do that,” Witten said. “First off, it starts with when you want to run the football, the numer one thing that comes off of that is the play-action passing game. And for a tight end, that’s the No. 1 thing, because a lot of times when you do play-action, it doesn’t really affect the corners on the outside, it really affects the linebackers in the underneath coverage. And that’s really where the tight end kinda makes his hay, and so I think that’ll be really exciting for him.

“And then his ability to move him around, and play a number of different positions, will allow him to get a lot of different looks and to feature his playmaking ability. Last year [Cowboys TE] Blake Jarwin and some of those guys really shined just from the ability to move you around, having a strong running game, I think the tight end benefits tremendously from that style of offense.”

And the Giants know all too well what Jarwin can do. Engram’s a more dynamic athlete so the sky is the limit for him.

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2021 mock draft ships Cowboys TE with Rob Gronkowski comps

A mock draft gives the Dallas Cowboys a tight end at the back end of the first round.

The Dallas Cowboys tried to find, if not a replacement, a suitable facsimile of tight end Jason Witten for years. The front office drafted Gavin Escobar, Anthony Fasano and Martellus Bennett a round earlier than the future Hall of Famer. They tried finding hidden gems in the later rounds, hoping to steal some talent. Ultimately nothing they tried mattered, as Witten was able to outlast and outperform them all.

In Brent Sobleski’s most recent 2021 mock draft at Bleacher Report, he has the Cowboys trying their luck at the tight end position again, drafting Pat Freiermuth from Penn State with pick No. 28. Says Sobleski, “The 6’5″, 259-pound target, who caught 43 passes for 507 yards last season, continues to draw Rob Gronkowski comparisons.”

That’s high praise, to be sure. It would also be the first time that Dallas used a first-round pick on a tight end since David LaFleur in 1997. It’s not impossible to think that the Cowboys would continue to throw resources at weapons for quarterback Dak Prescott, but the team may already have their tight end of the future in the fold with Blake Jarwin, who signed an extension in March.

The team will likely have further pressing needs, particularly on the back end of the defense. And while Dallas eschewed the same needs for an offensive weapon in CeeDee Lamb in 2020, it’s hard to imagine them doing that in consecutive years when the sheer number of defensive backs scheduled to hit the free-agent market next off-season is mind boggling.

Four of the Cowboys’ projected contributors are free-agents-to-be. Cornerbacks Jourdan Lewis and Chidobe Awuzie as well as the projected starting safety tandem of Xavier Woods and Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix could all be in different uniforms come next year. That’s without mentioning the rest of the depth the team could be losing.

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A Blake Jarwin breakout could fuel Cowboys offense into stratosphere

Blake Jarwin will have every opportunity to explode for the Dallas Cowboys now that there’s no one standing in his way.

The offense for the Dallas Cowboys carried the team in 2019, finishing first in the NFL in yards a game. A big part of their success was the passing game, a unit that accounted for close to 300 yards a contest, finishing second in the league.

And now it has the potential to be even better in 2020, with the full-time addition of TE Blake Jarwin. Coming into his fourth season, Jarwin will be the starting tight end for the Cowboys, finally taking the throne from future Hall of Famer Jason Witten.

Jarwin entered the league in 2017 as an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma State, where he walked onto the team. In three seasons in Stillwater, he amassed 41 catches for 616 yards and five scores.

Those were pedestrian numbers, but the Cowboys saw Jarwin’s potential. The 6-foot-5, 260-pound tight end showed good athletic ability, was a solid blocker and played specials team in college. Jarwin had the tools of a player Dallas wanted to develop.

The Early Years

Jarwin didn’t distinguish himself during preseason of his rookie campaign and got released during the team’s final cuts. However, Jarwin did show enough to be signed back to the Cowboys’ practice squad, where he stayed until October.

That’s when the Philadelphia Eagles came calling to try and poach Jarwin from Dallas.

The Cowboys never let that happen, signing Jarwin to the active roster where he remained for the rest of the year. He appeared in just one game, but did not record a catch. Dallas surely wanted to keep him away from the Eagles, but it was also a sign of their belief in Jarwin’s ability.

Jarwin found his way onto the 2018 roster after both Witten and James Hanna retired. The sudden retirements also paved a way for playing time, which Jarwin capitalized on, seeing action in all 16 games. Although his final statistics on the year weren’t spectacular, 27 catches for 307 yards and three scores, Jarwin flashed his potential in the final game of the season.

Jarwin torched the rival New York Giants for seven catches, 119 yards and three touchdowns. It was one of the more memorable performances by a Cowboys tight end in a long time.

