Defying The Odds

In the world of professional sports, the age of 30 is considered ancient to some; so you can only imagine how people feel about a 39-year old professional athlete. At the age of 39, Oakland Raiders free safety Charles Woodson is not only defying the odds, but he continues to add to his stellar football resume.

In 1997, Woodson became the first defensive player since 1949 to win the Heisman Trophy as the nation’s top college football player. Woodson would then go on to be the fourth overall pick of the 1998 National Football League Draft by the Raiders.

After getting picked on during his first professional game by the Kansas City Chiefs, Woodson adjusted rather quickly to the pro game as he would go on to be named as the National Football League’s Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1998 while also being named to his first of eight Pro Bowls.

After eight National Football League seasons with the Raiders, Woodson would become a free agent. And after being courted by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Woodson would ultimately join the Green Bay Packers in 2006.

Woodson would go on to have a similar impact on the Packers defense to that of Hall of Fame defensive end Reggie White when he arrived in Green bay in 1993. In Woodson’s second season in Green Bay, he helped the Packers reach the NFC Championship for the first time in a decade. And in 2009, Woodson received the ultimate honor when he was named the National Football League’s Defensive Player of the Year as he led the league in interceptions that year with 9. Woodson would only have a pair of interceptions for the Packers in 2010, but his leadership in the Green Bay secondary proved to be vital as he would help Green Bay claim their fourth Super Bowl Title in franchise history.

In 2011, Woodson tallied 7 interceptions, but he appeared to have lost a step which resulted in the Packers shifting him to strong safety in the following season. The Packers still needed Woodson’s leadership, but they could not afford him financially which paved the way for him to rejoin the Raiders in 2013.

Since reaching the Super Bowl in January 2003, the Raiders have been down on their luck as they’ve failed to post a winning season since then. And thus the Raiders welcomed Woodson back with open arms for the veteran leadership that he could provide. Even with Woodson back on the Raiders, they have not been close to being a playoff contender, but that has not prevented him from being an impact player for them.

In his first two seasons since re-joining the Raiders, Woodson tallied five interceptions. But through five games this year, Woodson already has four interceptions and he saved his best effort for this past Sunday.

Woodson came into the National Football League in the same year as Denver Broncos starting quarterback Peyton Manning. In 1997, Woodson would beat out Manning to win the Heisman Trophy. Manning spent his first 14 seasons in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts before joining the Broncos. And over the years, Manning and Woodson have gone at it on the football field numerous times. But surprisingly, Woodson was never able to pick Manning off until the past Sunday.

When the Broncos met the Raiders this past Sunday, Woodson was finally able to pick Manning off and he got his money’s worth as he did it twice to prove that the first one wasn’t a fluke. For his career Woodson now has 64 interceptions which is sixth all-time in National Football League. And if you’re wondering, four of the five players that are in front of Woodson on the list on the all-time interceptions are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

It’s not that easy to hang around for 18 years in the National Football League like Woodson has which makes what he is doing truly tremendous. Woodson has always concentrated on his conditioning along with his leadership which is truly infectious. When Woodson joined the Raiders in 1998, he was able to lean on one of the best cornerbacks of that era in Eric Allen. And Woodson took what he learned from Allen and has built off of that.

Over the years the NFL Draft has been littered with early first-round picks that have never been able to pan out which makes what Woodson has been able to do that more remarkable as he should get to the Pro Football Hall of Fame upon his first year of eligibility. But that could be a ways away due to the fact that Woodson is still getting the job done and making it look easy in the process. Regardless of what position that Woodson plays in the secondary, he has tremendous range as you can ask any quarterback that has dared him about that.

The Raiders have a long history of solid play in the defensive secondary which ranges from the likes of Willie Brown, Lester Haynes, and Jack Tatum just to name a few and Woodson falls right into the mix.