Tag: Charles Woodson

50 legends who could be inducted into National High School Football Hall of Fame

Here are all 50 of the potential inductees.

The National High School Football Hall of Fame will soon be settling into Canton, Ohio – per Josh Weir at the Canton Repository.

In five days’ time, 18 players will be inducted into the inaugural class. That group will be narrowed down from a group of 50 legends of the sport who are eligible to be inducted. The induction ceremony will take place on July 30 at the Timken Auditorium at the Timken Career Campus in Canton.

Here are all 50 of the potential inductees.

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Charles Woodson: Despite many accolades one regret was not winning Super Bowl with Raiders

Even with his long list of accomplishments there’s one thing Charles Woodson wishes he could’ve done: ‘winning a Super Bowl with the Raiders’

You won’t see another resume as impressive as Charles Woodson’s. That’s not opinion, it’s a fact. No other man on earth has checked all these boxes:

Heisman Trophy
College Football National Championship
NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year
NFL Defensive Player of the Year
Super Bowl ring
Pro Football Hall of Fame

That means he’s won at every level, both on a team level as well as every personal award possible.

But even with all that, there was one thing that eluded Woodson in his career.

“Winning a Super Bowl with the Raiders,” Woodson said without hesitation. “I feel like that’s the one thing that got away from me, man. To be able to win a Super Bowl in the Silver & Black, man, if I could’ve accomplished that, on top of all the other things – and don’t get me wrong I’m not complaining – but, man, to have won it with the team that drafted me…Getting there was great, but, man, if we could’ve closed that deal, I would’ve definitely said ‘You know what, I did it all.”

Woodson got close to helping the Raiders to a Super Bowl win a few times. First in 2000 when the Raiders made it to the AFC Championship game, but lost to the Ravens.

Then the following year when Woodson forced the would-be game-ending fumble on Tom Brady only to have it overturned by the improper implementation of the now defunct Tuck Rule.

Then finally in 2002 when the Raiders made it to the Super Bowl only to face their old coach Jon Gruden.

The Raiders fell off after that and a few years later, Woodson would be allowed to leave in free agency to sign with the Packers. That’s where he would eventually get his ring in 2010.

Getting his ring came a year after Woodson won Defensive Player of the Year. And a year later, at the age of 36, Woodson was asked to switch to safety, which for many defensive backs, signaled the end of his career.

But not for Woodson. He had unfinished business.

Woodson returned to the Raiders at the age of 37 and played three more seasons before finally stepping away from the game.

Right to the end, even with nothing left to prove, Woodson was not going to go out with a whimper.

“Making it through that season was a feat in its own self,” Woodson said of his final NFL season. “In that first game I dislocated my shoulder, and then the third game of the season, playing against the Browns, I suffered a grade two MCL sprain and, man, every day from that game forward… And then even against the Bears, I suffered a left shoulder sprain, and, aw man, it was hard each and every game to get myself in position to practice, just the little bit that I could practice to go into the game and still have to play at a high level and to go through all that and to actually in my 18th year, make a Pro Bowl, having gone through all that, I feel like that was a career all wrapped up into that 16-game schedule.”

“I just kept telling myself… I’m not going to spend my last season on the sideline.”

Though all that, Woodson would make his ninth Pro Bowl at the age 39 and at a second position before riding off into the sunset.

He obviously never got to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in Silver & Black. But he gave everything he had to the team that drafted him. From the moment he set foot on an NFL to the day he left it for the last time.

He may have took a trip to Green Bay for a time to get his ring, but he has never really left the Raiders.

Upcoming ‘The Perfect 10’ documentary features 3 Raiders greats to go from Heisman to Hall

Only 10 people have ever won a Heisman and gone onto the Hall of Fame. And 3 of them are Raiders greats. Set your DVRs Raider Nation.

“This is an amazing feat, man. Only ten guys have been able to accomplish this. More men have walked the moon than to have been able to accomplish what we’ve accomplished,” said Tim Brown in front of six other NFL legends to open the upcoming FOX documentary ‘The Perfect 10’.