Here and Now

The writing was on the wall to make Jarwin a bigger part of the passing game in 2019, only to see Witten comeback and hoard most of the playing time at TE.

Despite being out snapped by the veteran, Jarwin was more productive with his opportunities. The 31 catches and 365 yards were career highs as Jarwin continued to be the threat down the deep middle that Witten could no longer provide.

With Witten now gone, Jarwin is the unquestioned top option at TE. The Cowboys didn’t dip into free agency in any meaningful way, only signing veteran blocking TE Blake Bell.

He won’t have anyone to take his snaps as the starter and its Jarwin’s time in Dallas. The Cowboys placed a second-round tender on their budding star to keep teams away this off-season before signing him to a four-year, $24.5 million deal this off-season. The Cowboys made it clear, they believe he’s ready to take the next step.

Despite the lack of playing time, Jarwin averaged a robust 11.8 yards per catch last season, good for 11th among tight ends. He’s too athletic for most linebackers to cover, especially on seam routes, and is a nightmare to tackle in the open field. Jarwin is just scratching the surface of his potential and the addition of Mike McCarthy will help.

While Dallas didn’t draft a tight end, they did add a high-pedigree pass catcher to the mix. The selection of WR CeeDee Lamb at No. 17 means Dallas should find itself in 11 personnel often. The diversity of skillsets between Lamb, Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup, and the attention they will command, should mean many easy days at the office for Jarwin. Combined with the focus defenses always have to pay to Ezekiel Elliott, Jarwin should find mismatches galore as teams will have to dedicate lesser personnel to the job of keeping up with him.

Security blanket targets should keep Dak Prescott very, very warm during the winter. The time is now for Jarwin to breakout. The ordinary statistics put up for his first few seasons are set to explode.

McCarthy’ west coast offensive principles, coupled with Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore’s scheme should equate to success for Jarwin. The last time McCarthy had a TE similar to Jarwin was when he coached Jermichael Finley. The former Green Bay TE had a three-season stretch (excluding a season in-between because of injury) where he averaged 57 catches, 703 yards and five scores a season.

The last Cowboys tight end to have 700 yards and five scores in a season was Witten in 2014, but those are the type of numbers to expect from Jarwin.

The hype train for Blake Jarwin is full-steam ahead. The aerial attack for the Cowboys is one of the best in the league, with defenses focused on stopping RB Ezekiel Elliott and the wide receiver weapons in Dallas, Jarwin will have every opportunity to cash in with a big year.

You can chat with or follow Ben on twitter @BenGrimaldi.

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Richard Sherman calls out Jerry Jones, Dez Bryant defends Cowboys owner

The 49ers cornerback singled out the Cowboys boss in a quote about NFL owners remaining largely silent regarding racial justice talks.

In a week where so many, from celebrities to CEOs, have come forward with formal statements and calls for change regarding racial inequality and social injustice in America, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has remained uncharacteristically silent.

That is precisely part of the problem, says San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman.

In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Sherman expressed optimism at the growing movement within the NFL to address race. But the five-time Pro Bowler said he felt that team owners haven’t been vocal enough about joining the conversation. He singled out Jones in particular.

“It’s not pulling them like it is the rest of the country,” Sherman told the newspaper, as per ESPN. “Because if it was, then they’d speak. Jerry Jones, especially, has no problem speaking up any other time about anything else. But when it’s such a serious issue, and he could really make a huge impact on it with a few words, his silence speaks volumes.”

The Cowboys organization released a video statement late last week meant to be the first in a series that shares ongoing interactions between the team, players, and community leaders.

Jones does not appear in the video, nor has he weighed in publicly about the recent instances of police violence that have shocked the nation, the resulting protests that have taken place in cities around the globe, or the subsequent conversations and outreach efforts that have begun to spring up.

Jones’s absence at a large protest in Austin over the weekend caught the attention of former Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant. On Sunday, Bryant issued a tweet in which he wrote, “Somebody should have brought Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones, and Jason Witten to this protest down in Austin. This is not a policy change; this is a heart change. And yeah, I said it.”

While Witten responded (via Twitter) to his former teammate, Bryant’s former employer still has not. Yet on Monday, the free agent receiver defended Jones to Sports Illustrated.

“I know Jerry’s heart. He’s a compassionate person, and he’s not a racist,” Bryant said. “I have love for Mr. Jones. Almost everything I know about business- and of course, I’m still learning- I learned from him. But I believe this is a time, right now, where Mr. Jones could learn some things, too. To learn about the culture.”

