You might remember that in the 2001 season, Woodson was the guy who hit Tom Brady and forced the fumble that was later ruled a forward pass on the infamous “tuck play” - that was the year that Woodson started being used more on the blitz. He was first-team All-Pro the next year as he scored his second touchdown. Woodson established himself as a big-play defender with the Oakland Raiders right away, picking off five balls in his rookie year (one of them a pick-six) and forcing two fumbles. Woodson was the fourth overall pick in the 1998 draft - the Peyton Manning draft - and he was one of four players in that incredible first round to be elected to the Hall of Fame: Manning, Woodson, Randy Moss and Alan Faneca. Since Woodson, only Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o, when he finished second to Johnny Manziel in 2012, came close to winning the Heisman as a defensive player, and even he wasn’t that close.
*Before Woodson, those were the only five defensive players who finished top four in the Heisman voting in the previous 40 years. It is true that he probably would not have won the Heisman without his exploits as a returner and a wide receiver at Michigan, but he still broke through in a way that other great college defenders like Hugh Green, Rich Glover, Brian Bosworth, Steve Emtman and Marvin Jones could not.*
Woodson entered the NFL in an entirely different class from any player before him because he was the first predominantly defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy.
#ALAN WALKER ON MY WAY WALLPAPER FREE#
Charles Woodson’s position was “playmaker.” I do realize that’s one of those football clichés that doesn’t particularly impress anybody - sort of like when someone thinks the ultimate compliment is, “Now, that is a football player” - but there’s no way to describe Woodson’s game without saying that whether he was a right corner, left corner, free safety, strong safety, receiver, returner, in coverage or on the blitz, Charles Woodson was always looking to completely change the game.
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