Position
Safety
Height
6-3
Weight
205
Years Experience
10
Birthdate
3/17/1973
Hometown
Memphis, TN
College
Memphis
Current status
Active
Games Started
105
Games Played
121
JEROME WOODS #21
Pro Career
Woods’ NFL Stats - PDF
Former Pro Bowl free safety entering his 10th season in a Kansas City uniform in 2005 … Provides the Kansas City defense with another seasoned performer in the defensive backfield and should prove an invaluable asset to fellow S Greg Wesley who will be making the transition from strong safety to free safety this season … Attempting to bounce back from a left knee injury that cost him the final six contests of the 2004 campaign … Former first-round draft choice has been a mainstay in the club’s secondary after moving into a starting role at free safety in just his second pro campaign in ‘97 … In the subsequent five seasons only missed one start for the club prior to suffering a broken right leg in the preseason that cost him the entire 2002 campaign … Made a remarkable comeback in 2003, starting all 16 games and becoming the first Kansas City safety to earn a Pro Bowl berth since Chiefs Hall of Fame inductee Deron Cherry did it following the ‘88 campaign … A member of an elite group of Kansas City safeties who have made the Pro Bowl, including the likes of Chiefs Hall of Famers Lloyd Burruss, Cherry and Johnny Robinson … Shares the title of the the longest-tenured defensive player on the club’s roster along with DT John Browning, who also joined the team in the ‘96 NFL Draft … Ranks 42nd on the club’s all-time service chart with 121 games played … Is also one of just 27 players in team history to start 100 or more games … Owns a reserved personality off the field, but has produced plenty of highlight-quality hits over the years … Ranks seventh on the franchise’s all-time tackle chart, needing 12 more stops to move ahead of LB Derrick Thomas (728) and 26 more tackles to bypass LB Donnie Edwards for fifth … Owns four 100-tackle campaigns, as well as a 99-tackle effort in 2003 … Played over half of the ‘98 season with six screws and a metal plate inserted into a broken right hand … Despite that injured appendage, still started all 16 games and finished third on the squad with 124 tackles that year … Shared the club’s KO return chores with WR Tamarick Vanover as a rookie in ‘96 and also served as a reserve cornerback before moving to free safety in ‘97 … Has seen action in 121 regular season games (105 starts), producing 15 INTs with 282 return yards and two TDs … Owns 717 tackles (486 solo), four fumble recoveries and 11 forced fumbles … Has also racked up 5.0 sacks (-27.0 yards), 49 passes defensed, 29 QB pressures and 24 special teams stops … Recovered a blocked FG attempt in ‘98 … Returned 25 kickoffs for 581 yards (23.2 avg.) with a long of 66 yards as a rookie in ‘96 … In two postseason starts has recorded 10 tackles (seven solo) and a forced fumble.
Transactions: Signed a six-year contract with Kansas City (3/3/04) ... Signed a five-year contract with Kansas City (2/10/00) ... Signed a five-year contract with Kansas City (8/12/96) ... Entered the NFL as Kansas City’s first-round choice (28th overall) in the ‘96 NFL Draft.
2004
Started 10 games at free safety and was inactive for six games … Had 56 tackles (39 solo) with two behind the line, a sack (-4.0 yards), one QB pressure and a pass defensed … Tied a team high with seven tackles at Denver (9/12) ... Totaled nine tackles vs. Carolina (9/19) ... Recorded seven tackles vs. Houston (9/26) ... Registered six tackles in his 100th NFL start at Jacksonville (10/17) ... Collected seven tackles at Tampa Bay (11/7) ... Contributed six tackles and a sack of Aaron Brooks at New Orleans (11/14) ... Suffered a left knee contusion vs. New England (11/22) and did not return … Was inactive for the season’s final six games due to that left knee injury.