The same goes, Bryant says, for chief operating officer (and Jerry’s son) Stephen.

“I’ve seen some of the other coaches and GMs from other teams start to reach out and even march,” Bryant went on. “I think that will help those teams in the locker room and on the field, for players to know that the boss is at least trying to understand.”

As for Witten, Bryant says he and the eventual Hall of Famer still have a close relationship.

“I’d like to tell Witt what I’m telling you: He can’t know what it’s like being a black man walking into a restaurant and only feeling accepted because he’s an athlete. I don’t know that Witt can know that, or that Jerry or Stephen can know it. I want them to listen to us telling them that.”

According to ESPN, Witten- now a member of the Raiders- has already met with police, religious, and business leaders in Las Vegas, looking for ways to improve relations in his new home city.

Sherman said he has been encouraged by the discussions happening within his own team.

San Francisco, of course, was the epicenter of controversy in 2016 when then-quarterback Colin Kaepernick began silently taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem in protest of systemic black oppression.

At the time, Jones famously made it clear that he would not tolerate any Cowboys player kneeling, believing it was disrespectful to the American flag. In 2017, though, as the gesture spread throughout the league, Jones joined the team in kneeling, linking arms with the players during one memorable pregame.

Given recent events, many around the sport expect there to be similar showings once games are played in 2020. It is unclear what the Cowboys- either the players or the ownership- will do, or if the two sides will agree on a unified approach. But Bryant has a suggestion on how the team owner could endear himself to his players in the meantime.

“If Jerry [participated in a protest], those guys in that locker room at The Star- knowing what he might be changing and might be sacrificing- would run through a brick wall for him,” Bryant predicted. “Jerry does that, he might just win another Super Bowl because of it.”

For now, though, Jones is inexplicably letting his silence do all the talking. And the message it’s sending is leaving a bad taste in the mouths of fans and players who are looking for the outspoken owner to do what he normally does best: speak out.

Dez Bryant invites Jerry Jones, Jason Witten to engage in protests

The ex-Cowboys WR singled out his former team’s owner and his tight end teammate in a tweet regarding the weekend’s protests in Austin.

Thousands took to the streets for another weekend of protests in cities across the country. Among the notable gatherings was the protest in Austin in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Sunday marked the tenth straight day of demonstrations in the Texas state capital, with a spotlight on social injustice, police violence, and racial inequality.

Ex-Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant was among those paying attention, but he also took the opportunity to name-drop a few notables from his former place of employment who Bryant felt might have benefitted from making the trip down I-35 from Dallas.

It’s unclear if Bryant personally attended the Austin rally, but he posted the following tweet on Sunday afternoon.

The Cowboys were among the last of the NFL teams to make an official statement regarding the protests that followed the murder of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody on May 25. That statement finally came on Friday with the release of a video entitled “Protest to Progress.”

The two-minute video features current Cowboys players Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Sean Lee and others, but also includes local police chiefs, judges, city attorneys, and social service leaders. It’s the first in a promised series of videos that the team says “reflects the organization’s statement regarding the recent tragedies in our country while also disclosing interactions between the team, its players, and community leaders.” According the Cowboys, those internal discussions have been going on for two years.

Bryant, who was released by the team in April 2018, did not elaborate on why he singled out the Cowboys owner, chief operating officer, and long-tenured tight end in his tweet. But he did respond to a few of his followers.

Witten, the 16-year veteran who signed during the offseason with the Las Vegas Raiders, responded directly to Bryant over the social media platform early Monday morning.

Witten had already been with the Cowboys for seven seasons when Bryant was a first-round draft pick in 2010. The two were teammates in Dallas through the conclusion of 2017 season.

Bryant responded to Witten’s tweet with a single emoji of folded hands, often meant to indicate prayer, please, or thankfulness.

The three-time Pro Bowl wideout has been lobbying for a return to the NFL. His desire to rejoin the Cowboys has been no secret, with Bryant posting many videos of him working out with Prescott, Elliott, and other former teammates. Some of his posts have even been a direct appeal to Jones to bring him back into the Cowboys fold.

The urgency of his Dallas-comeback campaign has seemed to wane in recent weeks, roughly coinciding with the team’s drafting of Oklahoma wide receiver CeeDee Lamb in the first round of this year’s draft. After much fanfare- and even support from Bryant himself– Lamb was issued the No. 88 jersey formerly worn by Bryant.

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Cowboys News: ‘No traction’ on Adams, Aikman sees Prescott deal before deadline

Also, Travis Frederick weighs in on the team’s chances, Jason Witten continues to mentor his Dallas understudy, and a possible rookie gem.

