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I-Want-Troy's-Hair
06-16-2010, 01:11 AM
with the Bungles...?!?!?!?

http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Woodson-comes-down-from-Canton/ccde638f-f279-4150-81a2-c8b9320569f5

It wasn’t like he was wearing No. 26 in stripes, but seeing Pro Football Hall of Famer Rod Woodson on the field Tuesday morning wearing a Bengals ball cap and T-Shirt would have thrilled any fan of Who Dey nation of a certain age.

It certainly did the defensive backs he is helping coach this week in the Bengals’ mandatory minicamp and in the early stages of the training camp that starts in six weeks. At 45 and fresh off last year’s first-ballot election to Canton, the 5-11, 205-pound Woodson still looks like he could play on passing downs. When asked if he had his 19th defensive back on an already teeming depth chart, defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer said, “He’s a pretty good one.”

How good? In 15 seasons as a Pro Bowl cornerback and later as a Pro Bowl safety he had 71 interceptions, the third most of all-time.

“I hope I can get him in that film room and try to get some of his tactics,” said cornerback Adam Jones after his first practice with Woodson. “Hopefully that will make me a better player. Just getting him in there (the film room) so he can tell me some of his secrets or tendencies when he watches film. He’s got so many interceptions he must have watched film to get those interceptions. He’s one of the best of all time. It’s always good to get in there and try to pick somebody’s brain. You can’t do nothing but get better.”

It may have seemed like Woodson played forever, but none of these 18 DBs were playing in the NFL when Woodson retired from the Raiders in 2003. Cornerback Johnathan Joseph knows him as a NFL Network analyst as well as an all-time great and he came away impressed with his first meeting with him Tuesday.

“He’s smart. You can tell just from talking to him, seeing different things that you don’t know that you thought you knew,” Joseph said.

They got into it pretty deep Tuesday as they talked about the need for giving quarterbacks different looks.

“Because the quarterbacks in the league are so good, if you show the same thing all the time, they’re going to pick you apart.”

Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis has always raved about Woodson, everything from his brains to his athleticism, to his toughness. He first worked with him in Pittsburgh in the mid 1990s when Lewis was the linebackers coach and Woodson was a perennial Pro Bowl cornerback. He then lured him to Baltimore when he was the defensive coordinator for the Ravens and made him a safety on the stingiest defense of all time for the 2000 Super Bowl champs.

“I’ve been fortunate to be around a lot of players that impacted me that I’ve coached or been in the room with in Rod’s case in two different places. He’s one of the best football players I’ve been around,” Lewis said. “As I told those guys I wouldn’t be here in this job if it wasn’t for guys like him and what he did and how he went about his job which helps you coach guys on how to do their job. To see a guy who led by example, was the most athletically talented player in the room, the smartest player and the most competitive player in the room says a lot.”

With his children older, Woodson said he began thinking more seriously about getting into coaching (“It’s something I always wanted to do”) and he called Lewis late last season. Lewis remembered and called him a few months ago to offer him a coaching internship for the mandatory minicamp and training camp.

“I said, ‘You know what, I think I’m going to take you up on it.’ I want to see if this is what I want to do,” Woodson said. “It has to be in my heart.”

TV is close enough to his heart that he can’t coach the last part of camp because of his on-air commitments. Lewis says the biggest question is if he can put up with players that don’t give as much as he did. But he says Woodson should get the answer during this experience.

“The only way to do it is to do it,” Lewis said. “He’s going to commit himself to do it. Only thing he can experience is training camp and this. He’ll know. He’ll have a great idea of it.”

Woodson enjoys mixing with players at the network, but he feels like he should do more.

“I just think I can impact them more on a day-to-day basis,” Woodson said. “I’ve got a lot of knowledge that was given to me through my playing from players and coaches. I feel I should give that back. It’s harder to give back when you’re away. When guys come through the network, I can spend a day or so with them, but you can’t really impact them. You can maybe give them a tip of knowledge, but on a day-to-day basis you really can’t impact them.”

He’ll certainly have an impact on Joseph and Leon Hall, guys he has called on air the best cornerback tandem, not Darrelle Revis and any other guy.

“These guys are solid players and they’re only going to get better. They’re still young,” Woodson said. “They’ve got a lot of upside to them. I know how good they are. Seeing them live, everything I saw on tape is ditto.”

Certainly Woodson sounds like a coach when it comes to Jones.

“We know he’s a great talent,” Woodson said. “Can he take advantage of this opportunity that’s been given him again? We know he’s gifted. Now he has to learn the system and learn the terminology, get back out there and start playing…He still has the explosion.”

