GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -Green Bay Packers cornerback Charles Woodson is keeping his plans pretty simple during this week’s bye: A trip to his home in Atlanta for some rest and relaxation.
“Kick my feet up – literally,” Woodson said.
He has earned it. Woodson has been playing with a broken right toe for most of the season, an injury that has kept the former Heisman Trophy winner away from practice for weeks, but hasn’t kept him off the field on game day.
But missing practice and, until recently, playing through significant pain with a bulky wrap on his foot hasn’t stopped the 32-year-old Woodson from laying the foundation for what could end up being a Pro Bowl season.
Consistent contributions from Woodson and another guy who’s proving himself to be surprisingly tough, first-year starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers, are two major reasons the injury-riddled Packers go into the bye at 4-3 and tied for the NFC North lead.
yers such as cornerback Al Harris and safety Atari Bigby to get healthy enough to play again – increasing the chances the Packers’ first post-Brett Favre season could end in another playoff run.
Woodson said his toe has healed to the point that it isn’t an issue.
“This last Sunday, I didn’t even tape it up and played,” Woodson said. “I still cut a hole in the side of my shoe to give it some room. But other than that, I’m out there pretty much playing mostly free with the toe, so it’s been good.”
Indeed it has.
Woodson has four interceptions in seven games, tying him for the league lead with three other players, including one of his teammates, safety Nick Collins. Woodson’s performance has gone a long way toward helping the Packers rebound from a rough stretch.
The defense hit a lull with Harris and Bigby on the sideline as the Packers allowed 27-plus points in three straight losses. But Green Bay rebounded to win two in a row going into the bye, including an impressive effort against Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday.
Woodson might have delivered his most complete performance against the Colts. He spent much of the afternoon matched with receiver Reggie Wayne – Woodson matches up with the slot receiver in the Packers’ nickel package – and Wayne finished the game with two catches for 24 yards.
it up there,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “He’s been able to fight through the injury and do it with hardly any practice. I thought that he was as dialed in (Sunday) as I’ve seen him.”
Like Rodgers, who has played – and played well – in three straight games despite a sprained right shoulder, Woodson is proving something about his ability to play through pain and prepare without practicing.
“He’s showed everyone that he’s one hell of a football player,” Packers cornerbacks coach Lionel Washington said. “I think a guy, to do what he has done over the past month or so, without practicing at all, going out and performing at a high level week in and week out is a tremendous job.”
Woodson doesn’t want to be singled out for credit.
“This has been fun,” Woodson said. “Especially going out there and being able to play the game without practicing. I get a little winded at times because I’m not able to run the way I want to. Hopefully that’ll change in the next couple weeks. But I’m playing well, and (it’s) not just myself. Especially the last couple weeks, the defense as a whole has really stepped up to the challenge. I’m just trying to do my part.”
Woodson makes up for some of what he’s missing in practice with film study. The rest comes through something you can’t teach: The guy just gets it.
Washington called Woodson “sharp.”
ever been around, he believes what he sees,” Washington said. “Anytime you believe what you see, you’re going to have a chance to make a play.”
The recent raves of Packers coaches stand in stark contrast to Woodson’s reputation as something of a malcontent coming out of Oakland as a free agent after the 2005 season.
Woodson wasn’t particularly interested in signing with the Packers, but they were the only team seriously interested in him. And when he first got to Green Bay, he butted heads with his coaches, joking last season that he was fined for “everything” early on.
Today, Woodson has realized that life in Green Bay isn’t so bad. And he is developing a reputation as a hard worker and positive influence in the locker room.
Coaches say they came in with no preconceived notions about Woodson, and haven’t been disappointed with the player they’ve come to know.
“As a former player myself, I never doubt a football player or doubt when someone says, ‘He’s not a hard worker,”’ Washington said. “I want to see it for myself. Because you never know what the circumstance or the situation was for him, and you never know what a player’s going through at the time. You don’t become an All-Pro football player by being a lazy football player. He’s proven that since he’s been here.”
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