News doesn’t take a holiday, and the long weekend has seen several of the major players in the Cowboys’ current soap opera make a starring appearance. Jamal Adams, Dak Prescott, even Carson Wentz are in the headlines in Cowboys Nation.

Travis Frederick thinks the team is poised for success in 2020, and an online betting expert agrees. The team may have given up on chasing Everson Griffen, but Jason Witten hasn’t given up his mentoring role of Blake Jarwin. Look for Neville Gallimore to make a splash in his rookie year, and DeMarcus Lawrence makes a literal splash in his latest workout. That’s all on tap in the Memorial Day edition of News and Notes.

Report: ‘No traction’ for Cowboys’ pursuit of Jamal Adams :: ProFootballTalk

The flicker of hope may now be just the last glimmer of a dying ember for Cowboys fans who covet the Pro Bowl safety. Not only do the Jets apparently have no intention of trading Adams, the notion of chasing such a deal reportedly has “no traction” currently in the Dallas front office.

Exclusive: Troy Aikman – ‘I love Dak Prescott; the Dallas Cowboys will pay him” :: 105.3 The Fan

The Ring of Honor quarterback admits to being a little confused by the hoopla over Dak Prescott’s contract status, since it’s a given he’ll be a Cowboy in 2020. But Aikman made it crystal-clear to the Dallas radio station on Monday that he believes the club will reach an agreement with their starting passer, “and he’ll have a long-term contract as opposed to playing under the franchise tag this year.”

After recent call, Jarwin still learns from Witten :: The Mothership

Despite now being a Las Vegas Raider, the eleven-time Pro Bowler continues to be a mentor to Blake Jarwin, who moves from understudy to likely starter in Dallas. In a phone call several weeks ago, Jarwin says Witten “just told me ‘good luck, I’m excited for you. What an awesome opportunity this is for you.’ He just wants to make sure I don’t take anything for granted and push myself daily.”

Eagles blogger provides fair, level-headed evaluation of Prescott-Wentz debate :: Cowboys Wire

The two Class of 2016 quarterbacks will always be pitted head-to-head, like Coke-versus-Pepsi. One Philadelphia writer sets aside his fandom, dives deep into the film… and comes away with a solid perspective on who is better. The real winner here is everyone who enjoys the good old-fashioned back-and-forth rivalry that could help decide the NFC East for years.

Odds favor the Dallas Cowboys to take the NFC East :: The Landry Hat

2019 was a major disappointment for Cowboys Nation, but there’s encouraging news, at least according to one online outlet focused on betting odds. The Action Network has the Cowboys as the favorites to win the division after doing so in 2014, 2016, and 2018.

Retired Dallas Cowboys’ Travis Frederick lines up to take on his biggest opponent yet :: Fort Worth Star-Telegram

The Pro Bowl center has dropped over 30 pounds, is down one shirt size, and has shaved his trademark beard. But he’s attacking childhood hunger with his usual ferocity in light of the current pandemic crisis. As for his former co-workers, Frederick says, “The team is set up extremely well. The front office did a great job of getting people in place. On paper, it looks like a really, really solid team. They have a chance to go far.”

Cowboys’ lack of interest in Everson Griffen now clear? :: Inside the Star

To many, the former Viking seemed to be a perfect free agency fit in Dallas. But with the recent reinstatement of Aldon Smith and the team’s belief that Randy Gregory will soon follow, the addition of another defensive end has become much less a priority.

Predicting every NFL team’s 2020 surprise rookie gem :: Bleacher Report

Sure, first-nighters are supposed to make an immediate impact. But which later-round pick is poised to make the biggest leap in their freshman year in the pros? This list spotlights third-rounder Neville Gallimore from Oklahoma for his rare versatility.

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Las Vegas Raiders could put together MNF alumni booth

Jon Gruden, Brent Musburger and Jason Witten all have Monday Night Football on their resumes and currently, all are with the Las Vegas Raiders.

If everything doesn’t work out in the AFC West for the Las Vegas Raiders and changes come, the team could put together three of its most famous to compose a broadcast booth of Monday Night Football alums.

AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth

Jason Witten left the Dallas Cowboys to be an analyst in 2018. The one-year experiment did not work out well and the tight end returned to America’s Team last season. He left this offseason and signed a contract with the Raiders.

