GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -Charles Woodson has made his mark in the NFL for more than 10 years and most recently with the Green Bay Packers the last 2 1/2 years.
The 32-year-old cornerback, however, was made to feel like a rookie all over again when he went through the Packers’ full practice Friday.
“You’ve got to hear everybody talking about, ‘Who’s the new guy out here at practice?”’ Woodson said of the playful ribbing he took from teammates.
Woodson, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, hadn’t participated in all phases of a practice since he broke a toe in the Packers’ opening win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 8.
The injury didn’t prevent Woodson from playing in any games the last two months, but he had been excused from on-field work on most practice days.
“Just visiting with him yesterday, he felt that he was back to where he would like to practice, instead of doing all of his work on treadmills and so forth,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said after practice Friday. “It was good for him to get some live reps today.”
weight room, Woodson stayed busy away from the practice field by running in the team’s training pool at Lambeau Field the last few weeks.
“That helps out a great deal; it takes a lot of stress off of it,” said Woodson, referring to the fractured small toe on his right foot.
As far as Woodson can tell, the toe no longer is broken.
“I haven’t taken another X-ray in about, I guess, three or four weeks,” he said. “The way it feels, it’s got to be right.”
In a change from earlier in the season, Woodson doesn’t need to wear a shoe with a hole cut out of the side, which gave the toe some relief. Woodson said, though, he would continue to wear a cast-like shield over his right shoe on gameday as a way to protect the toe from further damage.
“It gets a little sore, but I guess that’s to be expected,” Woodson said. “But, as far as broke, I think it’s good.”
Woodson has overcome the lingering injury by having one of his most productive seasons as a pro.
He is among six players, including Packers safety Nick Collins, tied for the league lead with four interceptions. Woodson has returned two of those for touchdowns.
Woodson relied on extensive film study to compensate for not being in practice to gain insights into an upcoming opponent’s tendencies on offense. Getting back in a practice environment was more to his liking.
“Just to be able to get out there and run around on field like you would in a game, that’s the big plus of getting that day in of practice,” Woodson said. “You get to run fade routes, cover a guy on corner routes, pivot routes, and all of those things get you ready for Sunday. And, I’ve been missing those things.”
Woodson said he probably would be practicing strictly on Fridays the rest of the season, a modified routine he followed in his first two years with the Packers as he fought through an assortment of injuries.
“Sitting out all week is fine, but I really do like to at least get that one day in,” Woodson said.
Meanwhile, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is settling into a routine of not doing much in practice on Fridays.
Aside from making a few soft tosses in the jog-through portion at the start, Rodgers was given a break from throwing.
Green Bay’s medical staff decided to give Rodgers’ sprained throwing shoulder an extra day of rest before the Packers and Vikings meet again Sunday, at Minnesota.
“The medical staff felt that it was best to shut him down today, based on his level of soreness this morning,” McCarthy said.
Rodgers did the most throwing in a practice setting Wednesday and Thursday since suffering the injury Sept. 28 at Tampa Bay.
“It’s coming along. It’s really not an issue,” Rodgers said of the shoulder. “We’re going to stay on the pitch count for a while. Other than that, it’s really not an issue. I’ll throw Wednesday and Thursday and then relax it on Friday. That’s the schedule we’re going to stay on for now.”
McCarthy expects Rodgers to make the start Sunday. Despite the injury, he hasn’t missed a game.
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