Rod Woodson Talks About Hall of Fame Career and Trusting Roger Goodell

When Rod Woodson takes his place among other revered Pro Football Hall of Fame members during the August 8 Enshrinement Ceremony in Canton, Ohio as part of the Class of 2009, the 11-time Pro Bowler says he won't be thinking about his special status: the 63rd player among 253 members to be elected in his first year of eligibility.

"Just think about how long pro football has been going on -- it's over a hundred years old!'' Woodson marveled during a lengthy one-on-one interview with FanHouse on Monday. "And to think I'm one of the 200-some-odd guys to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame ... I think it's just so surreal."

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Woodson, 44, is one of pro football's greatest defensive backs, and he earns distinction as being one of the easiest "no-brainer" votes this selector has ever made. Often, worthy players are debated and analyzed on Selection Saturday for hours, and must endure waiting periods that extend more than decade. Some never make it in football's most exclusive fraternity, despite stellar playing careers.

The debate for Woodson this past February was almost non-existent -- rather than argue his merits, the 44-person board of selectors merely discussed how deserving he was for this honor.

In a wide-ranging interview, Woodson -- now a popular analyst on the NFL Network and its flagship show NFL Total Access -- touched on who made him an elite NFL player (does the name Rod Rust ring a bell, Steelers fans?).

He also weighed in with his thoughts on the Hall of Fame selection process; the challenge of being an All-Pro player at three positions (cornerback, safety, kick returner); his roles as a student and mentor through 17 NFL seasons; what he thinks of his time with the Steelers, 49ers, Ravens and Raiders; and why he thinks NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is doing the right thing in administering his all-powerful Personal Conduct Policy.

This much is clear -- we can expect a spectacular acceptance speech from Woodson on August 8.


Nancy Gay: Aside from being a first-year eligible player, what does this Hall of Fame honor mean to you?

Woodson: "It's just so surreal. I talked to Mike Singletary a couple of months ago and asked, 'Did it ever sink in? When did you really realize that you're a Hall of Famer?' Mike told me he still doesn't see it. And I understand what he's saying because when I look in the mirror, I don't see Ray Nitschke, a Joe Montana, I don't see a Gale Sayers or a Jim Brown, or even a Mike Singletary, for that matter. I just see this nappy-headed kid from Fort Wayne, Ind. that played football. I see a dad, a friend, a coach, a husband. I don't see a pro football player. It's surreal. It's remarkable that it's happened to me. It's definitely a huge individual honor that has come upon me. I'm just so humbled and it's truly hard to express what it means deep, deep down inside."

Gay: "Did you ever think during your 17 NFL seasons, 'I might be on the path to the Hall of Fame?'''

Woodson: "C'mon now! You know that's not me. I played the game because I loved it. We all started playing the game as a little kid and we fall in love with it, and it becomes a part of us. Most guys in the National Football League have been playing the game since they were nine, 10 years old. So it's embedded in our DNA, basically. Me, I never thought about it.

"Even after retirement, (NFL Network co-host Rich) Eisen would bring it up all the time, and I was really uncomfortable. Because I think it's a dishonor to all of those who have made it, to talk about me being there (beforehand)."

Gay: "Why would you say that?"

Woodson: "Because the players that are there, that have been inducted, they're immortalized. Their bust is there (in Canton) forever. I shouldn't put myself in that category until I'm actually placed in that category. I don't think athletes should laud ourselves as Hall of Famers until you as voters put us in there."

Gay: "On that subject, Rodney Harrison spoke to FanHouse recently and was very critical of the Hall of Fame selection process being limited to a 44-person board of media selectors. What's your opinion of the current process?"

Woodson: "I heard a little bit about what Rodney said, and he sounds a little more concerned because of his image, rather than about the process. But I don't completely agree with the process. I would like a broader base. I agree with writers and media being there. But I would like to see, maybe, 12 Hall of Famers join in and have those guys rotate on a yearly basis. And they don't know who's going to vote until, maybe, two weeks prior to the votes being cast. I just think that would give it a better balance. Just like we do when we vote for the Pro Bowls."

Gay: "Steelers coach Chuck Noll drafted you (10th overall in 1987, out of Purdue) and recognized your extraordinary gifts as an all-purpose player, returning kicks and playing different positions in the secondary. Did he get the most out of you, or did your career blossom further under coach Bill Cowher's direction?"

Woodson: "Chuck gave me a foundation of the fundamentals of football. When I got there, Chuck Noll and (defensive coordinator) Tony Dungy were there, two tremendous, gifted individuals who knew how to coach football and how to play football. Tony taught me how to play corner; remember, I'd been a safety my whole career, from little league to college. It was a process for me to learn how to play corner. And it took quite a while.

"By that time, Tony Dungy left and a gentleman named Rod Rust came in after my third year. I went to my first Pro Bowl as a kick returner. But Rod was there (as coordinator) and he was the one coach who really challenged me as a player. He told me after a walk-though if I wanted to just go to a couple of Pro Bowls, just keep doing what I was doing. But he challenged me to think like a coach on the field.

