HarveyWallbangers
10-16-2007, 11:39 PM
Damn, I miss Uncle Cliffy. McGinn is great, but the other guys are all average. He lost me in the first paragraph. I think Woodson's 8 interceptions, 22 pass deflections, and 11 turnover plays had him back in the spotlight LAST YEAR.
Packers' success has Woodson back in the spotlight
By TOM SILVERSTEIN, JSO
Green Bay - Charles Woodson is alive and well and thriving in the National Football League.
Before this season, he practically needed to send out postcards to family, friends and rivals to let them know that he hadn't turned in his retirement papers. That the mailings would have had a Green Bay postmark probably would have surprised everyone.
After his teams went a combined 17-43 from the start of the 2003 season to Week 13 of last season, Woodson all but lost his rock star status and was playing to few national audiences. When Oakland chose not to make him its franchise player after the 2005 season, only one team in the NFL made a strong play for his services.
"If you would have asked me before I left Oakland, 'Where are you thinking about playing? Would you go to Green Bay?' I would have told you, 'No, I'm not going to Green Bay. Why would I go to Green Bay?' " Woodson said. "But like I told everybody when I became a free agent, there was really one team knocking on the door and that was Green Bay.
"So it was almost like God was telling me, 'Hey, you don't tell me where you're going to go, I tell you where to go.' That's kind of how it worked out."
Without question, it has worked out marvelously for both the Packers and Woodson.
The Packers dished out a seven-year, $39 million contract for a veteran cornerback with enough gas left in his tank to score the winning points with a 57-yard fumble return Sunday against Washington. And Woodson got $10 million his first year of the deal and a chance to experience winning football again, riding the wave of a 9-1 run dating to last season.
Twice before with the Raiders, Woodson experienced comparable streaks; the first time was when Oakland made it to the AFC Championship Game in 2000 and the second time was when it made it to Super Bowl XXXVII. Where this streak takes him is anyone's guess, but it certainly has put him and the Packers back on the guest list in NFL circles.
"They don't question it anymore," Woodson said of those who doubted he could be happy in Green Bay. "They see the team and how well we're doing. People just say, 'It looks like it was the right fit.' "
Since coming to the Packers, Woodson's numbers have jumped considerably, especially in the interception department. He led the Packers last year and finished tied for second in the NFL with eight. This year, he has only one, against Washington, but they tend to come in bunches, as they did in '06, when he had six in his final six games.
Woodson is doing other things, too. His willingness to tackle is something scouts saw in him but many others questioned, given injuries he had suffered in Oakland. At 6 feet 1 inch and 200 pounds, Woodson uses his body well to get ball carriers on the ground and always goes after the ball when he can.
By no means has Woodson had a perfect season; he has been flagged six times for coverage infractions, fumbled a punt return against Chicago and was beaten for his first touchdown of the season Sunday on tight end Chris Cooley's 14-yard reception. But he has joined forces with fellow cornerback Al Harris to give the Packers an intimidating pair of bump-and-run specialists, which has been a key to the defense's success.
The Packers rank 12th in the league in points allowed per game at 17.8 and are 13th in yards allowed at 323.8 per game.
Woodson, who turned 31 two weeks ago, has played a big part in the defense's success, but he doesn't consider himself to be reborn after three miserable years in Oakland, when the Raiders went 13-35 from 2003-'05. After making the Pro Bowl four consecutive years from 1998-2001, Woodson hasn't been selected again.
He insists that he didn't just drop off the face of the earth.
"People stopped paying attention to the way I play the game," Woodson said. "Now, I come out here and with a little bit of success people take notice. You even look at last year, eight interceptions, the most in my career, still nobody even really took notice. Now, you win some games and all of a sudden, 'He's playing like the Charles Woodson of old.'
"I've been playing good football. You just take time to notice it."
While others have a chance to soak in his solid performance Sunday, Woodson plans on spending the bye week soaking his body in the whirlpool. For the fourth consecutive season, Woodson has been hampered by significant injuries, although in his year and a half with the Packers, he has not missed a game.
In Oakland, his '04 season was shortened by three games because of a knee injury and his '05 season was shortened 10 games because of a broken leg. Last year, he suffered a shoulder injury that required him to wear a harness much of the season and a knee injury that limited his practice time.
This year, hip and foot injuries have bothered him and limited him to one day of serious practice per week. Woodson said the injuries this year were on par with the ones he suffered last year, but he's hoping some rest over the bye will help calm them down.
As for being stuck in Green Bay to rehabilitate his injuries, Woodson has reason to miss being in the San Francisco Bay area, where he was always a limo ride away from fun in the big city. His plans during the five days off coach Mike McCarthy has given the players? Maybe a day trip to Milwaukee.
