tibor75
Banned
Woodson prepared to focus on season
By Dennis Georgatos, Mercury News
Charles Woodson didn't get the contract he wanted. The four-time Pro Bowl cornerback for the Raiders made no apologies for trying.
"Damn right," Woodson said Tuesday after ending his prolonged holdout by signing the $8.782 million tender the Raiders extended in February, when they made him their exclusive franchise player.
"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't about the money. What player doesn't want to make a boatload of money? I'm one of those players. It didn't get done."
Woodson missed both spring mini-camps and all of training camp in the holdout that failed to produce the long-term contract he sought despite repeated talks over the past six months between Raiders executive Michael Lombardi and Carl Poston, Woodson's agent.
Woodson received no assurances the discussions would reopen this season on a new contract. Further, Woodson dismissed reports the Raiders had fashioned a proposal exceeding the seven-year, $63 million contract cornerback Champ Bailey received from Denver.
"Don't believe everything you hear," Woodson said. "I'm not getting what I want, but this is business. It happens. I'm still going to make good money. I'm not tripping about that."
Neither were his teammates, who gave him an unconditional welcome, or his coaches, who put him to work immediately. Still, Woodson made clear he had no patience for anyone, Raiders fans included, who were unable to relate to his motives.
"If you can't understand that, you can't understand me as a man, trying to do what I feel is necessary for me and mine, then that's your problem," Woodson said. "If you're bitter at me about that, that's fine. I'm still going to come out here and play football the way I know I can play football and that's it."
No sooner did Woodson sign the tender than he was back with the team for his first practice since last season. But Coach Norv Turner said Woodson isn't game-ready and won't play Thursday in the exhibition finale against the St. Louis Rams.
"He looked really good," Turner said. "He's awfully quick and using his hands extremely well. . . . I think everyone knows what impact players can do for a game, do for a season, so it's great to have him in."
Added fellow defensive back Nnamdi Asomugha, "Everybody is relieved. It's like, `OK, now we can get ready for the season and start to gel.' "
In the days before the Raiders' Sept. 12 opener at Pittsburgh, Woodson will be getting a crash course on first-year coordinator Rob Ryan's defense.
Woodson said he has enough time to learn the scheme.
The greater problem may be adjusting to the league-wide tightening of the illegal chuck rule banning contact with receivers 5 yards beyond the line of scrimmage as well as defensive-holding and pass-interference calls.
Woodson greeted the heightened enforcement plans with disdain.
"I'm gonna punch, grab, kick, scratch, whatever I've got to do out there on the field to win, so it don't even matter," Woodson said. "It's pretty ridiculous. You know, they try to be fan-friendly to make more money, they want more offense and that type of thing, at the expense of defense. But I don't see it being a problem. They've got to let us play football. That's the bottom line."
Turner said whether Woodson likes it or not, he'll have to adjust to the stricter enforcement of the rules.
"He doesn't need to grab and he doesn't need to hold. He's a great cover corner," Turner said. "There's a lot of people making the adjustment to the way they're calling it, and he's going to have to make that same adjustment."
Though Turner said Monday that Woodson would start the season as the Raiders' nickel back, on Tuesday he seemed to leave the door open to his return to the starting lineup by the opener.
"We're going to do everything we can to get him ready and we'll see where he's at late in the week next week," Turner said. "We'll make a decision based on how he handles everything."
For his part, Woodson said he's focusing on football and putting the money issues on the back burner.
"That's done with," he said. "This season is about to be under way. If something else happens, it happens. If it doesn't, maybe I'll be going through this again next year."
By Dennis Georgatos, Mercury News
Charles Woodson didn't get the contract he wanted. The four-time Pro Bowl cornerback for the Raiders made no apologies for trying.
"Damn right," Woodson said Tuesday after ending his prolonged holdout by signing the $8.782 million tender the Raiders extended in February, when they made him their exclusive franchise player.
"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't about the money. What player doesn't want to make a boatload of money? I'm one of those players. It didn't get done."
Woodson missed both spring mini-camps and all of training camp in the holdout that failed to produce the long-term contract he sought despite repeated talks over the past six months between Raiders executive Michael Lombardi and Carl Poston, Woodson's agent.
Woodson received no assurances the discussions would reopen this season on a new contract. Further, Woodson dismissed reports the Raiders had fashioned a proposal exceeding the seven-year, $63 million contract cornerback Champ Bailey received from Denver.
"Don't believe everything you hear," Woodson said. "I'm not getting what I want, but this is business. It happens. I'm still going to make good money. I'm not tripping about that."
Neither were his teammates, who gave him an unconditional welcome, or his coaches, who put him to work immediately. Still, Woodson made clear he had no patience for anyone, Raiders fans included, who were unable to relate to his motives.
"If you can't understand that, you can't understand me as a man, trying to do what I feel is necessary for me and mine, then that's your problem," Woodson said. "If you're bitter at me about that, that's fine. I'm still going to come out here and play football the way I know I can play football and that's it."
No sooner did Woodson sign the tender than he was back with the team for his first practice since last season. But Coach Norv Turner said Woodson isn't game-ready and won't play Thursday in the exhibition finale against the St. Louis Rams.
"He looked really good," Turner said. "He's awfully quick and using his hands extremely well. . . . I think everyone knows what impact players can do for a game, do for a season, so it's great to have him in."
Added fellow defensive back Nnamdi Asomugha, "Everybody is relieved. It's like, `OK, now we can get ready for the season and start to gel.' "
In the days before the Raiders' Sept. 12 opener at Pittsburgh, Woodson will be getting a crash course on first-year coordinator Rob Ryan's defense.
Woodson said he has enough time to learn the scheme.
The greater problem may be adjusting to the league-wide tightening of the illegal chuck rule banning contact with receivers 5 yards beyond the line of scrimmage as well as defensive-holding and pass-interference calls.
Woodson greeted the heightened enforcement plans with disdain.
"I'm gonna punch, grab, kick, scratch, whatever I've got to do out there on the field to win, so it don't even matter," Woodson said. "It's pretty ridiculous. You know, they try to be fan-friendly to make more money, they want more offense and that type of thing, at the expense of defense. But I don't see it being a problem. They've got to let us play football. That's the bottom line."
Turner said whether Woodson likes it or not, he'll have to adjust to the stricter enforcement of the rules.
"He doesn't need to grab and he doesn't need to hold. He's a great cover corner," Turner said. "There's a lot of people making the adjustment to the way they're calling it, and he's going to have to make that same adjustment."
Though Turner said Monday that Woodson would start the season as the Raiders' nickel back, on Tuesday he seemed to leave the door open to his return to the starting lineup by the opener.
"We're going to do everything we can to get him ready and we'll see where he's at late in the week next week," Turner said. "We'll make a decision based on how he handles everything."
For his part, Woodson said he's focusing on football and putting the money issues on the back burner.
"That's done with," he said. "This season is about to be under way. If something else happens, it happens. If it doesn't, maybe I'll be going through this again next year."