Those seven legends all have something special in common. They’re being called ‘The Perfect 10’ because they make up the ten men in the world have hoisted both the Heisman Trophy and have a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

‘The Perfect 10’ will premiere on FOX this Saturday, February 11 at 5 pm Pacific (8pm ET). And if you’re a Raiders fan, you will want to set your DVR.

No team is more well represented in this exclusive club than the Raiders.

Of the seven NFL legends in that room, three are Raiders greats.

The first to join the club was Marcus Allen. Then it was Tim Brown in 2015. And Charles Woodson completed the ten in 2021.

“To have this individual type of accomplishment and to have it be so few who have done it is really mind boggling, you know,” Woodson told Raiders Wire. “I was thinking earlier about the amount of kids who played little league football, high school football, college football, the few that make it to the NFL, and then to just carve that down to just ten guys that have done something like that with the history of the game, that is really quite amazing and hard to put it into words.”

Woodson said as a kid he had imagined himself winning the Heisman Trophy and winning championships (something he also did) but the Hall of Fame was not something he grew up imagining. And even the Heisman seemed out of reach once he switched to defense at Michigan.

“When I got to college and chose to play defense, that dream was pretty much…that was a wrap. Because defensive players don’t win that award,” Woodson said of his Heisman hopes. “So, for me to get to my junior year and to have the success we had as a team, to make the plays at the right time that I made as an individual player, when those things start to happen, that’s when it’s like ‘oh man’ and that dream that was kind of a fleeting thought in my mind was back. . . Then to be invited to the ceremony and ultimately have my name called, holy cow, that was an incredible moment.”

The four other NFL legends on hand for ‘The Perfect 10’ include Earl Campbell, Tony Dorsett, Barry Sanders, and Roger Staubach. The three not present are OJ Simpson, and Doak Walker (deceased), and Paul Hornung (deceased).

Charles Woodson speaks on how Derek Carr’s Raiders career ended ‘it’s not unique’

Charles Woodson on Derek Carr Raiders split: “It’s not unique. The business gets everybody at some point. At this point it caught up with him.”

There aren’t many players in the world who can say they played at least the first eight years of their career with the Raiders only to continue their career elsewhere. Derek Carr is one of those people. But so too is Charles Woodson.

Woodson was drafted by the Raiders with the fourth overall pick in 1998 and played eight seasons with the Raiders, at which point the once Defensive Rookie of the Year, four-time Pro Bowler, and one-time All Pro was allowed to leave to sign elsewhere.

For that reason, Woodson is one of the few people on this planet who could lend the ideal perspective to how things ended between Derek Carr and the Raiders.

So, I asked him.

“It’s not unique. The business gets everybody at some point. At this point it caught up with him,” Woodson said of how the Raiders ended things with Carr.

Woodson understands why the Carr camp as well as his fans feel like the nine-year pro was treated unfairly.

“I think with Derek, everybody sees what he’s gone through as a player, from the amount of head coaches he’s gone through, the amount of offensive coordinators he’s been through, the year they had last year (2021) with all the off the field stuff and the way he handled it, he handled it with a lot of style and grace, and I think they look at it and say if anybody deserves a chance to leave his way it would be him. But, again, this business gets everybody at some point, and there’s never an exact science as to the way these things are handled.”

But ultimately, the team had decided it was time to move on. And the moment that decision was made, they had to move to ensure they protect their interests, regardless of any hurt feelings.

“I certainly understand people saying that he’s been wronged. But again, when you think about the fact that the way the contracts are, all that plays into the fact that if he plays and gets hurt, they’d be on the hook for [the guaranteed money in his contract], you kind of get it on both sides and that’s the business side of it that everybody always talks about.”

So, yeah, Derek Carr wanted to be a Raider for life. But after nine years and no playoff wins, the team decided it was time to turn the page.

And, sure, you’d like for him to get a honorable sendoff, saying his goodbyes to the fans or what have you, rather than the abrupt ending. But that’s just not realistic. It very rarely happens that way. And in this instance, it was simply not realistic.

