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The Weird, Wacky and Awesome World of the NFL - General Banter thread
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Fantastic read on everybody's favourite little fúcker Danny Woodhead
November 7, 2010
How Danny Woodhead went from small school star to Patriots playmaker
Bill Burt
Eagle Tribune
Foxboro — FOXBORO — When the New England Patriots picked up diminutive Danny Woodhead on Sept. 18, four days after he was waived by the New York Jets, it reeked of vintage Patriots-Jets gamesmanship.
It was only one day before their Week 2 grudge match at the new Meadowlands Stadium, so most conspiracy theorists surmised Woodhead, who signed with the Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2008, had a few Jets secrets to extol.
Maybe, we figured, it was just to make the Jets squirm.
These kinds of things have become commonplace up and down Route 95. A year earlier the Patriots cut quarterback Kevin O’Connell just before the start of the regular season and he quickly signed with the Detroit Lions. A week later the Jets dealt a 7th round pick for O’Connell and, rather mockingly, named him a captain for their Week 2 matchup in New Jersey with the Patriots.
But, seven weeks since the Patriots’ acquisition of Woodhead, maybe there is a better explantation.
The Jets screwed up. Big time. They released Woodhead so they could add receiver David Clowney to their roster. Three weeks later, Clowney, after hauling in one catch in three games, was waived.
The irony is that Jets coach Rex Ryan’s foul mouth and Woodhead were two of the Jets’ stars in the braggadocious made-for-TV summer blockbluster, HBO’s Hard Knocks.
In the final episode in which Danny turned what looked like a nothing play into a 14-yard fourth quarter touchdown run against the Philadelphia Eagles, one Jets assistant sung Woodhead’s praises as he jogged off the field with “Hell of a player, man.”
Watching the replay on the JumboTron, Ryan took it a step further: “(Woodhead) just makes plays. He’s got nothing ... look at that ... look at that little (bleep); that a way Woodhead.”
While Danny basically replaced Laurence Maroney, who was traded to Denver, he has turned out to be a replacement for another unsung player, third-down specialist Kevin Faulk. Faulk was hurt during the Jets game and is out for the season.
If you were really paying attention back in 2007, during the fourth week of October to be exact, you wouldn’t need to rehash the amazing “Danny Woodhead Story.”
Tom Brady was on the cover of Sports Illustrated, again, with the screaming headline “Yes, That Good.”
The Patriots were perfect, at 7-0, fresh off a 49-28 thumping of Miami, and six days from their 52-7 pounding of the Washington Redskins.
Buried in the middle of the magazine, in the college football section, was a one-page story headlined “How’s He Look Now?,” referring to Danny, a Division 2 wonder, about how Division 1 schools really blew it by not recruiting him (see University of Nebraska).
It’s been a common theme — underestimating Danny Woodhead.
Mark and Annette Woodhead were both Chadron State College education majors when they were married between their junior and senior years.
Soon after graduation, they decided to head back to North Platte, Neb., where Mark’s family was based.
It wasn’t long before they started to raise a family. By the time the Woodheads turned 25 they had two boys, Ben (now 27) and Danny (now 25). Later came Joel (21), Anna (18) and Sara (14).
While Mark, who goes by the nickname “Woody,” became a teacher and coach, Annette made the decision to take being a stay-at-home mom to another level and home-school their children.
“We both came from teaching backgrounds. My father was a principal,” said Annette. “The plan originally was to do it only for kindergarten. But I really enjoyed it. It was a way for me to be really close with the kids. I had some of my closest friends do the same thing, so we had other kids involved. It really was a joy.”
According to Annette, there was one steadfast rule: No school work, no sports.
“Danny loved to play sports,” said Annette. “Anything that had something to do with running, he played it. He looked forward to getting his school work done and playing.”
While there were other sports the Woodhead boys fiddled with, including soccer, basketball and track, football was far and away the family favorite.
Mark coached the boys in the middle school program, later joining the North Platte High staff.
Ben was a quarterback and Danny was a running back ... one of the best North Platte had ever seen.
“You could see early on that Danny was gifted,” said his dad, Mark. “He had that speed. You know what coaches say, speed kills. Danny was tough to catch. He was also pretty tough.”
It didn’t take long for Danny to make his mark at North Platte High as a “special” football player.
As a sophomore, North Platte made it to the Class A state title game, eventually losing to Millard West High, 28-14. But it was the game before, in the state semifinal, that Danny’s play-making ability was first publicized. With Millard North High attempting a 30-yard, go-ahead field goal midway through the fourth quarter, Danny asked his coach if he could go in the game.
“I think I can block the kick,” he told his coach.
Mind you, he hadn’t ever played a down on the field goal block team or even attempted a blocked kick.
As promised, Danny blocked the kick, and North Platte marched down the field for the eventual winning field in the waning seconds.
Before Danny was through at North Platte, going 21-3 while bowing out in the state semis both seasons, he began assaulting state rushing records.
While compiling 4,891 yards over his career, he led the state in rushing and scoring as a senior with 2,037 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns.
