The only two things that would make me want to see Woodson back on the Packers are...
1. Injuries to DBs leaving the Packers with no other options.
2. Taking a gigantic paycut. I am sure there will be another team in need of a corner soon that would be willing to pay Woodson more money than the Packers would.
I applaud everything Woodson has done for the Packers. The one thing the Packers will miss greatly is his leadership and locker room presence. No one on the defense will be able to fill those two voids immediately. Now his play is different. It has declined so much that there a numerous guys on the roster that can play at a higher/better level than Woodson. Signing Woodson just because he is still out there would hinder the development of all these young players trying to secure their starting position.
Originally Posted by: Yerko
I don't know about this Yerko. You are certainly entitled to your opinion, and I agree with much of what you are saying here.
To me, Charles Woodson brings more onto the field than the ability to play a position. You mentioned the leadership qualities and locker room presence. I've often thought he would be one of those types to take a younger player under his wing so to speak, and show him how the game is played at this level.
Last season, I realized Charles Woodson does not work this way. It was in an article I read somewhere, and he said he wasn't there to show these younger players anything. No extra time with them, giving pointers on technique, etc. I wish I had a link, but it was something written last season. I was kind of shocked.
Then, I realized his leadership is more through example. How he plays. How he practices. How he prepares.
I do think the guy was slightly miscast in Capers' system, just during last season, maybe a little towards the end of 2011. His wheels are not what they once were, and it affected his ability to stay with a WR in coverage. He's been playing a hybrid CB/S position in the system, and it worked great when he was on top of his CB skills, and he had the ability to run with other younger WRs - because he could tackle like nobody's business. Last season, it was readily apparent that he lost that speed, but Capers kept positioning him in that same capacity. He often got flagged for holding or pass interference in his attempts to stay with these younger players in coverage.
Now, I do believe he would be better as a pure SS. His ability to snuff out a run is still as keen as anyone in the game, and he can stop a RB, usually at the line. He still has enough speed to hang with many TEs, which he could find himself getting a big dose of at SS. He still blew up plays behind the line of scrimmage last year.
If Capers wants to continue using a hybrid CB/S in his defense, he ought to use one of the younger guys there, someone with good cover skills who can tackle. McMillian comes to mind as a possibility. So does the newly signed UDFA Dame Smith. I think that would be far more dynamic for our defense, and more effective in covering both the run and the TEs releasing through the secondary.
Woodson's innate sense of where a play is going and his ability to snuff it out is still there. I just don't think he should be playing any kind of CB anymore. He may transition really well to SS. If he did come back at a reasonable price to do this, I would be pretty happy about it.