Charles
05-26-2004, 12:03 PM
Woodson in a hurry to make a title run
By Jennifer Floyd Engel
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
PLANO - Mandatory weightlifting had Cowboys quarterback Quincy Carter running late for Tuesday's "Take a Player to School" kickoff at Gulledge Elementary School, so his fill-in, safety Darren Woodson, volunteered to stay for the Q&A session.
The little hands shot up. A random hand was picked. A tiny voice asked: What will you do after football?
"My window of opportunity is like this right now," Woodson said, squeezing his thumb and index finger to within a centimeter of each other for effect. "It's closing."
Which is why talk claiming that the Cowboys are building for 2005 angers the 35-year-old Woodson. He admits 2004 might be his final season. So Woodson found himself seeking assurances from Cowboys coach Bill Parcells that trading out of the first round of the draft and acquiring quarterback Drew Henson were not signs that 2005 is the Super Bowl-or-bust season.
"I don't want to hear that," Woodson said. "The last thing I want to hear is we are building for 2005."
Parcells told Woodson he does not write off seasons.
Which is exactly what Woodson wanted to hear, because 2004 might be his last chance to add a fourth Super Bowl ring to his collection.
"I'm a realist about it. There is talk. This could be my last year," Woodson said. "I'm looking at making the most of it. I'm going into this year like none other. I've always been hungry, but I have more passion this year ... about winning a Super Bowl championship because my window is so small."
Woodson knows the Cowboys have holes to fill. Nobody has adequately answered the question of who will man the cornerback spot opposite Terence Newman, notwithstanding owner Jerry Jones' protests that Pete Hunter is capable. There are also questions about whether Carter has hit a ceiling at quarterback, who can take over at running back if rookie Julius Jones struggles and whether the lack of a pass-rushing presence on the defensive line has been addressed simply by the signing of Marcellus Wiley.
Woodson admits he does not know the answers to these questions, but he trusts in Big Bill.
"Coach Parcells is one of the greater minds in football, and I put a lot of trust in him to do the right thing," Woodson said. "He challenges me every day -- not only me, but everyone who has a star on their helmet -- to be a better player. I know the coaches whose job it was to motivate me, but Parcells really has pushed a button."
Parcells is the king of button-pushing, and for Woodson, that button is his age.
Just in case Woodson forgot that his last birthday cake had 35 candles, he gets a phone reminder every so often.
"What is your old butt doing? Click."
"Get your old self in here. Click."
The voice on the other end is that of Parcells. He does not wait for a response. He simply hangs up. He gigs Woodson about his age and the effects of age on his game all of the time, including saying before the draft that the Cowboys might need to think about taking a safety because ...
"Darren isn't getting any younger, so that is another position, if a really good player comes along, you would have to consider how many more years does Darren have," Parcells said.
The jokes were flying Tuesday. When Carter showed up midway through the Q&A session, he was asked who his NFL favorite player was as a kid.
"Darren Woodson," Carter said without missing a beat.
"Didn't he play with Gale Sayers?" Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb said, joining the verbal dog pile.
The kids were laughing. The teachers were laughing. Woodson was laughing.
"Darren Woodson also has three Super Bowl rings," Woodson said.
Which is why he still shows up every day to lift and study film, and why he couldn't let this talk of building for 2005 go. He can't wait until next year, because there might not be one for him.
The good news is that Parcells feels the same way.
"I do not think that is the case at all," Woodson said of the 2005 theory. "We're looking to win this year."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ONLINE: www.dallascowboys.com
Jennifer Floyd Engel, (817) 390-7760 jenfloyd@star-telegram.com
By Jennifer Floyd Engel
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
PLANO - Mandatory weightlifting had Cowboys quarterback Quincy Carter running late for Tuesday's "Take a Player to School" kickoff at Gulledge Elementary School, so his fill-in, safety Darren Woodson, volunteered to stay for the Q&A session.
The little hands shot up. A random hand was picked. A tiny voice asked: What will you do after football?
"My window of opportunity is like this right now," Woodson said, squeezing his thumb and index finger to within a centimeter of each other for effect. "It's closing."
Which is why talk claiming that the Cowboys are building for 2005 angers the 35-year-old Woodson. He admits 2004 might be his final season. So Woodson found himself seeking assurances from Cowboys coach Bill Parcells that trading out of the first round of the draft and acquiring quarterback Drew Henson were not signs that 2005 is the Super Bowl-or-bust season.
"I don't want to hear that," Woodson said. "The last thing I want to hear is we are building for 2005."
Parcells told Woodson he does not write off seasons.
Which is exactly what Woodson wanted to hear, because 2004 might be his last chance to add a fourth Super Bowl ring to his collection.
"I'm a realist about it. There is talk. This could be my last year," Woodson said. "I'm looking at making the most of it. I'm going into this year like none other. I've always been hungry, but I have more passion this year ... about winning a Super Bowl championship because my window is so small."
Woodson knows the Cowboys have holes to fill. Nobody has adequately answered the question of who will man the cornerback spot opposite Terence Newman, notwithstanding owner Jerry Jones' protests that Pete Hunter is capable. There are also questions about whether Carter has hit a ceiling at quarterback, who can take over at running back if rookie Julius Jones struggles and whether the lack of a pass-rushing presence on the defensive line has been addressed simply by the signing of Marcellus Wiley.
Woodson admits he does not know the answers to these questions, but he trusts in Big Bill.
"Coach Parcells is one of the greater minds in football, and I put a lot of trust in him to do the right thing," Woodson said. "He challenges me every day -- not only me, but everyone who has a star on their helmet -- to be a better player. I know the coaches whose job it was to motivate me, but Parcells really has pushed a button."
Parcells is the king of button-pushing, and for Woodson, that button is his age.
Just in case Woodson forgot that his last birthday cake had 35 candles, he gets a phone reminder every so often.
"What is your old butt doing? Click."
"Get your old self in here. Click."
The voice on the other end is that of Parcells. He does not wait for a response. He simply hangs up. He gigs Woodson about his age and the effects of age on his game all of the time, including saying before the draft that the Cowboys might need to think about taking a safety because ...
"Darren isn't getting any younger, so that is another position, if a really good player comes along, you would have to consider how many more years does Darren have," Parcells said.
The jokes were flying Tuesday. When Carter showed up midway through the Q&A session, he was asked who his NFL favorite player was as a kid.
"Darren Woodson," Carter said without missing a beat.
"Didn't he play with Gale Sayers?" Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb said, joining the verbal dog pile.
The kids were laughing. The teachers were laughing. Woodson was laughing.
"Darren Woodson also has three Super Bowl rings," Woodson said.
Which is why he still shows up every day to lift and study film, and why he couldn't let this talk of building for 2005 go. He can't wait until next year, because there might not be one for him.
The good news is that Parcells feels the same way.
"I do not think that is the case at all," Woodson said of the 2005 theory. "We're looking to win this year."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ONLINE: www.dallascowboys.com
Jennifer Floyd Engel, (817) 390-7760 jenfloyd@star-telegram.com