I mean, we’re talking about $40 million in guaranteed money if he gets injured in two meaningless games with the Raiders having basically no shot at the playoffs, knowing they were moving on. There’s no room to factor feelings into that equation.

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NFL fans blasted Charles Woodson and Michael Vick for carelessly pushing Lamar Jackson to risk his health

This was some really bad TV.

Lamar Jackson’s health has loomed over the Baltimore Ravens’ playoff prospects for over a month since he sprained a PCL ligament in his knee. On a grander scale, Jackson’s future in Baltimore — with no long-term deal in place whenever the Ravens’ season concludes — has hovered as a specter over the team’s entire 2022.

But, likely knowing people’s conversations about his status behind the scenes,  Jackson took control of his narrative as the Ravens got set to take on the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Wild Card round. Since Baltimore leadership hasn’t exactly stumped much for its franchise QB of late — more or less speaking in vague terms since his knee injury, leaving their talisman open to criticism — it was only fair Jackson stood up for himself.

With Jackson officially sitting out from the Ravens’ playoff matchup with the Bengals on Sunday night, FOX analysts/ex-players Michael Vick and Charles Woodson shared some thoughts about the electric talent during Saturday coverage.

At no risk of hyperbole, I assure you: The two men realistically could not have shared more careless thoughts as absurd Football Guys to push Jackson to play and risk his long-term well-being for a team that’s offered him zero stability moving forward. That’s not even to say Jackson is sitting out over a financial dispute. If Jackson says his knee is unstable at age 26 (!) and that he isn’t fit enough to play, then his words are enough. Why on Earth would he lie? And don’t think I’m overlooking host Charissa Thompson seeming to irresponsibly suggest Jackson is sitting out purely because he doesn’t have a contract.

What a truly terrible segment of television:

I’m still aghast at how casually Woodson seems to question Jackson’s commitment to the Ravens in the name of winning what is a meaningless football game in the grand scheme of someone’s life. That goes double for Vick to back Woodson’s sentiment up without a second thought, as if either man is in a reasonable position to critique Jackson’s personal risk assessment.

Never mind that we, once again, have been having (who am I kidding, had?) a larger conversation about NFL player safety in the wake of Damar Hamlin’s collapse from cardiac arrest. Which happened only weeks ago. With Vick and Woodson acting as the poster boys, it’s as if significant segments of the football world already forget the various egregious screw-ups in that scary situation because it’s the playoffs. And the playoffs, to many people, take precedence over young men taking their safety into their own hands. Heaven forbid. I’m not surprised discussions have quickly shifted, to some, about wins and losses. I guess it’s just how pro football proliferates shamelessly, and that remains disappointing.

What are we doing here?

I’d encourage football figures like Woodson and Vick — for two, and definitely not exceptions — to consider their words about player safety more carefully moving forward. Or, you know, maybe holster these sentiments internally for quality reflection on their part. It seems like they could use a step back themselves. But I know this league, and I know how people close to it think. It’s likely impossible for some people to dial back the backward “give it up for your team at all costs” opinions. They can’t help themselves.

So, yeah, I’m not too optimistic these kinds of outlandish football thoughts on a whim will stop being aired out any time soon.

Charles Woodson stumps for Lester Hayes as next deserving Raider to get into Hall of Fame

Lester Hayes is next Raiders great who should get the call to the Hall according to Charles Woodson

A few years ago, the list of deserving Raiders who had not gotten the call to the Hall was a long one. The Senior Committee has helped right many wrongs, most notably Ray Guy, Ken Stabler, Tom Flores, and as of today, Cliff Branch.

Those were some of the greats who one might call criminal for having been passed up for so long.

Now with Cliff Branch finally getting in after 32 years of eligibility, who’s next? Charles Woodson knows who he would pick — Lester Hayes.

He’s not wrong. Hayes would get my vote as the next most deserving Raider if I had a vote.

