![]() History books show no sack by Woodson, the fumble overturned into an incomplete pass by Brady, who would lead the Patriots to an overtime victory and hasten Gruden's departure and the Raiders' descent. Woodson's final game with Gruden as his coach? The "Tuck Rule Game." With Woodson coming on a corner blitz, he dislodged the ball from Michigan college teammate Tom Brady in the New England snow to send the Raiders to the AFC title game in January 2002. Woodson went to four Pro Bowls and was twice named first-team All-Pro in his first four seasons with the Raiders. Those guys made me know early on what I had to bring to the table - be a tough, physical, fast football player." "The first thing he would tell us, 'There are 31 teams in the NFL, and there's the Raiders.' That's the kind of mentality you picked up when you got there. "Willie Brown was a guy who made sure you understood what it meant to be a Raider," Woodson said. On the football side of things, Hall of Fame cornerback Willie Brown, the godfather of the Bump and Run, gave his blessing for Woodson to wear his old No. We went hard some nights, but when it was time to get up and do that thing on Sunday, man, we were ready to roll." I went hard in both areas - football and then off the field, as well."Įnter the likes of Rison and Garner. "Yeah, you're there to play football, but you also want to live as well, you know what I mean? I was that guy. "Out of college, high draft pick, you're just kind of ready for life," Woodson reminisced. But if it seemed like he was distracted, or allergic to practicing, it never showed up on game day. Woodson rewarded Gruden and the Raiders by being named the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the year. And he was a magnet, just attracting everybody to him. He was one of the most decorated defensive players in the history of the draft. It went Peyton Manning, then Ryan Leaf, then Andre Wadsworth, then us. "We were elated when he was there for us. "He was broken in by some wild guys, I'll say that," Gruden, whose first-ever draft pick as a head coach was Woodson, chuckled recently. Two decades later, Gruden laughs at the memory. Jon Gruden, then a young first-time head coach himself, would look on longingly as the cars pulled out of Raiders headquarters for parts unknown and mutter to himself, "Oh, no, there he goes." On others, Woodson would take off with running back Charlie Garner. Some days after practice, he'd hop in a car with wide receiver Andre Rison. 4 overall pick of the 1998 draft by the Raiders. Charles Woodson was a young player doing young player things when he first entered the NFL, a Heisman Trophy-winning No. To best encapsulate these distinct chapters, ESPN Raiders reporter Paul Gutierrez and ESPN Packers reporter Rob Demovsky combined to chronicle Woodson's road to Canton. ![]() In his return to the Raiders, Woodson became a legend. In Green Bay, he became a Hall of Fame player. The football story of Charles Woodson is, at its heart, a three-part yarn. NFL, Green Bay Packers, Las Vegas Raiders You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserįrom Hall of Fame talent to Hall of Fame production to NFL legend: The evolution of Charles Woodson ![]()
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