Rams News

Woodson can back up his brash talk
04/15 12:41 AM

By Jim Thomas
Of the Post-Dispatch Staff
Logic says cornerback and Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson will strike the pose in the NFL wearing the skull and crossbones of the Oakland Raiders.
Why? The Raiders' cornerbacks are almost old enough to be Rams coaches. Lionel Washington, who once played for the St. Louis Cardinals, turns 38 in October. He's expected to retire, although no official announcement has been made. Albert Lewis also turns 38 in October, and he, too, is contemplating retirement.
Terry McDaniel didn't play up to his salary cap number -- it'll be $2.95 million in '98. So far, Eric Allen says he's not playing in Oakland after being traded from New Orleans. And then, there's Larry Brown, who was a disaster last season.
``It would be great to get to the Raiders,'' Woodson said. ``They have a lot of tradition there, and hopefully, I can be of help if they decide to draft me.''
Besides, Al Davis likes to collect Heisman Trophy winners (Desmond Howard) and Super Bowl MVPs (Howard and Brown).
A real treat would have been watching Davis sit down at the negotiating table with rap artist Puff Daddy, or defense lawyer extraordinaire Johnnie Cochran. Woodson apparently considered hiring both gentlemen as his agent before choosing Carl Poston -- the man who represented Orlando Pace and is known for his first-round holdouts (Pace, Tshimanga Biakabutuka and Terrell Buckley).
Of course, if Woodson had his way, Poston would be dealing with the Colts, not the Raiders. Woodson would be the No. 1 overall selection in the draft -- a pick held by Indianapolis. No offense to Peyton Manning, Ryan Leaf and Andre Wadsworth, but . . .
``I just feel I'm the best player,'' Woodson said. ``It's my opinion. Other people may have different opinions. But if you ask me who I think the best player is in this draft, and in the country, then I'll say me.''
Will the Colts, who need quarterback help, someday regret not taking Woodson?
``Hopefully, one day, if they don't draft me, I'll make them pay,'' Woodson said.
Chalk up all of the above to cornerback swagger, which Woodson has in abundance. But it's not bragging if you can back it up. And Woodson did just that -- and more -- at the University of Michigan.
He has the kind of size currently in vogue for NFL cornerbacks (6 feet, 198 pounds). As for those whispers that he wasn't all that fast, he recently ran a 4.38 in the 40-yard dash. Which is plenty fast.
He can return punts with the best of them and could lend a helping hand at wide receiver, too, as he did in college. Woodson wants to return punts in the NFL. As for wide receiver, he'll leave that to whoever drafts him.
NFL drafts are littered with Heisman winners who have been less than stellar professional players. But Woodson will have none of that.
``I don't see myself as being a failure in the NFL,'' Woodson said. ``I plan on going in there and being a success, the way I was in college and high school and all throughout my life. My expectations are a lot higher than anybody else's expectations.''
So we've noticed. Some observers listen to Woodson talk and wonder if the swagger hasn't bubbled over into arrogance, and the success gone to his head. The flirtations with Puff Daddy and Cochran were seen as examples of immaturity. Neither, after all, is a sports agent.
Some NFL scouts and personnel people were miffed when Woodson left the NFL Scouting Combine early to see and be seen at the NBA All-Star game.
But those attending his campus workout saw a different Woodson -- an accommodating, workmanlike player, who did everything the scouts asked and more. He may just be the best cornerback to come down the pike since ``Neon'' Deion Sanders -- glitter included.

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