Unfortunately, those who DO have votes on such things have turned a blind eye to what Hayes accomplished over his career as a lockdown cornerback for the Raiders.

Hayes spent his entire 10-year NFL career with the Raiders. In that time, he won two Lombard trophies, went to five Pro Bowls, and in 1980, set an NFL modern-era record with 13 interceptions which had him named. first team All Pro.

He was half of the feared Hayes/Haynes duo that helped the Raiders win their third Super Bowl. Haynes has long since been in the Hall of Fame. While Hayes still waits.

Why he waits? One can theorize, but none of the reasons would be legitimate.

Some point to his generous use of Stick-em — a substance that was legal in the years he used it — but if you look at some other players who used it during that time who are in the Hall of Fame — including one Fred Biletnikoff — that argument seems to fall apart.

Some point simply to the fact that he was part of those “dirty” Raiders defenses, particularly the secondary. Or perhaps, just because he was with the Raiders during a time which the NFL wasn’t too keen on Al Davis and his insistence on doing things his way.

That last one actually seems the most plausible, especially in light of all the other Raiders greats who waited so long to get the call.

Charles Woodson was a first-ballot inductee. And he would like to see Lester Hayes’s wait end after 32 years. We’ll see if the Senior Committee is listening.

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ESPN names two former Michigan football players as top 50 freshmen of all time

Well-deserved inclusions! #GoBlue

You don’t become the winningest program in college football by only getting contributions from your upperclassmen. Instead, younger players have to step up. Such has been the case in Ann Arbor, with the most recent data point coming by virtue of linebacker Junior Colson, who was named a Freshman All-American in 2021.

But what about those who changed the game so much that they’re considered among the best ever first-year players across the sport?

ESPN’s resident numbers guru and analyst Bill Connelly put together a list of the 50-best true freshman seasons of all time, and two former Michigan football players made the cut, starting with a player who ended up being a four-year starter at the most important position on the field.

41. QB Chad Henne, Michigan (2004)

He never really improved — his passer rating was between 130 and 143 for all four years of his career — but Henne was a stunning success out of the gate. The blue-chipper from Reading, Pennsylvania, threw for 2,743 yards and 25 touchdowns and led the Wolverines to a 9-3 season. In a classic Rose Bowl loss to Texas, he went toe-to-toe with Vince Young, throwing for 227 yards and four touchdowns.

It is true that Henne never really found much of another gear, just acting as an above-average quarterback in his entire tenure. But given that he was able to come in and have the type of performance he did as a true freshman at such a demanding position is something to relish.

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Of course, the other player mentioned is a GOAT in his own right, the only defensive-minded player to ever win the Heisman Trophy.

34. CB Charles Woodson, Michigan (1995)

You don’t become the only defensive player in 60 years to win the Heisman Trophy if you don’t start generating attention immediately. A record-setting rusher from Ohio, Woodson came to Michigan to play defense and became a first-stringer almost instantly. He picked off five passes in his first season, including two in a 31-23 rivalry win over Ohio State.

Naturally, Woodson’s junior season was his crowning achievement, as that was the year he took home the award given to the nation’s best player, upsetting Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning for the award.

While that type of greatness is something that all players aspire to, for Michigan to repeat last year’s success, it will certainly need a freshman or two to play at such a level that it will contend to be on this list in the future.

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Tom Brady finally admitted to fumble in ‘Tuck Rule’ game and Charles Woodson wasn’t happy

Some secrets are better left unsaid, Brady!

The “Tuck Rule” playoff game between the Patriots and Raiders is considered a seminal moment in NFL history.

The game is famous for a late fourth-quarter play where the Raiders’ Charles Woodson hit a young Tom Brady and forced a fumble. Instead of giving then-Oakland possession on a recovery, letting them coast to victory, the officials leaned on an obscure statute in the rulebook: The Tuck Rule. It stipulated that since Brady was moving his arm forward while Woodson hit him, he technically (weirdly) threw the ball, and it wasn’t a fumble.