2003
Started 16 games at free safety, earning his initial Pro Bowl berth … Registered 99 tackles (68 solo), a team-high three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery … Also had four QB pressures and nine passes defensed … Had three INTs (125 yards) with two TDs … His two INT return TDs were the most by a Chiefs player since S Charles Mincy had two in ‘92 … Started vs. San Diego (9/7), marking his first regular season game action since 2001 after missing all of 2002 with a broken right leg … Returned an interception off Tommy Maddox for a 46-yard TD vs. Pittsburgh (9/14), his first NFL score. Also forced and recovered a RB Verron Haynes fumble … Forced a RB Tony Hollings fumble at Houston (9/21) ... Was a key figure in the club’s 40-34 OT win at Green Bay (10/12), returning an INT off Brett Favre for a 79-yard TD and forcing a RB Ahman Green fumble in overtime that was recovered by LB Mike Maslowski to set up the Chiefs winning touchdown on the next play … Combined with S Greg Wesley to stop WR Tim Brown at the one-yard line as time expired to preserve a 17-10 victory at Oakland (10/20) ... Intercepted an Alex Van Pelt pass vs. Buffalo (10/26) ... Registered nine tackles at Denver (12/7) ... Contributed 10 tackles vs. Detroit (12/14) ... Started an AFC Divisional Playoff Game vs. Indianapolis (1/11/04), posting six tackles and one QB pressure.
2002
Missed the entire regular season after suffering a broken right leg in the second quarter of the season’s third preseason game at Seattle (8/24) ... Was placed on injured reserve on August 26th.
2001
Started all 16 games at free safety … Finished fourth on the team with 115 tackles (73 solo) ... Ranked second on the team with three INTs for 48 yards and also had a sack (-6.0 yards), five tackles for loss, three passes defensed, a forced fumble and four QB pressures … Produced eight tackles at Denver (10/7) ... Racked up a team-high 12 tackles vs. Indianapolis (10/25) ... Intercepted a Doug Flutie pass (25 yards), in addition to producing a sack and strip of Drew Brees at San Diego (11/4) ... Tallied five tackles at the N.Y. Jets (11/11), marking his 500th career takedown … Recorded nine stops vs. Seattle (11/25) ... Collected a season-high 13 tackles vs. Philadelphia (11/29) ... Intercepted a Rich Gannon pass at Oakland (12/9) ... Had a 23-yard return of a Mark Brunell INT at Jacksonville (12/30).
2000
Started 16 games at free safety, registering 79 tackles (65 solo), two INTs (0 yards), 2.0 sacks (-5.0 yards), a forced fumble, six passes defensed and a QB pressure … Collected a team-high 10 tackles vs. Indianapolis (9/3) ... Intercepted a Jon Kitna pass at the Chiefs 11-yard line vs. Seattle (10/2) with 0:21 remaining in the game to seal a 24-17 win … Collected a sack of Kurt Warner vs. St. Louis (10/22) ... Had a sack of Kitna at Seattle (10/29) ... Compiled eight tackles and a pass defensed at New England (12/4) ... Got an INT off Steve Beuerlein vs. Carolina (12/10) ... Poked the ball loose from RB Mike Anderson following a 25-yard run vs. Denver (12/17) on the Broncos initial drive.
1999
Started 15 games at free safety, registering 106 tackles (76 solo), one INT (five yards), a career-best eight QB pressures, a fumble recovery, a forced fumble and five passes defensed … Also had one stop on special teams … Produced a team-high 12 tackles at Chicago (9/12) ... Intercepted a Brian Griese pass vs. Denver (9/19) ... Missed the first game of his NFL career when he was inactive at San Diego (10/3) due to a quadriceps injury, snapping a streak of 35 consecutive starts dating back to the ‘97 season-opener … Recovered a FB Mike Alstott fumble at Tampa Bay (11/4), adding 11 tackles … Forced a TE Derrick Walker fumble that was picked up by CB Cris Dishman and returned for a 40-yard, game-tying TD in a 37-34 win at Oakland (11/28) ... Credited with a pivotal pass defensed in the fourth quarter at Denver (12/5) when he delivered a bone-jarring hit on WR Rod Smith … Tallied 12 tackles vs. Pittsburgh (12/18).
