irvin88
12-27-2004, 06:43 PM
The Cowboys have had to play all season without their defensive captain and leader Darren Woodson.
Now it appears they'll have to get used to doing so for good.
Woodson, who missed the entire 2004 season after undergoing surgery to repair a herniated disk on July 27, just three days before the start of training camp, is expected to announce his retirement later this week.
Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones was rather blunt when asked Monday morning on a local radio station KTCK The Ticket if his career was over.
"Yes," Jones said emphatically. "You know, I think we've got to recognize that. I'm not sure when we and he will make it official."
No official announcement has been planned, but it is expected to occur by the end of the week, and with that will come the end to a glorious 13-year career.
Woodson, the Cowboys' all-time leading tackler with 1,350, has been the vocal leader of the defense nearly since the day he arrived in 1992. The former second-round draft pick needed only one year to assert himself as one of team's top defensive players. Woodson has started 160 games for the Cowboys, earning five trips to the Pro Bowl - only two defensive backs (Mel Renfro 10, Cliff Harris 6) have been to more in club history.
Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells, during his normal Monday afternoon press conference at Valley Ranch, hinted at the possibility Woodson would be hanging it up.
"I don't know, but I think as this week winds down that there might be something on that," Parcells said. "We've talked a little bit. This hasn't been good for him this year, so I don't know. That'd be for Darren to comment on, not me. I haven't had any real formal discussion on it but we probably would at the end of the season."
Woodson appeared ready to play his 13th season for the Cowboys until suffering the back injury, but at the time was projected to miss no more than the preseason games and possibly the first one or two games of the season. But his recovery certainly didn't proceed as well and as fast as anticipated. The surgery caused a problem in his sciatic nerve, the longest single nerve in the body that connects the spinal cord with the leg and foot muscles.
Woodson was initially placed on Physically Unable to Perform (PUP)), which shelved the safety for the first six weeks of the season. He was eligible to return to practice on Oct. 18, but Parcells said that day Woodson was "absolutely not ready" to practice and even the safety himself said he was still limping around.
Being on PUP gave Woodson a two-week window to return to practice, and then another three weeks for him to practice without taking up a roster spot. Still, the Cowboys were hoping he could return for the final part of a struggling season.
But as the weeks went by, and the losses started to mount, not only did it seem unlikely the Cowboys would make a playoff push, but it just didn't make much sense for Woodson to rush back onto the field.
"I think that's one thing Coach Parcells always talks about," Woodson said in an interview on Oct. 18. "If you're gonna play and get out there on Sundays, you're gonna have to practice hard, get a little battle-hardened and then we'll see if you're in shape and then you can go out and play. I know I'm not there just yet."
And as it turned out, Woodson never got there.
And the Cowboys struggled without him. Four-year veteran Tony Dixon was given the chance to fill the void, but he started just six games before being replaced by Lynn Scott in the starting lineup. Scott has been adequate, recording a sack and his first career interception in the last three games, but neither player has come remotely close to adequately replacing Woodson. Especially his leadership.
More than anything, Woodson's absence has affected the play of third-year pro Roy Williams, who has been forced to play more in coverage this season and less around the line of scrimmage. Williams, who was still elected to his second Pro Bowl last week, has not recorded a sack this year and has just four tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
"I think you saw the impact on our defense this year," Jones said on The Ticket of Woody's absence.
But Parcells has tried not to use Woodson's injury as an excuse. But face it, the Cowboys finished the 2003 season with the league's No. 1 in total defense and this year have slipped to 21st heading into the season finale against the Giants Sunday night.
"We haven't had him all year," Parcells said of Woodson. "Other guys have had to step up there. We can't say he's the reason we've struggled on defense. He hasn't been there all year."
As the prospect of Woodson playing again this year started to dwindle, talks of him possibly retiring after this year did start to surface. Woodson would never give a definitive answer on if he would indeed return for another season or call it quits at the end of the season.
But his vagueness all along appeared to be a dead give away, and now for a player who will turn 36 before next year's April draft, Woodson is ready to confirm just that.
