![]() ![]() The only five-time NFL MVP and a two-time Super Bowl winner who left the game five years ago with a slew of passing records was enshrined Sunday night with other members of the class of 2021. This is immortality.CANTON, Ohio – Peyton's Place is now in Canton at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. None of us will see 40,000 years so this is forever. “I feel like this means that I’m going to live forever. “For 40,000 years that bust will last,” Woodson said. The Hall of Fame news closes the book for Woodson on his football career in a way that will outlive his own lifespan. “I certainly appreciate them for making me feel welcome when I didn’t want to be welcomed, actually.” “Things were kind of rocky at the start, and I think coach McCarthy and everyone else was trying to make my transtion as easy as they could, but I was very reluctant to allow myself to just be a Packer,” Woodson said. There was a post-practice talk with coach Mike McCarthy that was equal parts “we want you here” and “get with the program” and Woodson eventually warmed up to the idea. ![]() When Woodson left Oakland after two franchise tags had priced him at a rate the Raiders were unwilling to pay, the greener pastures he envisioned did not include a small town in Wisconsin - even if the Packers were willing to pay $52 million over seven years. Then it was back to Oakland, where an older but much wiser Woodson played in 48 games at a level which far exceeded that of his teammates on a floundering franchise. Woodson was an NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2009 and a Super Bowl champion 10 years ago, breaking his collarbone before halftime, delivering an impassioned halftime speech and helping will his team to victory from the sideline. Woodson was turned loose to capitalize on his package of coverage skills, tackling, ball-stripping and instinctive play and built the statistical resume necessary for first-ballot election. Once Woodson adjusted his attitude, he became dominant in a way he never was with the Raiders. It’s also the Woodson who found his career at a crossroads in 2006 when there were no takers in free agency other than Green Bay, a place he had no desire to play. The guy who had turt toe, a cracked shoulder and a broken ankle and played just 19 games in his last two seasons. That includes the uber-talented cornerback who felt he didn’t need to prepare, was the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year and the player who was twice-franchised and as a result didn’t come to training camp. His presence is a composite of everything he was over for 18 years. I’ve fielded some social media inquries about whether Woodson “goes in” to the Hall as a Raider or a Packer and the answer is it doesn’t work that way. Very appreciative to be drafted by the Raiders in ’98, finish in 2015 and wear that silver and black and that “two-four” like the late, great Willie Brown.” “I came back for a second round, but I’ve got to tell you, coming back for that second time was very special because of the way Raider nation welcomed me back to the town. “To be here and represent the silver and black in the Hall of Fame means a great deal,” Woodson said Sunday morning during a video teleconference. When he returned for a free agent visit at age 36, Woodson found an impromptu parking lot party driven by social media with fans cheering for his return. The only one who left and came back was Woodson, who played the best football of his career with Green Bay even if it never looked right for him to be wearing No. Mike Haynes split his career evenly with seven years with New England and seven with the Raiders, distingushing himself as one of the most elegant cover corners with both teams. Eric Dickerson and Ron Mix were at the end of the line. Randy Moss and James Lofton were temporary stopovers who weren’t thrilled with being Raiders and then explode elsewhere. ![]() ![]() Some, such as Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Rod Woodson, Warren Sapp and Bob Brown, were late arrivals who enhanced an already rich legacy that had them bound for Canton because of their play with other teams. The election of Woodson and Tom Flores in 2021 gives the Raiders 29 players in the Hall of Fame, and not all of them made their reputations with the franchise. He was twice a Raider, but he wouldn’t be scheduled for induction in to the Pro Football Hall of Fame had it not been for seven years in the prime of his career with the Green Bay Packers. That’s what they say about wearing the silver and black whether it’s in Oakland, Los Angeles or Las Vegas.Ĭharles Woodson went that one better on his road to football immortality. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |