By Pete Dougherty greenbaypressgazette
The Oakland Raiders front office leaked word around the NFL in the spring of 2006 that they cut ties with Charles Woodson because he was a selfish, undermotivated malcontent.
Hes been anything but for the Green Bay Packers and General Manager Ted Thompson, who lured him with $10.5 million in first-year pay despite Woodsons flagging reputation.
In two-plus seasons, Woodson, 31, has won the admiration of the Packers front office and coaching staff by demonstrating toughness and the ability to regularly miss practices because of injuries but play quality cornerback on game day.
He did it almost all last season, when he usually practiced only one day, Friday, to rest a severe case of turf toe. Now he has a broken right toe and didnt practice at all last week, yet was in the starting lineup and made two huge fourth-quarter interceptions in the Packers 48-25 win over Detroit.
Very unusual, said Carl Hairston, the Packers defensive ends coach who played defensive line in the NFL for 15 years. Coaches probably wonder how hes going to play. But then he goes out there and plays like hes been practicing all week.
Woodson broke the toe in the regular-season opener against Minnesota the Packers wont say which toe he broke and after playing the entire game against the Lions in Week 2, he doesnt appear any better or worse.
So, for the second straight week Woodson wont practice but is a good bet to take the field on Sunday, this time against Dallas at Lambeau Field.
The Packers are amazed not so much by Woodson playing through painful injuries many NFL players do that but by his ability to miss the valuable repetitions in practice and perform at a high level on game day.
Woodson has won the trust of coach Mike McCarthy and his staff to miss practices and suit up McCarthy said he determined the night before the Lions game that Woodson would play, though he was willing to wait until pregame warm-ups to decide if necessary. Woodson is attending all meetings, and while his teammates are on the practice field Wednesday through Friday, he rehabilitates the toe and works out.
The coaching staff attributes Woodsons ability to play at a high level without practice to his experience (11 years in the NFL), intelligence and study habits.
Studying videotape and game plans are especially important, because it keeps a resting players mind sharp for the fast reactions needed on game day.
Woodson can stay in shape with physical work on the low-impact elliptical trainer and by running in a pool, where the waters buoyancy takes much of the weight off his injury. But he has to keep his football reactions as sharp as possible, and Woodson does that with visualization while watching videotape of the weeks opponent.
You keep it upstairs, between the ears; thats how he keeps it together, said Lionel Washington, the Packers cornerbacks coach and a cornerback in the NFL for 15 years.
I think he plays the game in the head. Im assuming thats what hes doing; thats what I did myself. I did it when I didnt practice until Friday. I went through every conceivable situation I could put myself in, I could see my body moving and certain things. Im sure he does the same thing. He plays the game in his head, see it happening, and just reacting.
Washington, however, said he experienced the one-day practice week only once or twice a season. Woodson did it for most of last year, and for the second half of 2006 as well because of a shoulder injury. Washington could think of only one other player who could go extended periods with little practice and still play well, his former teammate with the Oakland Raiders, cornerback Terry McDaniel.
Hairston remembered only one time in his career when he played after missing all week of practice, in his case because of bronchitis. He said he had four offsides penalties in that game.
Some guys are talented and gifted enough to do that, Hairston said. Thats incredible, I think, especially in the secondary. I take my hat off to him. I saw him (Thursday) morning, he was studying tape. That right there alone will carry you, if you study your opponent, then you get out there playing and everything (physically) catches up with you (mentally). The way he played Sunday was just incredible. Hes a gifted player, a gifted athlete.
Through the course of the season, many players will miss a day or two of practice and play, and this week, halfback Ryan Grant, like Woodson, might not practice because of a sore hamstring but is expected to play Sunday.
Another veteran, left tackle Chad Clifton, appears set on a limited practice schedule all season because of chronically sore knees, just as he did most of last year. He takes part in the walk-through portion of practice on Wednesdays and Thursdays, then does everything on Fridays.
Woodson may be looking at an especially hard road if he tries to go an extended time without practice. Theres no knowing how long before his toe heals enough to practice at least on Fridays. If the injury gets worse or fails to improve over time, he might need a game or two off last year, he eventually missed one game because of the turf toe.
For now, the Packers are taking it week by week, determining Woodsons practice schedule based on how his toe is after each game.
Mentally, I think hed be able to do it (for a long stretch of the season), Washington said. Physically, we dont know. You need to go out and see it (on the practice field some), because as the season goes on, you want to be able to see things to be sharp. We just have to wait and see.
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