"I don't know what to do with myself," he said, with a big laugh.
Packers' success has Woodson back in the spotlight
By TOM SILVERSTEIN, JSO
Green Bay - Charles Woodson is alive and well and thriving in the National Football League.
Before this season, he practically needed to send out postcards to family, friends and rivals to let them know that he hadn't turned in his retirement papers. That the mailings would have had a Green Bay postmark probably would have surprised everyone.
After his teams went a combined 17-43 from the start of the 2003 season to Week 13 of last season, Woodson all but lost his rock star status and was playing to few national audiences. When Oakland chose not to make him its franchise player after the 2005 season, only one team in the NFL made a strong play for his services.
"If you would have asked me before I left Oakland, 'Where are you thinking about playing? Would you go to Green Bay?' I would have told you, 'No, I'm not going to Green Bay. Why would I go to Green Bay?' " Woodson said. "But like I told everybody when I became a free agent, there was really one team knocking on the door and that was Green Bay.
"So it was almost like God was telling me, 'Hey, you don't tell me where you're going to go, I tell you where to go.' That's kind of how it worked out."
Without question, it has worked out marvelously for both the Packers and Woodson.
The Packers dished out a seven-year, $39 million contract for a veteran cornerback with enough gas left in his tank to score the winning points with a 57-yard fumble return Sunday against Washington. And Woodson got $10 million his first year of the deal and a chance to experience winning football again, riding the wave of a 9-1 run dating to last season.
Twice before with the Raiders, Woodson experienced comparable streaks; the first time was when Oakland made it to the AFC Championship Game in 2000 and the second time was when it made it to Super Bowl XXXVII. Where this streak takes him is anyone's guess, but it certainly has put him and the Packers back on the guest list in NFL circles.
"They don't question it anymore," Woodson said of those who doubted he could be happy in Green Bay. "They see the team and how well we're doing. People just say, 'It looks like it was the right fit.' "
Since coming to the Packers, Woodson's numbers have jumped considerably, especially in the interception department. He led the Packers last year and finished tied for second in the NFL with eight. This year, he has only one, against Washington, but they tend to come in bunches, as they did in '06, when he had six in his final six games.
Woodson is doing other things, too. His willingness to tackle is something scouts saw in him but many others questioned, given injuries he had suffered in Oakland. At 6 feet 1 inch and 200 pounds, Woodson uses his body well to get ball carriers on the ground and always goes after the ball when he can.
By no means has Woodson had a perfect season; he has been flagged six times for coverage infractions, fumbled a punt return against Chicago and was beaten for his first touchdown of the season Sunday on tight end Chris Cooley's 14-yard reception. But he has joined forces with fellow cornerback Al Harris to give the Packers an intimidating pair of bump-and-run specialists, which has been a key to the defense's success.
The Packers rank 12th in the league in points allowed per game at 17.8 and are 13th in yards allowed at 323.8 per game.
Woodson, who turned 31 two weeks ago, has played a big part in the defense's success, but he doesn't consider himself to be reborn after three miserable years in Oakland, when the Raiders went 13-35 from 2003-'05. After making the Pro Bowl four consecutive years from 1998-2001, Woodson hasn't been selected again.
He insists that he didn't just drop off the face of the earth.
"People stopped paying attention to the way I play the game," Woodson said. "Now, I come out here and with a little bit of success people take notice. You even look at last year, eight interceptions, the most in my career, still nobody even really took notice. Now, you win some games and all of a sudden, 'He's playing like the Charles Woodson of old.'
"I've been playing good football. You just take time to notice it."
While others have a chance to soak in his solid performance Sunday, Woodson plans on spending the bye week soaking his body in the whirlpool. For the fourth consecutive season, Woodson has been hampered by significant injuries, although in his year and a half with the Packers, he has not missed a game.
In Oakland, his '04 season was shortened by three games because of a knee injury and his '05 season was shortened 10 games because of a broken leg. Last year, he suffered a shoulder injury that required him to wear a harness much of the season and a knee injury that limited his practice time.
This year, hip and foot injuries have bothered him and limited him to one day of serious practice per week. Woodson said the injuries this year were on par with the ones he suffered last year, but he's hoping some rest over the bye will help calm them down.
As for being stuck in Green Bay to rehabilitate his injuries, Woodson has reason to miss being in the San Francisco Bay area, where he was always a limo ride away from fun in the big city. His plans during the five days off coach Mike McCarthy has given the players? Maybe a day trip to Milwaukee.
"I don't know what to do with myself," he said, with a big laugh.