IRVING, Texas -- Hearing his name mentioned in the same sentence as Mark Bavaro or Ben Coates is a good thing for Jason Witten.

That's true even when the guy doing the mentioning is Bill Parcells and it's on a blazing hot afternoon at the Dallas Cowboys' practice facility and maybe Parcells is pointing out some reason why Witten is unworthy to carry Bavaro's water bottle or Coates' jock strap.

Parcells has had great success coaching in the NFL and, not coincidentally, he's had great tight ends -- Bavaro with the New York Giants and Coates with New England.

Now he has a rising star with the Cowboys in Witten, the third-year pro out of the University of Tennessee and former star at Elizabethton High School.

Parcells admits he gets on Witten pretty hard, even to the point of having unfair expectations. Witten understands.

"He challenges you every day,'' Witten said Tuesday at the Cowboys' Valley Ranch complex secluded in the manicured Dallas suburbs.

"I had a little bit of success right away when I came in and he started comparing me to those guys.

"The biggest thing is once he does that it makes it tough on you. But at the same time, you know he knows what it takes to be great and that's what you want.''

To say Witten had a little bit of success right away is an understatement.

He caught 35 passes as a rookie in 2003. He was immune to the sophomore slump, exploding for 87 catches for 980 yards in 2004. Both numbers broke the club records for a tight end set by Jay Novacek.

Only five NFL tight ends have ever caught more passes in a season. Witten was selected to the Pro Bowl last year, which further linked him to Bavaro and Coates.

In 2005, Witten's numbers are down a little with two regular-season games remaining: 61 catches to date, four touchdowns. But that doesn't mean he has taken a step backward.

The Cowboys have asked Witten to be more of a blocker this year, especially since the season-ending injury to tackle Flozell Adams.

"It's a little different role,'' Witten said. "Coach Parcells likes that, because you're taking on a bigger role.

"You're more than just a receiver. You're a complete tight end is what he always says.''

In fact, "Parcells smitten with Witten'' was a recent headline in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

That doesn't grant Witten immunity to Parcells' barbs and jabs and critiques.

The Cowboys' front office is smitten with Witten. He's on the verge of a sizable salary bump.

Drafted in the third round when he gave up his senior year at UT, Witten didn't get the kind of rookie contract that guarantees one's financial security for life.

He's about to finish the third year of that deal and is making $380,000 this season. A survey by Fox Sports ranked Witten the No. 3 underpaid player in the NFL.

He recently voided the fourth year of the deal and becomes a restricted free agent at season's end. The Cowboys have the option to keep him for a one-year salary of $1.43 million, the Star-Telegram reported.

"That always makes you feel good to be a good ole' boy from Tennessee and put in that situation,'' Witten said of his impending windfall.

"It's a great blessing for me and I thank God for the ability.''

And he thanks Parcells for developing that ability.