The veteran safety can take his 13 years, his three Super Bowl rings, five Pro Bowls and all 1,350 tackles with him and call it a day.
Now it appears they'll have to get used to doing so for good.
Woodson, who missed the entire 2004 season after undergoing surgery to repair a herniated disk on July 27, just three days before the start of training camp, is expected to announce his retirement later this week.
Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones was rather blunt when asked Monday morning on a local radio station KTCK The Ticket if his career was over.
"Yes," Jones said emphatically. "You know, I think we've got to recognize that. I'm not sure when we and he will make it official."
No official announcement has been planned, but it is expected to occur by the end of the week, and with that will come the end to a glorious 13-year career.
Woodson, the Cowboys' all-time leading tackler with 1,350, has been the vocal leader of the defense nearly since the day he arrived in 1992. The former second-round draft pick needed only one year to assert himself as one of team's top defensive players. Woodson has started 160 games for the Cowboys, earning five trips to the Pro Bowl - only two defensive backs (Mel Renfro 10, Cliff Harris 6) have been to more in club history.
Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells, during his normal Monday afternoon press conference at Valley Ranch, hinted at the possibility Woodson would be hanging it up.
"I don't know, but I think as this week winds down that there might be something on that," Parcells said. "We've talked a little bit. This hasn't been good for him this year, so I don't know. That'd be for Darren to comment on, not me. I haven't had any real formal discussion on it but we probably would at the end of the season."
Woodson appeared ready to play his 13th season for the Cowboys until suffering the back injury, but at the time was projected to miss no more than the preseason games and possibly the first one or two games of the season. But his recovery certainly didn't proceed as well and as fast as anticipated. The surgery caused a problem in his sciatic nerve, the longest single nerve in the body that connects the spinal cord with the leg and foot muscles.
Woodson was initially placed on Physically Unable to Perform (PUP)), which shelved the safety for the first six weeks of the season. He was eligible to return to practice on Oct. 18, but Parcells said that day Woodson was "absolutely not ready" to practice and even the safety himself said he was still limping around.
Being on PUP gave Woodson a two-week window to return to practice, and then another three weeks for him to practice without taking up a roster spot. Still, the Cowboys were hoping he could return for the final part of a struggling season.
But as the weeks went by, and the losses started to mount, not only did it seem unlikely the Cowboys would make a playoff push, but it just didn't make much sense for Woodson to rush back onto the field.
"I think that's one thing Coach Parcells always talks about," Woodson said in an interview on Oct. 18. "If you're gonna play and get out there on Sundays, you're gonna have to practice hard, get a little battle-hardened and then we'll see if you're in shape and then you can go out and play. I know I'm not there just yet."
And as it turned out, Woodson never got there.
And the Cowboys struggled without him. Four-year veteran Tony Dixon was given the chance to fill the void, but he started just six games before being replaced by Lynn Scott in the starting lineup. Scott has been adequate, recording a sack and his first career interception in the last three games, but neither player has come remotely close to adequately replacing Woodson. Especially his leadership.
More than anything, Woodson's absence has affected the play of third-year pro Roy Williams, who has been forced to play more in coverage this season and less around the line of scrimmage. Williams, who was still elected to his second Pro Bowl last week, has not recorded a sack this year and has just four tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
"I think you saw the impact on our defense this year," Jones said on The Ticket of Woody's absence.
But Parcells has tried not to use Woodson's injury as an excuse. But face it, the Cowboys finished the 2003 season with the league's No. 1 in total defense and this year have slipped to 21st heading into the season finale against the Giants Sunday night.
"We haven't had him all year," Parcells said of Woodson. "Other guys have had to step up there. We can't say he's the reason we've struggled on defense. He hasn't been there all year."
As the prospect of Woodson playing again this year started to dwindle, talks of him possibly retiring after this year did start to surface. Woodson would never give a definitive answer on if he would indeed return for another season or call it quits at the end of the season.
But his vagueness all along appeared to be a dead give away, and now for a player who will turn 36 before next year's April draft, Woodson is ready to confirm just that.
The veteran safety can take his 13 years, his three Super Bowl rings, five Pro Bowls and all 1,350 tackles with him and call it a day.