FRISCO, Texas _ Cowboys tight end Jason Witten and Arizona receiver Larry Fitzgerald share a mutual respect that runs deep.
The two grew up 1,000 miles apart but their professional careers have mirrored each other in many ways. Both are likely future Hall of Famers, each a model of consistency with sustained success for the same team throughout their time in the NFL.
Fitzgerald and Witten _ two of the NFL's top four all-time catch leaders _ will be on the same field Monday night when the Cowboys play the Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium.
"It's pretty special," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. "Two of the special players of their generation, no question about it."
Fitzgerald (6-3, 218) grew up in Minnesota and played college football at Pittsburgh. He was the No. 3 overall pick in 2004.
Fitzgerald, 34, is in his 14th season _ all with Arizona _ and has played so long that he was once teammates with Emmitt Smith. Fitzgerald's rookie season in Arizona was Smith's last season in the NFL.
"Not only is he a great ambassador for this game, but he's one of those guys I'd buy a ticket to go watch him play," Witten said, "because I appreciate what he's about and the way he's gone about it in his career."
Witten (6-6, 263) grew up in Tennessee and played college football for the Volunteers. He was a third-round pick in 2003.
Witten, 35, is in his 15th season _ all with the Cowboys _ and rarely misses a snap.
Fitzgerald and Witten have each been to 10 Pro Bowls. Fitzgerald has missed only six games in his career. Witten has missed only one, and that was as a rookie.
"You have to be talented and you have to be skilled, but you have to be lucky," Fitzgerald said. "Jason has played longer than me and missed less games than I have. That guy is literally a machine."
Both Witten and Fitzgerald have also become role models off the field as well for their philanthropy work in the community. Both are former Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award winners. Fitzgerald was honored last year, Witten in 2012.
"When I think about Jason, I don't think about football. I just think about the quality of man he is, getting to know him and his wife, his family over the years," Fitzgerald said. "He's just a stand-up man and somebody who is the flag-bearer for the National Football League. He is right there on the very top of character men in this league and it's a great honor to know him and obviously he is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but he is a Hall of Fame man, too."
Witten said he's studied parts of Fitzgerald's game throughout his career. Fitzgerald said Witten is one of several players he studies each week during the season. Fitzgerald said he gets all of Witten's routes sent to him on video.
Witten's friendship with Fitzgerald began to blossom 12 years ago in Honolulu, Hawaii, where the two were playing in the 2005 Pro Bowl. Of course, they were talking shop.
"We were talking about stem and leverage and how you attack (on routes)," Witten said. "It's an art and a science, and Larry has certainly kind of mastered that. That's what we try to do. I know how hard he's worked at understanding the science and art that goes behind route running. Oftentimes as fans, and we're all guilty of it, we just think it's just the matchup or the looks. It's understanding what you're trying to get done within a route, and Larry has done that for a long time on top of having really good size and instincts as well."
Garrett said Fitzgerald is one of the few opposing players he's used as an example in front of his team to show the Cowboys how football should be played. Garrett said a couple of years ago he showed the Cowboys one of Fitzgerald's games.
"We showed some clips of him, during the game, how he had success, how he handled adversity, how he runs back to the huddle, big smile that he has on his face," Garrett said. "He always plays with such great body language. He's pretty remarkable."
Fitzgerald ranks third all-time in catches with 1,134 and has 14,484 career receiving yards with 104 touchdowns. Witten is fourth all-time in catches with 1,106 for 12,044 yards and 65 touchdowns.
Both are now in the year-to-year stages of their careers, even though Witten signed a four-year contract extension in the offseason that could keep him with the Cowboys through 2021.
Witten surpassed receivers Cris Carter and Marvin Harrison on the NFL's all-time catch list last week at Denver. Could he pass Fitzgerald next?
"I don't know about that," Witten said, smiling. "He's going to keep going. He's crushing Father Time right now. I'm just trying to get a win on Monday night."
Witten and Fitzgerald aren't concerned with individual accomplishments, however. Both are still chasing a Super Bowl championship.
"There is only one thing that matters. More catches, all that stuff, doesn't' really matter," Fitzgerald said. "At this point it's trying to get a chance to win your division and get back into the playoffs and trying to put together a run. That's the only thing that really motivates me at this point. That's the one thing I don't have and I would love to be able to compete for it. I'm pretty sure me and Jason are in the same boat on that one."
