VIDEO: Witten Enters For Cowboys at Giants via Different 'Monday Night Football' Stage

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – This was not Jason Witten's "Monday Night Football'' plan. He was supposed to be in a suit, in a booth, in post-retirement. Instead, he's in uniform.

“This is what I wanted to do,'' the Dallas Cowboys' legendary tight end says of his un-retirement from broadcasting as a member of ESPN's "Monday Night Football'' team that will work tonight's Cowboy-at-Giants game. “It’s a good group of guys (at "MNF''), and I’m amazed at how hard they work and how talented they are. But I’m right where I need to be.”

While insisting he has "no regrets,'' Witten concedes, "I do think there were moments throughout that (year in TV) I thought something inside of me was just like, I should still be playing football, I have more to give.'''

So now he's giving it, at age 37, trying to be "one of the guys'' helping the 4-3 Cowboys attempt to stay in first place in the NFC East with a win over the Giants.

Witten ranks third on the team with 26 catches for 263 yards, and has a pair of TD catches.

“I knew it was going to be different as far as role,'' he says, "(and) statistically it was going to be hard to measure a lot of that because I wasn’t going to catch 110 balls. I knew that coming in. But yeah, I think that I’ve played well.''

Additionally, of course, the 11-time Pro Bowler provides a steady hand of leadership. And he is relishing every bit of it.

“It’s lived up to everything that I could’ve ever asked for because I think it’s a hell of a group of guys that works hard,'' Witten says of his return. "And we’re in the middle of it right now. It’s been some good, some bad, and last week against the Eagles, that’s where you want to get to, where you can play like that.”

And tonight? Instead of describing how the Cowboys are playing well again, Jason Witten's plan is to help the Cowboys play well again.