I think it's
very close between the two hence the problem with the two canceling each-out for HOF votes.
Note: They both played 10 years in the NFL and their careers overlapped on 8 of them.
In favor of Woodson:
- 3 Superbowl appearances, 3 Superbowl victories (although he was a rookie backup for the 1st) -- Butler appeared in 2 and won 1
- More tackles than Butler (813 vs 721)
- More Probowls than Butler (5 vs 4)
- More Fumble Recovers (11 vs 10)
In favor of Butler:
- More interceptions than Woodson (38 vs 23)
- More sacks than Woodson (20.5 vs 11)
- More All-Pro selections than Woodson (4 vs 3)
- Butler was selected to the All-90s team at Safety - Woodson was not
- Butler had more forced fumbles (13 vs 12)
In summary, I think if you take an un-biased view it's really hard to say that Woodson obviously deserves to go in over Butler. One could make an argument they both deserve to go. The counter-argument is that while both were outstanding players, NEITHER quite make the bar for HOF safety.
Either way, looking at the stats above, it's not hard to see why they two guys split some votes.