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Then, of course, Las Vegas could tap its coach, Jon Gruden, who was an analyst from 2009-17 before deciding to return to the sidelines as coach of the Raiders.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

What about a play-by-play voice? Well, the man who calls the Raiders games on the radio would make a splendid choice. Brent Musburger joined ABC in 1990 and one of his responsibilities was as the studio host for MNF through 1995. Al Michaels was calling the games so the way to work Musburger into MNF was as a host, including hosting halftime duties for Monday Night Football and Wild-Card round games.

 

Redskins rivalry with Cowboys was nearly made unwinnable by LeBron James

LeBron James admitted that he was offered a contract by the Cowboys in 2011, which would have made life on the Redskins incredibly tough.

The Washington Redskins have had some trouble defeating their biggest division rival over the past decade, losing to the Dallas Cowboys more often than not when the two came face to face. With a 6-14 record against the Cowboys since 2010, it’s safe to say that Dallas has regularly had the upper hand over Washington.

And to think, it was almost made worse in 2011 — the Dallas Cowboys almost added NBA superstar LeBron James to the roster.

Take that word ‘almost’ with a grain of salt. It’s unclear how serious talks really got between Jerry Jones and King James, but LeBron admitted that during the 2011 NBA lockout, he started to train to be a football player, and the Cowboys at one time offered him a contract.

James admitted that he thought about making the move, but ultimately declined, deciding to hang the contract offer up in his office.

Lucky for the Redskins, too. They’ve had enough trouble shutting down Jason Witten over the years, let alone covering a 6-foot-8, 250-pound athletic freak who can jump out of a gym.

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Holes to Fill: 19 Cowboys coaches, players who have new zip codes for 2020 season

Where did pieces of last year’s Cowboys team land within the rest of the league?

The Dallas Cowboys’ roster has undergone substantial turnover this offseason, with several players and coaches finding new homes for 2020. For some, it represents their first time venturing outside the organization. Other players were just passing through, having spent only a year in Dallas before moving on elsewhere.

What effect will these departures have on the Cowboys this season, and how do those moving on fit in with their new teams? Some of the changes figure to make a bigger impact than others.

OC Jason Garrett: New York Giants

Dallas finally changed head coaches, bringing in Mike McCarthy for longtime fixture Jason Garrett. It’s a decision that represents a fundamental shift in team philosophies, and one that will hopefully yield immediate results in helping a talented roster take the next step.

Garrett landed on his feet rather quickly, within the division where he’ll serve as offensive coordinator under first-year coach Joe Judge for the New York Giants.

Garrett’s had more of a hands-off approach in recent years, but he’s long been lauded for his offensive mind. He takes over somewhat of a blank canvas in New York, with young QB Daniel Jones and RB Saquon Barkley. Will this year be a renaissance for the veteran coach, or will he revert to the same tendencies and strategies he relied on the last ten years in Dallas?

DL coach Rod Marinelli: Las Vegas Raiders

The Cowboys defensive coordinator since 2014, Marinelli is another familiar face who will be on a different sideline in 2020. He joins a collection of ex-Dallas players in Las Vegas, filling in as Jon Gruden’s defensive line coach.

New DC Mike Nolan will apparently give the Cowboys defense a face lift, moving from traditional Tampa 2 concepts into something more complex. Look for Dallas to blitz much more often than they did under Marinelli, and move players like Jaylon Smith and Chidobe Awuzie into new roles and positions.

OL Marc Colombo: New York Giants

Joining Garrett in New York is Marc Colombo, where he’ll be their offensive line coach. Colombo played for the Cowboys from 2005 – 2010. He became an assistant offensive line coach in 2016, and was promoted OL coach during the 2018 season.

Replacing Colombo in Dallas is Joe Philbin, former Dolphins head coach and longtime McCarthy assistant.

Continue for a look at players who will be donning new uniforms…

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10 moments Jason Witten, Booger McFarland and Joe Tessitore leave us with from MNF

10 moments Witten, McFarland and Tessitore leave us with from MNF

The Monday Night Football booth built in 2018 has been dismantled. Jason Witten exited after one season to return to the Cowboys. It was revealed Saturday Joe Tessitore and Booger McFarland would not return after two seasons. They tried their best. But sometimes the best is not good enough.

A rabbit out of his … what?

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Jason Witten had verbal missteps in his lone year, once saying Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers “pulls another rabbit out of his head,” an observation he then jokingly reiterated on Twitter. However, Witten owned his errors. “There have been some flubs,” Witten said. “I mean, I’ve made some mistakes. You try to own it, you embrace it. Hell, I’m not perfect. I’ve certainly had my fair share of mistakes on live television. More than anything else, you try to embrace it. You laugh at it, you smile at it . . . You don’t try to deny it.”

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