FRISCO -- Ask Jason Witten about Lee Roy Jordan, and there's a good chance he'll bring up an alumni dinner from a couple of years ago.

Witten and linebacker Sean Lee were blown away by the intensity of the Ring of Honor member.

"You can tell Lee Roy was a pretty bad dude back in his day," Witten said Thursday. "Just there's that presence that some of those guys have. You can feel it. Nowadays we call it swag, but back then it was just, 'That was a bad son of a gun.'"

Witten on Sunday night will tie Jordan's franchise record for consecutive games started. Jordan started 154 consecutive games at linebacker from 1966-1976.

Witten will also pass Ed "Too Tall" Jones for most games started in franchise history. The former All-Pro defensive end started 203 games from 1974-1978 and then from 1980-1989.

"I have so much respect for this game, especially this franchise over the last 14 years," Witten said. "I know how great the players are that have come through this locker room and this organization. I am humbled by that. I really do respect that and really just appreciative to Mr. [Jerry] Jones and the family to have this opportunity.

"I've said it a long time, I really believe this game is about consistency and playing at a high level, and that's what I've tried to do, so I acknowledge that when I have the opportunity to pass somebody like Ed. And really so many of those guys that played in the early part of this organization's history are some of the toughest guys to ever play the game. Period. So I'm honored to be mentioned with them."

Witten has missed only one game in his 14 seasons with the Cowboys. A broken jaw prevented him from playing Oct. 12, 2003, against the Eagles. Since then, he has played through a lacerated spleen, sprained ankles, sprained knees, bruised ribs and countless other injuries that probably were never reported.

"He's a really, really special guy," coach Jason Garrett said. "He's an inspiration to me as a coach, to our coaching staff, to his teammates and I'm sure to the guys he plays against. He's going to have a lot of productivity over the course of his career, receptions, yards, all those things will rank among the greatest tight ends who ever played the game, but for me it's the day to day, week in, week out approach that he takes.

"The standard for him that he sets for himself is as high as anybody I've ever been around, and each and every day he does everything he can to reach that standard in everything that he does."

For some other perspective on Witten, here's what a couple of defensive coordinators had to say.

Dallas' Rod Marinelli: "Every day it's full speed. Everything you want in a pro football player, you look at him. How he practices, how he shows up every day in practice. It's really impressive. There's nothing, I think so special in this league as to watch a real pro work at football, work at his craft, when he's beat up and sore, and they come out and they're locked in. It's really special. The young guys being around that, hopefully they see it. You point it out. But that's what you want to be like in this league."

Philadelphia's Jim Schwartz: "He's a Hall of Famer. There might not be a better option runner in the history of tight ends. Tight ends have been different. Tony Gonzalez was a down-the-field guy. [Shannon] Sharpe and those guys were sort of wide receiver type guys. But Witten is a great blocker. He's really a tough matchup when it comes to option routes. He's very strong. He's incredibly durable. ... There is nothing you're going to throw at him coverage-wise that he hasn't seen more than a dozen times in his career."