Once upon a time there was a chance that No. 26 would be in stripes. In the winter of 1997 when Woodson’s defensive coordinator in Pittsburgh, Dick LeBeau, moved to the Bengals, LeBeau ran his free-agent workout at Purdue. Woodson said Tuesday he would have signed here if Riverfront Stadium had grass.

“I wanted to get away from Astroturf for awhile. Three Rivers Stadium was something else,” Woodson said. “So I went out to natural grass with the 49ers. It got muddy and nasty at the end of the year, but it was still better on my knees.”

Thirteen springs later, No. 26 is here.

Aussie_steeler
06-16-2010, 03:20 AM
Once upon a time there was a chance that No. 26 would be in stripes. In the winter of 1997 when Woodson’s defensive coordinator in Pittsburgh, Dick LeBeau, moved to the Bengals, LeBeau ran his free-agent workout at Purdue. Woodson said Tuesday he would have signed here if Riverfront Stadium had grass.

“I wanted to get away from Astroturf for awhile. Three Rivers Stadium was something else,” Woodson said. “So I went out to natural grass with the 49ers. It got muddy and nasty at the end of the year, but it was still better on my knees.”


If the Bengals would have known that fact I am sure they would have ripped up the astro and put grass in just to sign Woodson. Would the steelers have done similar if requested?

Psycho Ward 86
06-16-2010, 09:58 AM
NOOOOOOO PORQUEEEEE

BlastFurnace
06-16-2010, 12:05 PM
It's no big deal. He's wanting to coach. Had Tomlin called him, he might have come to Pittsburgh. He has a prior relationship with Lewis, as does Dawon, who also is in Cincinnati.

It's not different than Ken Anderson coaching Ben or Dick LeBeau coaching our defense. Just because Rod was a great player doesn't mean he will be a great coach.

BigNastyDefense
06-16-2010, 12:10 PM
No big deal, you get your foot in the door any way you can. I hate the Browns....but I hate my current job more and one of my customers is trying to get me a job with the Browns. It's football (well kind of, it's still the Clowns), and if it gets my foot in the door I could move to anywhere.

7willBheaven
06-16-2010, 12:24 PM
I think Rod may be doing this with a lot of teams...he did a piece for NFL Network the other week with him doing the same thing for the 49ers and I heard somewhere he's going to go to a number of teams doing the same thing. I would definitely welcome him to come in and work with the Steelers DBs...especially since most of them are young...it sure wouldnt hurt, haha.

BlastFurnace
06-16-2010, 03:22 PM
No big deal, you get your foot in the door any way you can. I hate the Browns....but I hate my current job more and one of my customers is trying to get me a job with the Browns. It's football (well kind of, it's still the Clowns), and if it gets my foot in the door I could move to anywhere.

LOL...I agree. I live close to Arlington, Texas. If Jerry Jones offered me a great job I would take it in a heartbeat.

HometownGal
06-18-2010, 07:12 AM
It's no big deal. He's wanting to coach. Had Tomlin called him, he might have come to Pittsburgh. He has a prior relationship with Lewis, as does Dawon, who also is in Cincinnati.

It's not different than Ken Anderson coaching Ben or Dick LeBeau coaching our defense. Just because Rod was a great player doesn't mean he will be a great coach.

Exactly. He wants to see if it is "in his heart" and Uncle Marv gave him the opportunity to test the waters. I have no problem with that.

However, that being said - I would love nothing more than to have him come into the Steelers TC and show some of our youngins' how it's done - the Woodson Way. :thumbsup:

solardave
06-18-2010, 11:01 AM
Someone who can get into camp when they allow it do me a favor. sneak up on Tomlin and kick him in the ass for no calling Woodson. What was he thinking?

Psycho Ward 86
06-18-2010, 11:25 AM
Someone who can get into camp when they allow it do me a favor. sneak up on Tomlin and kick him in the ass for no calling Woodson. What was he thinking?

Good players arent always good coaches

solardave
06-18-2010, 12:27 PM
As much as I hate to admit it the Bungals secondary put ours to shame last year. I'd rather see Rod teaching our guys. I'm just sayin'

BlastFurnace
06-18-2010, 01:40 PM
As much as I hate to admit it the Bungals secondary put ours to shame last year. I'd rather see Rod teaching our guys. I'm just sayin'

That was due to the signing of Mike Zimmer as their DC. He is an excellent DC. It doesn't hurt to have 2 guys at CB that can flat out play though.

salamander
06-18-2010, 04:15 PM
I know if I'd had the opportunity to coach in the NFL, I'd sure as hell take it... rival team or not. You gotta get your foot in the door somehow.