Charles Woodson\'s Quiet Deadliness
By PackerAaron
Yes, I know Packer fans are watching the highlight of Johnny Knox and wondering: How did Charles Woodson, the Packers best cornerback and supposed candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, get burned so badly by a rookie? Well, it happens, especially when the rookie runs a 4.3 40 or whatever coming out of college.
Directly after the game, I thought Woodson had a sub-par game. He missed tackles, he was out of position a couple of times and he didn't seem to be effective when he was called on to rush the passer.
Then I watched the game again.
Remember when NBC put up a live shot of Greg Olsen and a little graphic about how he had zero catches up until that point in the evening? Yeah, that would be because of Charles Woodson.
Wood was all over Olsen and when he wasn't, he was busy coordinating the defense to be sure Olsen was taken care of. That's right, the coaches trust Woodson so completely that they annointed him the quarterback of the defense. He is making all the defensive calls. He had a direct hand in much of what you saw on the defensive side of the ball last night.
Woodson, like all great playmakers, is a gambler. Last night, most of those gambles, especially in coverage, did not pay off. They will. But that's why you will occasionally see him out of position. Most of the time he is lurking, trying to bait the quarterback.
He may have been quiet on the stat sheet, but make no mistake, Charles Woodson is still the man.
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Comments (19)
September 15, 2009 at 12:19 am
On the dubious illegal contact play (4th qtr, 8:35 mark) Woodie just got a hand on a pass over the middle and tipped it. Unbelievable play. Didn't count for anything.
September 15, 2009 at 01:18 am
I have no problem whatsoever with Woody. He's the man.
September 15, 2009 at 01:51 am
What nerdmann said.
September 15, 2009 at 04:45 am
It's clear he still is eating his Wheaties. No complaints from me.
September 15, 2009 at 07:00 am
I love Woodson. "Quarterback" of the defense is very apt. He gets an occasional free pass I suppose because of all the unsung things he does - such as his blanket coverage of Olsen you pointed out.
September 15, 2009 at 07:54 am
If everyone played as well as Woody......
September 15, 2009 at 08:02 am
The thing that impressed me about Woodson after Knox made the catch is that he chased down the 'fastest guy on the Bears Roster' and knocked him out of bounds which set up Jolly's INT two plays later.
September 15, 2009 at 08:25 am
Of all the players on the pack, Woodson makes his job look the coolest.
September 15, 2009 at 08:29 am
I think he's moved into "Reggie White" territory as one of the greatest free agent acquisitions the Packers have ever had.
September 15, 2009 at 08:36 am
Sunday was the first real test of the new Defense. I expect that it will get better each week. Along with that the Safeties will do their job better. That will allow Woodson to be even more aggressive without out the needed to check his back.
September 15, 2009 at 08:41 am
Woodson is amazing and, like all great cornerbacks, he will gamble. No cornerback can win consistantly when put on an island. Safety reaction and recognition is key. I still have a love/frustration (hate is too strong) relationship with Nick Collins. He will make an amazing play on the ball, good tackle, but he still totally whiffs on deep help with too much frequency.
Maybe I don't know the formations well enough, but he seems too slow on the deep recognition to me. Thoughts?
September 15, 2009 at 08:47 am
bigfog - I'll probably catch flak for this, but I'd actually put the signing of Charles Woodson ahead of the signing of Reggie White on the list of best free agent signings for the Packers. Don't get me wrong, White brought the Packers a Super Bowl and was, the best defensive player that I have seen in my lifetime. But that's just it. Everyone knew White would be great and he basically went to the team that offered the most money. Woodson, on the other hand, was thought by many to be washed up and on the downside of his career. While it is true that he went to the team that offered him the most money, he basically went to the ONLY team that offered him money. What TT saw in him that 31 other GM's didn't is still a mystery to me, but I'm glad he saw it.
September 15, 2009 at 08:49 am
good point ryeguy, and mr. fastbucks, that tip was unreal. if i tried to twist my body like he did to get a hand on that ball, i'd tear every tearable tissue in my body.
tough reading a comparison to reggie. but it doesn't seem as outrageous when you let it settle in. not equal, and i don't think you're equating the two, but comparable - it just has to contribute to a superbowl before more people pay attention to it.
also, as i just made reference to over on packergeeks, (sorry to change the subject), i remember before capers arrived that the 3-4 basically rendered DE's into blocker-eaters, and that the position would not be a play-making/stats one for our guys anymore... tell that to cullen and jolly, and tell them that next week when our resident rookie-bulldozer causes a different kind of havoc/distraction. b.j. makes piles. i cannot wait.
PackerAaron
September 15, 2009 at 08:51 am
CSS - be sure to check this excellent post from Brian on the subject of Collins. Just spot on: http://community.sportsbubbler.com/blogs/railbird_central/archive/2009/0...
September 15, 2009 at 09:15 am
i just got my answer re: de's from railbird - they played about half the game in nickel, hence the big play potential for the DE's.
September 15, 2009 at 11:06 am
He's not human.
September 15, 2009 at 05:50 pm
Jayme, Reggie White did not just go where he was offered the most money.
.
He went where god told him to go, in a vision. (Rolls eyes).
.
Reggie White is considered the biggest Free Agent signing ever- not just in Packers history, but for the entire league. That said, I agree with your point on Woodson- the Packers picked up Charles when almost all the other teams in the league thought his career was over. I can see from that perspective making his acquisition an even better one than White's.
September 15, 2009 at 06:29 pm
CHUCK!
GBP 4 LIFE
September 16, 2009 at 01:59 pm
Aaron thanks for pointing this out. I figured Woodson was playing a bigger role than usual during the game. I don't mind him doing that all season. I have full trust in the guy. He is just one of those players that I never worry about, even when he gets beat on a few plays. I also figured he was controlling other areas on the field that live game coverage just wasn't showing, or that I wasn't picking up on. Woodson will have a great season.