1998
Started at free safety in all 16 games … Was third on the team with 124 stops (72 solo) and added a career-high 13 passes defensed, as well as four QB pressures … Had two INTs for 47 yards, three forced fumbles and three tackles on special teams … Had 10 tackles at Jacksonville (9/13) ... Tallied a fumble recovery vs. Seattle (10/4) ... Despite suffering a broken bone in his right hand at New England (10/11), still recorded a season-high 15 tackles, the second-best tally of his career … Had six screws and a metal plate inserted in his hand and started the next contest vs. Pittsburgh (10/26) ... Tallied 12 stops and a forced fumble at Seattle (11/8) ... Picked off Craig Whelihan for a 19-yard return at San Diego (11/22) ... Forced a RB Terrell Davis fumble and recovered a blocked Jason Elam FG at Denver (12/6) ... Picked off a Troy Aikman pass for a 28-yard return vs. Dallas (12/13) ... Had a career-best four passes defensed at the N.Y. Giants (12/20).
1997
Started all 16 games at free safety, finishing third on the club with a career-high 132 tackles (85 solo) to go along with four INTs (57 yards), two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and seven passes defensed … Also added a sack (-2.0 yards), seven QB pressures and four special teams stops … Recorded eight tackles, a pair of passes defensed and a special teams stop in his first NFL start at Denver (8/31) ... Had a career-high three QB pressures vs. Buffalo (9/14) ... Picked off Kerry Collins in the end zone at Carolina (9/21) for his first career INT (27 yards) ... Earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors vs. Seattle (9/28) after recording a team-high 11 tackles, adding a pass defensed and his first career sack in that contest. Picked off Warren Moon in OT, setting up the game-winning FG … Recovered a QB Tony Banks fumble at St. Louis (10/26) ... Got a 17-yard INT return off Kordell Stewart vs. Pittsburgh (11/3) ... Posted 11 tackles at Jacksonville (11/9) and followed that up with a career-best 17 tackles (11 solo) vs. Denver (11/16) ... Forced a WR Mike Pritchard fumble which he recovered at Seattle (11/23) ... Earned AFC Defensive Player of the Month honors for his efforts in November … Had 10 tackles and an INT of Billy Joe Hobert in the end zone vs. New Orleans (12/21) ... Started the club’s playoff contest vs. Denver (1/4/98), totaling four tackles, a forced fumble and a sack of John Elway.
1996
Saw duty in all 16 games, primarily on special teams … Played on defense in five contests … Ranked second on the squad with 25 KO returns for 581 yards (23.2 avg.) with a long of 66 … Finished fourth on the team with 16 special teams stops and added nine tackles on defense … Had a season-high three special teams tackles and five KO returns for 108 yards at Houston (9/1) ... Was credited with four KO returns for a season-high 159 yards vs. San Diego (9/29), including a career-best 66-yard runback … First NFL action on defense came vs. Pittsburgh (10/7) ... Posted five tackles vs. Seattle (10/17) ... Saw duty as a nickel CB vs. San Diego (11/24), at Oakland (12/9) and vs. Indianapolis (12/15).
College Bio
Spent two seasons at Memphis after transferring from NE Mississippi Community College … In two campaigns with the Tigers, he tallied 219 tackles (125 solo), 10.0 tackles for loss, seven INTs, 17 passes defensed, three fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles and with one TD … Started 11 games at strong safety as a senior, leading the club with 120 tackles (67 solos) and ranking seventh in the nation with six INTs … Also had 10 pass deflections, a fumble recovery and three forced fumbles with one TD, as well as six kickoff returns for 182 yards (30.3 avg.) ... Earned second-team All-America recognition from Football News and was a first-team All-Independent selection by AP … Opened 11 games as a junior, producing 99 tackles (58 solo), seven pass deflections, as well as a fumble recovery … Started 11 contests at NE Mississippi in Booneville, Mississippi in ‘93, racking up 109 total tackles (77 solo), 15 pass deflections, two INTs, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble … Returned 16 KOs for 285 yards (17.8 avg.) and also brought back 16 punts for 152 yards (9.5 avg.) ... Majored in Communications at Memphis.
Personal Bio
• Served as a defensive back and wide receiver at Melrose High School in Memphis, Tennessee.
• Caught 20 passes for 584 yards (29.2 avg.) and scored eight TDs as a senior.
• Was a first-team All-Shelby Metro selection.
• Named to the Memphis Commercial Appeal Super 24 team and the all-state team.
• Full name: Jerome Harlan Woods.
• Nicknamed “Romey”.
• Married, wife Dana with a daughter Jada (8) and a son Dylan (3).
• The Woods’ reside in Overland Park, Kansas.