"He pulled me aside after practice, we went into his office and he would break down film of how offenses would try to attack defensive players or systems. And how simple offenses are if you really look out of the box. That little green light clicked in when Rod Rust was there and it was amazing how easy it was. "Most players only get one coach that has the knowledge that he can really impart to a player, about the game, the position and how to win. Me? I was blessed with Chuck Noll, Tony Dungy, Rod Rust, Bill Cowher, Dom Capers and Dick LeBeau, all in Pittsburgh."
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"In my fourth and fifth year I made the Pro Bowl as a corner and then Bill Cowher came in, with Dom Capers and Dick LeBeau. And that just added to what Chuck Noll, Tony Dungy and Rod Rust had already given me. Now we have this "Blitzburgh" going. I got to play nickel, blitz and still play kick returner and punt returner. It was a good balance for me in Pittsburgh.

"Most players only get one coach that has the knowledge that he can really impart to a player, about the game, the position and how to win. Me? I was blessed with Chuck Noll, Tony Dungy, Rod Rust, Bill Cowher, Dom Capers and Dick LeBeau, all in Pittsburgh. Then I had Johnny Fox in the defensive backfield. I had an enormous amount of knowledge at my disposal."

Gay: "What specifically did these 'teaching' coaches impart to you?"

Woodson: "They teach you how to be a professional, on the field, on the practice field, in the meeting rooms, how to study, break down film. That is so critical for young players.

"Chuck Noll told me my rookie year that this game is played 85 percent mental. Everyone is talented in the National Football League. Everybody's tall, fast, quick, strong. But it's the individuals who can take all that coaching knowledge and apply it back on the field, those are the elite players."

Gay: "Are they any coaches today whom you would describe as 'thinking' coaches?"

Woodson: "When you start looking at teams that have been successful as far as on a system basis, you've got to go to New England first and Bill Belichick. The guy just teaches. You may not like his social skills, but he's a teacher. His guys will know how to play. They aren't going to be surprised during the game and they're going to be composed throughout the game.

"I think Mike Smith from the Atlanta Falcons is going to be a wonderful coach because he's a teacher first and a motivator second. I think Mike Singletary is going to be an outstanding teacher because he's going to demand of his players what he demanded of himself when he played -- and that's a lot.

"I think Mike Tomlin from the Steelers, he's a teacher. There are more, but those guys come to the top of my head. Their teams will come out knowing how to play, they're not going to beat themselves and they're going understand game situations."

Gay: "You were an All-Pro at cornerback, safety and kick returner. Can players today excel at different positions like that, or are they more specialized?"

Woodson: "I don't know if they're going to be asked to do that. Honestly -- if you're a middle linebacker, where can you go? I went (back) to safety because I slowed down. They moved me to corner because I was that fast, and I had the natural gifts to be a kick and a punt returner. And then they moved me back to safety when I slowed down. I have to go back to giving credit to those coaches giving me the understanding on how to play football and be a professional. Without that, I don't know if I would have been a Hall of Famer."


Gay: "In 17 NFL seasons as a player, you evolved from a student to a coach. Your career ended with the Oakland Raiders as a mentor. How satisfying is that part of your journey?"

Woodson: "The teaching aspect really started in Baltimore. I went to the 49ers right after (10 seasons with) the Steelers, really, in search of a Super Bowl win and came up short losing to Green Bay in the NFC Championship game that year (1997). But when I went to Baltimore, I realized that I really had to teach. These guys were raw and talented, but didn't understand it all. That's the reason why (defensive coordinator) Marvin Lewis called me and Mr. (Art) Modell allowed me to be a Raven, because they wanted me to teach these guys how to win at that stage.

"They put me right between Ray Lewis and Jamie Sharper in the locker room. My seat was right there in between the young guys. They called me grandpa and all that, but I embraced that because I got that when I was younger from Donnie Shell, Mike Webster and John Stallworth, who were there in Pittsburgh when I arrived. So it was my turn to give back to those young guys."

"When I did get to Oakland, they had Charles Woodson and he was a veteran already. But I still felt the need to give back to the younger players, like Nnamdi Asomugha. Nnamdi came in hungry, wanting to learn, wanting to understand it all. It took him a couple of years to 'get it,' just like it did me. It's hard for someone to come in as a rookie and be a dominant player. I normally say it takes about three years, and then you start seeing the flashes of how good a player is.

"For me, it was fitting for me to go to Oakland to end my career because I started my career with the PAL (Police Athletic League) Raiders when I was nine years old. And really, I never had a favorite player but one of my favorite teams growing up was the Raiders. I don't know if it was the mystique of the Silver and Black or because of how good they were. But the one player who probably had the best nickname in pro football history is (HOF, Class of 2002) "The Ghost," Dave Casper.

"Stuff like that just intrigued me about the Raiders. And for Al (Davis) to allow me to be a Raider for two years was kind of a childhood dream come true. I started as a Raider, and I finished as a Raider."

