Leader of the Pack: Woodson
IRVING, Texas - Charles Woodson has been asked to do a lot of things during his NFL career. Cover, tackle, blitz. The versatile cornerback has said he doesn't define himself by worrying about positions and titles, considering himself just a football player. But in the last few weeks, Woodson has become even more than that to the Packers.
He's become a vocal leader for the team, both before and after games. When the Packers selected captains for their postseason run - a Green Bay tradition - those captains selected Woodson to be their voice.
"They pushed me out there," said the 34-year-old, a 13-year veteran. "Mike [McCarthy] asked us how we wanted to do pregame and the guys said, 'Charles, you'll do it.' That was the end of it. I didn't have a say in it."
Since then, he's had a lot to say. Perhaps the most interesting speech came in Chicago two weeks ago when Woodson called out President Barack Obama. After hearing before the NFC Championship Game that the Bears Fan-in-Chief would attend the Super Bowl if his favorite team was able to advance, Woodson told his victorious teammates, "If he won't come see us, we'll go see him!"
Woodson has been a stellar player for the Packers since he arrived in Green Bay in 2006, winning Defensive Player of the Year last season. But the Packers wanted more.
"I felt that he had a lot more to offer as a leader," McCarthy said. "Just to watch him in that position, it's been special, and the football team has responded to it. He has a lot to offer. He has a big heart. He's played a lot of football."
He's also one of the few Packers with Super Bowl experience, although not all of the memories are pleasant. He was on the Raiders team that lost to the Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII in 2003. "I thought we were going to win," he said. "I felt good about that day, but it didn't happen. I just remember that feeling. I remember being out there playing. I was playing with a broken leg and thinking to myself, this is what I am here for, this is why I had the surgery, to put the plate in my leg to have the opportunity to win a Super Bowl, and it went the wrong way."
Woodson was released by the Raiders in 2004, but instead of being snatched up promptly, he had to make calls to teams around the league asking if they'd be interested in his services. Many never called back. Some offered tryouts. Only the Packers had genuine interest.
"I had a bad rap," he said. "I was a little bit of a wild child. I enjoyed myself as a young man. I guess they were tired of it. That is one of the reasons why I was out of Oakland and why nobody wanted to take a shot on me. There was talk about my game declining and not being the player that I was and that I had lost a step. All of that came into play when it came to finding another team."
He's no longer a wild child. Now he's a man. The man. And the voice of the Packers. "At times you're led to speak and you do that," he said. "It's something that I'm fine with. I'm comfortable doing it. It's worked so far. It's been good for us. Hopefully for one more time."
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