Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz shows love to Jason Witten

Once upon a time Zach Ertz was a student of the great Jason Witten, and Witten didn’t even know it.

When Philadelphia Eagles fans remember former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, all of their memories won’t be fond ones. There’s the time that guy from Dallas had his helmet knocked off and, then, ran for more yards. There was a touchdown catch that delivered an overtime win in a game the Eagles were sure to win. Some of you are probably getting queasy, so we’ll move on. Let’s just get to the part where Zach Ertz comes in.

Some athletes will never admit to this, but many are oftentimes fans of one another. Just ask Ertz. To become the best at your position or trade, one of the most common practices has always been to study the best. Love him or not, Witten was one of the best tight ends that the NFL has seen.

Ertz shows love.

If you’re an Eagles fan you’re glad he’s gone, but you have to admit the reason for that is because Witten played the position so well for so long. In the process, he’s victimized ‘The Birds’ a time or two. He’s also, knowingly or unknowingly, served as a bit of a tutor to current Eagles tight end Zach Ertz. In a recent post on his Twitter account, Ertz took some time to give Witten the proper sendoff.

Take a look:

Let’s make long stories short.

There’s an old hip-hop term that describes this better than any other statement ever could: Game recognizes Game. Let’s just call this one great athlete showing love to another. Sure, the object of Ertz’s respect might make any die-hrd Eagles fan lose his lunch, but the football fan in all of us knows Witten deserves his due.

Hey, maybe, when you think about it, Eagles fans may harbor hatred for Cowboys fans and not the players themselves.

Hmmm. You know what? That can’t be it at all. Just forget we said that, okay?