Gay: "In 1995, you tore your ACL in Week 1 and returned to play in Super Bowl XXX, the first NFL player to sustain that knee injury and return in the same season. That must have been rewarding and bittersweet at the same time, watching your team succeed while you rehabbed the knee."

Woodson: "It was. But the light of the end of the tunnel, I could see. I give all the credit for Bill Cowher, because normally when a guy hurts his ACL, he goes in IR right away, and we all know they don't come back. Bill and I and the doctors all sat down that Monday morning (after the injury) and talked about it. The doctor (Richard Steadman in Vail, Colo.) said four to six months. Well, six months ... that would be the playoffs. I looked at Bill and said, 'Well, that would be the playoffs.'

Bill left that spot open for me. He had enough respect for me and obviously we didn't have a lot of injuries to the secondary and Carnell Lake did a great job, moved to corner, took my spot and held his own. But without Bill leaving that spot open for me, all the hard work would have been for naught."

Gay: "You played on three different Super Bowl teams and won a ring with one of them. There are Hall of Famers, such as Dan Marino, who never played in a Super Bowl. (Ed. Note: Marino played in Super Bowl XIX) Does that seems remarkable to you, or lucky, or both?"

Woodson: "You have to be in the right place in the right time. When I first got to Pittsburgh, we weren't that good. The heyday was over. My first year, we were 6-10. So we had to rebuild it, basically. I think in Chuck's last year we made the playoffs and won a wild-card game, lost to Denver. And then Bill Cowher came in and put the pieces together and we put some strings of playoff runs in there.

"I think it's skill, luck, being blessed. A little of all of the above. As a team, the ball has to bounce the right way throughout the whole year for you to win the Super Bowl or to even get there. But to get there three times with three different teams, I would like to think I chose the right teams and helped them get to that point. I knew with the 49ers, they had Jerry (Rice) and Steve (Young) there, and that was my opportunity to try to get a ring. In Baltimore, it was all about projecting greatness.

"With the Raiders, Bill Callahan stepped in and (quarterback) Rich Gannon had the best year of his career. So that's one of the main reasons we went to the Super Bowl, because of Rich."

Gay: "During your playing career, you did not run afoul of the law. Now, as an NFL analyst, when you hear players today complain about Commissioner Roger Goodell's strict Personal Conduct Policy and see how he administers it, what do you think about that?"

Woodson: "There was a conduct policy; it was written in every contract, and it prohibited conduct detrimental to the team and to the league. It's always been there. But Roger was the first one to pull it out and say, 'This is what it's going to be. We can't have this anymore.'

"The difference between when I played and today is the number of media outlets. You can't do anything wrong nowadays. You might have gotten pulled over for DUI in the 1970s and nobody would have heard about it. But if you get a DUI today, it's on the front page the next day. There are so many media outlets and avenues to get information out there, from the Internet to Tweeting, to cell phones to texting, there are so many strings for that. It's much more today than back in the day."I agree with Roger wholeheartedly that you have to put your foot down about being disciplined and protecting 'The Shield.' Because it's a privilege to play in the National Football League."

"I agree with Roger wholeheartedly that you have to put your foot down about being disciplined and protecting 'The Shield.' Because it's a privilege to play in the National Football League. What I did for 17 years and what these guys do now -- at the end of the day, it's just a game. It's called a football game. So to play in a game is a privilege and it's a privilege to don a uniform and to make that type of money and represent your individual franchises, and to represent the NFL shield as a whole.

"I think Roger has done a good job of not baselining anyone. He's bringing those guys in individually, talking to them. He's using a human heart. And I think that's OK. We're given a conscience for a reason. Roger is letting these guys know that if you mess up, you're going to sit down for awhile. It's a great message to send to collegiate players, high school players who are projecting as pro players. You guys are role models, and we are not going to accept guys who come in here and act criminal on a daily basis."

Gay: "You're active in a campaign with Depend.com and other athletes to promote prostate cancer awareness, including having a video of yourself posted on the Internet undergoing a simple PSA test. Why is this important to you?

Woodson: "The PSA test is so easy. All they do is draw blood. And when they called me, my wife (Nikki) and I did some research. My wife told me African-American men are 2 ½ times more likely to have traces of prostate cancer in their body upon their death. Once she said that to me, I called the company back and said, 'I'll be a spokesperson.'' At age 44, I'd never even thought about prostate cancer. My doctor told me African-American men should get tested earlier. This work has really opened my eyes. Now that I'm aware of this, I want men to understand that prostate cancer can kill you, but it's treatable if you can catch it early."

Gay: "Do you see yourself getting emotional during your Enshrinement Speech on Aug. 8?"

Woodson: "I'll probably get teary eyed. I think it's an emotional thing. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You go over your speech and think about what you'll say. That's key for me; I need to thank everyone who sacrificed from themselves to put me in the Hall of Fame. So that's what my speech is about. Thanking everyone who took from themselves, to give to me, to put me up there on that stage. And that will be emotional. People have given up a lot for me.

"I just hope I don't boo-hoo and break down so hard that I lose my breath. That's all I'm hoping."