Is it possible that Jeff Heath really is the GOAT?

Jeff Heath is the GOAT. I said it.

I’ve said it many times. I’ve said it on Twitter, here at BTB, in my dreams, it’s a fun trope among Cowboys fans that the one called Jeff Heath is the greatest of all time.

It’s hard to trace the trope back to its origins, though. How did it start? When did Jeff Heath become the GOAT? Some things are just the way they are because they’re the way that they are.

For so long it was just that, a trope. It was something we said, a laugh we shared, because Jeff Heath was just another special teams player who was kind of cool.

We’re at a point though where Jeff Heath might actually be the GOAT, though. For real.

Heath entered the game in Oakland as the leader in interceptions on the Cowboys, and he exited as such, but he also exited as arguably the game’s biggest hero.

With Raiders QB Derek Carr scrambling for a first down, Jeff Heath tracked him down late in the game, pushed him out of bounds, and helped jar the ball loose into the endzone. The play gave the Cowboys the ball and the win.

There’s something about Jeff Heath, honestly. Something beautiful.

The ball finds Jeff Heath. Think back to 2015 when he picked off Jameis Winston, twice. Remember the time in the playoffs when he picked off Aaron Rodgers, sacked him, and almost intercepted him again.

Look back earlier this season when the Cowboys hosted Kansas City and Heath intercepted Alex Smith, Smith’s first of the season. Take a peek at the last two games the Cowboys played in entering Oakland, both of which featured Heath interceptions.

Sometimes in football, there are just players like this. Sometimes there are GOATS.

Jeff Heath is, at best, an average safety in the NFL. He does, pretty indisputably, have a knack for making game-changing plays. There is legitimate data to support this claim.

Safety is still an issue for the Cowboys long-term, and part of the reason for that is Jeff Heath; however, the Cowboys are still alive in the playoff hunt this season, and part of the reason for that is Jeff Heath.

Jeff Heath is not the best safety ever, he’s not even the best special teams player ever. Whatever you define Jeff Heath as, Jeff Heath is the GOAT. That part is pretty undeniable.