It earned him Nebraska’s prestigious Gatorade Player of the Year. Nine times out of 10 that also earns the winner recruiting visits from the almighty University of Nebraska football program.
But because of his size, 5-7 and 180 pounds, no visits or enthralling offers came. Out of respect, the Cornhuskers offered Danny a chance to walk-on as a kick-returner.
One college that showed lots of interest was his father and mother’s alma mater, Division 2 Chadron State. The school had two things in its corner — they offered a scholarship and it’s where his older brother Ben was attending.
“What was great about Danny was that he had a 3.87 grade point average and he scored well on the (ACT), so he was eligible for some academic money,” said Chadron State head football coach Bill O’Boyle. “We can’t afford to give any full rides just for football. We have only 24 scholarships and 120 guys on the roster. In the end, he came as close to getting a full ride as anybody ever has here.
“The fact that he and Ben were so close definitely helped us, too. They were like best friends and ended up being roommates.”
Was there disappointment, initially, considering every Nebraskan boy dreams of playing football on Saturdays in Lincoln?
“Yes, he was a little bit,” said his mom, Annette. “But God open some doors and closes others. Danny got a scholarship and had the opportunity to be with his brother. How could anybody get upset about that?”
Danny was a few practices into his career at Chadron State and O’Boyle figured he had something special on the horizon.
“I knew he was fast and very quick,” recalled O’Boyle. “I didn’t realize how strong he was. I knew he was going to be a very good player for us. What I didn’t realize was how quickly it would happen.”
Danny had two senior running backs on the roster, both of whom O’Boyle considered among the better backs in their league.
But by the second game of his freshman season, Danny had taken over the starting role. In this third game, he rushed for a school-record 307 yards and five touchdowns.
A legend was born.
Danny rushed for 1,840 yards and 25 touchdowns as a true freshman and followed it up with a 1,769 yards and a league-leading 21 touchdowns as a sophomore.
But it was his junior season in the fall of 2006 when he assaulted the record books, locally and nationally. Danny averaged over 200 yards per game, accumulating 2,756 yards, breaking the all-time NCAA record for all divisions.
That record still stands.
One memory that still stands in coach O’Boyle’s mind was the second game of that 2006 season against Montana State, which had shocked Colorado, 19-10, in their opener the week before.
Danny went off for 230 yards, but it one run in particular that O’Boyle can’t get out of his head.
“He’s supposed to run one way, but there is nothing there so he reverses the field and gets around the corner,” recalled O’Boyle. “He ran over a cornerback and then ran over a safety, for about 45 yards. It was all heart.
He won Division 2’s version of the Heisman Trophy, the Harlon Hill Trophy, his junior and seasons at Chadron State.
“You can say it,” said coach O’Boyle. “He put us on the map. People come here and they know about Danny Woodhead. I have no problem saying that. Danny is a once-in-a-lifetime player. “
Coach O’Boyle says there is one reason and one reason only that Danny didn’t get drafted, despite his lofty resume and 40-yard dash time — between 4.3 and 4.4.
“Everyone has been concerned about his height,” said O’Boyle. “I speak with (former Chadron State alum and former NFL special teams star) Don Beebe a lot. And we both said he was a future NFL player. I’ve never seen a kid who can get to full speed in three steps like Danny can. I still have highlight stuff of Danny where you can also see how fast he can move laterally. He is a special football player.
“Plus, he’s very hard to take down, because of his strength. If you saw how strong he was and how big his legs are, they might think differently.”
Despite his size, one would think that Danny might be a little apprehensive looking for yards in the middle of the NFL field.
Wrong again.
“I respect my opponents, but I don’t play afraid,” said Danny. “I don’t think about getting injured. You can’t really play football and succeed if you are fearful of getting hurt. People think that because I’m 5-foot-8 the guys want to take my head off. If I was 6-foot-4 they’d want to take my head off, too.”
Danny believes that one of the reasons he doesn’t use his size as a crutch is the football best brings out his desire to succeed.
“I am very, very competitive,” said Danny. “Football is the ultimate high for me. I really enjoy team aspect, everyone having to work together, chance to win every game, that’s what all competitive people relish. I want to win.”
Obviously the Jets saw something in Danny to keep him around for two-plus seasons, even after he tore his ACL early in training camp in 2008.
One probable gaffe they made this summer was moving him to wide receiver. Despite being a fan-favorite, it left him vulnerable, especially with trade for Santana Moss at wide receiver and the signing of LaDanian Tomlinson as the No. 1 running back. The Jets were all set at wide receiver with Braylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery, and they were set at running back with Shonn Green and draft pick Joe McKnight.
While he was a decent receiver, his heart has always been as a running back.
Nothing, though, defines Danny better than his family.
He and brother Ben were married three weeks apart this summer. He talks to somebody in his family almost every day.
“My brothers are my best friends,” said Danny. “We’ve grown up close as a family. They are very important to me.”
His parents missed only one game before turned professional with the Jets in 2008 and that was the Hula Bowl. They think nothing of driving five hours to see a game and drive back the same night.
