Still the Best on the Corner

Let me just start by saying that this post was inspired by an ESPN.com article which is linked at the bottom of the post regarding the success of Charles Woodson, a personal favorite of The Let Out. Since 1997 I have been a huge Charles Woodson fan, and as much success as he has had over his illustrious football career, I still feel he doesn't get the recognition he deserves when football "experts" talk about the elite players in the NFL. With all the hype surrounding cornerbacks such as Nnamdi Asomugha and Darrelle Revis, Charles Woodson has been overlooked over his career, which is unbelievable considering how successful he's been. Woodson, the heisman trophy winner from Michigan over a decade ago and former first round pick has had arguably his best season as a pro this year for the Packers. The Defensive Player of the Year candidate, at 33 years young, has amassed a season including 8 INTs, 4 forced fumbles, 2 sacks, 2 defensive TDs and 70 tackles at the cornerback position. Woodson was the leading Pro Bowl vote getter among NFC corners with over 360,000 votes. He has anchored a number two ranked Green Bay defense, despite losing Pro Bowlers Aaron Kampman and Al Harris. In his 12th season, in my opinion Woodson is finally getting the respect as a pro that he deserves. For 12 seasons he has done nothing but play his game, while other corners have always gotten more ink than him. What I love about him is he is a complete FOOTBALL player. He is always around the ball. For those that were lucky enough to see him play in college saw the beginning of an amazing career that is possibly coming to a peak in this 2009 NFL season. To this day, Charles Woodson is still the best defensive college football player I have ever seen. Attached is the ESPN.com article mentioned at the top, chronicling the various parts of Woodson's career including his split with the Raiders, his first impressions of Green Bay and all that he does within the community. Woodson, like a lot of great athletes, plays with an enormous chip on his shoulder, and it has paid off. For those that are only starting to appreciate Woodson now, better late than never.

Things you may not know about the greatness that is Charles Woodson...
-In his Heisman season of 1997, Charles beat runner-up Peyton Manning by over 200 votes
-He is still the ONLY primary defensive player to win the Heisman
-After being the 4th pick in the 1998 Draft, he validated his draft position by winning Defensive Rookie of the Year and was named to his first Pro Bowl
-5 time Pro Bowler, 2 time All-Pro First-team

Career Stats: 511 tackles, 44 INTs, 11.5 sacks

For those that have been following his career since Michigan, you will remember these memorable moments...




And that #24 Raiders jersey is still one of the baddest jerseys of all time.



LINK

Sidenote: How were the Bucs and Packers the only teams that contacted him when he became a free agent. Mind-boggling.