Sparked by new life, New England went on to win the game and six Super Bowls over the next approximate two decades. Meanwhile, Woodson and the Raiders have never quite let the perceived unfairness of that unfortunate moment fade.

Almost 20 years later, Brady admitted a deep, dark secret: That said “forward pass” was actually a fumble. Oops?

Really, Tom? You only get that off your chest now? Whatever. I’m sure everyone will let bygones be bygones anyway.

Oh, well, except for one person: Charles Woodson. The Pro Football Hall of Famer was understandably upset at Brady’s way-too-late reveal.

I can’t say I blame Woodson! You try watching the guy you forced a fumble on — in a playoff game you likely would’ve won — going on to win the Super Bowl. The sting from that kind of loss and roll of the dice never entirely dissipates.

You know, for Woodson’s sake, maybe Brady should’ve kept this secret under lock and key forever.

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Charles Woodson explains his ideal number of teams for College Football Playoff expansion

Before the Daytona 500, Charles Woodson shared his thoughts on the College Football Playoff.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Like so many college football fans out there, Charles Woodson wants to see the College Football Playoff expand beyond the four teams it currently invites to compete for a national championship each year.

“I think eight teams is a good number,” Woodson said in response to For The Win’s expansion question at Daytona International Speedway ahead of the 2022 Daytona 500. He was the Grand Marshal for the race, delivering the command for drivers to start their engines Sunday.

“If it can get to 12, that’d be good too.”

Unfortunately for Woodson and everyone else who agrees with him, College Football Playoff expansion isn’t happening any time soon. Despite a proposal last year to expand it to 12 teams, playoff leaders couldn’t agree and opted to stick with four teams through the end of the 12-year contract expiring after the 2025 season, ESPN reported Friday.

That doesn’t mean the playoff couldn’t or won’t expand at some point; it’s just not in the relatively foreseeable future.

Despite that, Woodson argued expansion would offer more variety and give more teams — such as conference champions that otherwise wouldn’t make the top four — a shot at proving their worth.

“Every year, it seems like it’s the same couple of teams,” Woodson continued. “Of course, Alabama’s always in it,” the former Michigan Wolverine continued. “Can’t fault them for being a great team. But we have more teams that are competitive, like Cincinnati this year, who was an undefeated team.

“I just think you need to open up the pool to at least eight teams. I’m a fan of football. So the more football I can see is great. There’s a lot of teams out there that say, ‘Hey, we should have the opportunity to be in a playoff. We have a good team.’ Well, there’s only one way to find that out.”

Of course, playoff expansion could mean an extended season for unpaid players and increase the risk of injuries. And Woodson recognized that and said there would need to be a fair solution for them.

“I think you got to think about the pay as well,” he added. “I know that players now can make money as far as their NIL is concerned. But if you’re going to add four teams to the playoffs, that’s a long season for college players, so you got to figure out that aspect of it as well.”

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Tom Brady thinks he would’ve been Drew Bledsoe’s backup without tuck rule

“I’m probably the backup QB going into 2002,” Brady said. “I’m not the starter if we lose that game.”

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Football truly is a game of inches.

Without one of the wildest moments in NFL history, the legacy of Tom Brady may not be what it is today. Winning the infamous “Tuck Rule Game” is what propelled the young New England Patriots quarterback to his first Super Bowl victory in 2001. That gave Brady the starting role over veteran Drew Bledsoe entering the 2002 season and the rest is history.

Brady, who recently announced his retirement, is now a seven-time Super Bowl champion who has the longest list of accolades in NFL history. He doesn’t have a losing record against any team in the league after a tremendous 22 seasons.

ESPN released a 30 for 30 documentary titled “The Tuck Rule,” and Brady discussed the impact of that play on his career.

“I’m probably the backup QB going into 2002,” Brady said, via NBC Sports Boston. “I’m not the starter if we lose that game.”

It was likely the most controversial call in NFL history and many will argue to this day that it was a fumble. Regardless, the outcome led to success for Brady and those around him for two decades following.

As Robert Kraft said, it was “the game that started it all.”

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