“One game we got in the van after I was with our high school team played on a Friday night and we drove all through the night to catch Danny the next day,” said his dad, Mark. “That’s the one thing in Nebraska. You have to drive a long way to see games.”
Since Danny has turned pro, the burdened has lightened up a little during the football season, particuarly on Saturdays. While he was with the Jets, the Woodheads would travel to friends homes or restaurant/bars to see them play.
When he was picked up by the Patriots, they decided to go all out and finally get Direct TV.
“Any time Danny does something, I’m either talking to (his wife) Stacia or somebody in the family,” said his mom, Annette. “It’s a lot easier now.”
As for special treatment for their semi-famous son, mom says it’s not coming.
“Danny wouldn’t want it that way,” said Annette. “Danny is a regular guy who happens to be doing something he loves. We are very proud of him, but we’re proud of all our children. If Danny comes over, if the trash needs to be taken out he takes it out.”
So goes Danny, so goes the Patriots?
If you check the numbers, particularly when it has counted most the last five Patriots games, you see it is no coincidence that the Patriots five-game winning streak started when Danny was activated.
Maybe it’s a stretch, particularly with a guy named Tom Brady at quarterback and a young defense on the rise, but Danny has made his mark in each of the five wins, four of which have come down to the Patriots’ final offensive drive in four of those contests.
Against Buffalo, Danny had his first career touchdown, rushing 22 yards for the go-ahead score (14-13). Later in the game, his 15-yard run on third-and-5 not only kept the drive going, but set up the final score to put the Bills away.
Against Miami, it was a little less glamorous, but he not only scored his first receiving touchdown, an 11-yard pass from Brady, but he had five rushes for 35 yards in the same drive that put the Patriots ahead for good.
Against Baltimore, it was a little less memorable in terms of big plays, but Danny not only led all rushers with 63 yards he also had caught five passes for 52 yards.
Against San Diego, Danny was instrumental in setting up both Patriots touchdowns. From the Chargers 5-yard line, he turned what appeared to be a 5-yard loss, into a 4-yard gain to the Chargers’ 1, plowing over a safety to gain the yards. On the next play, Brady hit Rob Gronkowski for a score. In setting up the second score. In key play No. 2, Woodhead hauled in a 16-yard pass on 2nd-and-17, setting up the 1-yard run by BenJarvus Green-Ellis.
Against Minnesota, he did his best Kevin Faulk imitation, taking a direct snap and going 3 yards for the tying score (7-7). Late in the fourth quarter, with the Patriots leading 21-18, Danny finished off the play of the game on 3rd-and-12 from the Pats’ 44, catching a short Brady pass before breaking a tackle and gaining 16 yards for the first down.
Fool us once, shame on you. Fool me ... what ... five times, shame on somebody.
“What do I see?” said Patriots Pro Bowl center Dan Koppen. “I see a football player. Yeah, he’s a little shorter than most guys. But he makes plays. He gets up. It’s really not a big deal. He’s tough. He’s a football player.”
Patriots coach Bill Belichick admits that their originally was a “wow” factor with Danny, but not anymore.
“I think when you first lay eyes on Danny, everyone has the first initial impression, as in ‘Really?’” said Belichick. “But after actually watching him play on a daily and weekly basis that doesn’t last very long. He’s like any other football player who does his job and makes plays.”0 -
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ReacherCreature wrote: »No one else is bothering to post anything about their relevant teams so why not?
Because I'm a Bengals fan.
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I wouldn't go with Gruden. He's pretty over-rated imo. And he's the worst sports analyst on the planet! He thinks every player is a pro bowler and every team a superbowl contender...
The correct way to appoint a new head coach is to grab an Andy Reid assistant! Although not Brad obv!!! 0 -
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I'm all for outlawing helmet to helmet hits, unnecessary roughness and defenceless receiver hits, but for Ndamukong Suh to be fined $15,000 - regardless of how much he earns - for this is an absolute disgrace. I don't expect you to be impartial considering it was against the Bears Oatsey, but come off of it. Suh's palms were open, he was about to push Cutler and Cutler ducked. Pause the video at 1:03 and you'll see Suh's arm was fully extended. How is that a forearm smash? Suhs form was perfect, this image clearly shows it. How is this anything other than a push?
It was a BS call, and an even more ridiculous fine. They could not have got this more wrong. Suh should appeal.0 -
Try pausing at 0.50 for a better angle, you'll see what I see. His hand on his head. I don't agree with this fine or some of the other handed out this year. By all means throw the flag but ffs 10k - 50k fines is too much. It's a fast moving sport and s**t happens.
14.15 in the above video for a super slo-mo of it. Now come on, he hit him in the head, you can tell by the way Cutler falls after the hit that it had a bit of force behind it and that he wasn't just brushed by it.
I honestly don't think I'm being at all biased about this. I said at the time that it was the wrong call but it was a judgment call. But my opinion has changed on the call, it was a good decision. I don't like the fine though.0 -
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw6vxVVXWUM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOYOxI7nDyY
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