The intimidator

Sporting News, The, Nov 29, 1993 by Paul Attner

Sometimes Rod Woodson dreams about what it would be lie to play cornerback in the old days of the NFL, when defensive backs were allowed to mangle receivers downfield instead of treating them, as they must today, like fragile delicacies. Get beat on a pass? No way.

"If they ran by you, you could push them and slow'em up, so how could you ever get beat deep?" he says. "Wouldn't that be fun? You could terrify receivers."

But even playing under this era's restrictive regulations that have eliminated downfield contact, Woodson is having loads of fun creating fear in the minds of opponents. Filling a position that has lost most of its glamour but none of its susceptibility to failure, Pittsburgh's Woodson is making a remarkable run this season toward earning defensive player of the year honors. In the process, he is emerging as perhaps the most gifted all-around performer in the league.

"He's one of those fantastic athletes that everyone would like on their team," San Diego General Manager Bobby Beathard says. "He can cover and he can tackle and he can blitz and he has so much speed and quickness and size. And he is a dangerous return man, too. You don't find many great comers anymore, but a comer certainly can be the MVP. If you have a great one, it allows you to do so much more stuff with your defense."

Still, considering all the handicaps established by the rules, a cornerback mostly is trying to survive these days, much less become a star, which makes Woodson's performance so special. "It's crazy," Steelers cornerback D.J. Johnson says. "You can't touch a receiver or it's a flag, and they can do anything they want to get open. You have to depend on a great pass rush and some liberal referees. For Rod to do what he is doing, it is simply spectacular. How can you guard a guy that close, tip the ball or make an interception on every play and not be caused for a penalty? It's just takes outstanding athletic ability."

After 10 games, Woodson has seven interceptions, already two above his career high. Since 1981, when Everson Walls had 11, no player has picked off more than 10 passes in a season. And only two cornerbacks -- Mel Blount in 1975 and Lester Hayes in 1980 -- have won The Associated Press defensive MVP honors, an award started in 1957.

And although the numbers have drawn attention to Woodson, what he has done within the concept of the Steelers' defense is even more eye-catching. For the first time in his seven-year career, he is being asked to cover the opponents' top guy whenever Pittsburgh plays man-to-man. As a result, his list of foes reads like a who's who of receivers: Jerry Rice, Flipper Anderson, Andre Rison, Andre Reed, Anthony Miller, Mark Carrier, Carl Pickens. But he still has given up only one touchdown pass all season, to Pickens, and usually has allowed no more than two receptions a game. In reality, Woodson can play superbly and never touch a ball all afternoon. But he needs interceptions to gain in stature, even if the Steelers were the NFL's stingiest defense before Sunday.

"They've stopped throwing much my way," he says, "and it can get boring after a while." Denver tried him only four times despite scoring 37 points; he allowed two completions. "But what you lead in this league," he says, "is that as long as you win, interceptions don't matter a bit."

The Steelers made a sagacious move by increasing Woodson's responsibilities. How do you get the best from your most-talented defender? Challenge him more than he has ever been challenged in his life. "He kind of thrives on that and has taken his game to another level," Steelers Coach Bill Cowher says. "You have to try to get him around the football as much as you can. If you leave him in one spot, they can scheme away from him. We want him involved."

To survive in this new environment, Woodson has been forced to accelerate his concentration. "This year, I said I am going to concentrate for 16 games," he says. "And let's see what happens. It is so much easier to play that way. If I had known it would be so much easier, I would have done it earlier. But maybe it's because of maturity, experience, all of the above.

"I'm just trying to play more from the shoulders up this year and let my ability take over. I am trying to think about what I am doing. That's the key. In the past, I'd have two or three great games and two or three bad ones. I've eliminated those lapses. So far."

Woodson laughs. He knows the corner's role is so fragile that one embarrassing performance can eliminate a season's worth of excellence. In Cowher's two seasons with Pittsburgh, Woodson has had only one mediocre outing, against Green Bay in 1992. To judge from the press clippings devoted to his stumble, it was if the sky had fallen around the Steelers.

Maybe that is why Woodson took so long to embrace the spot despite two consecutive Pro Bowl appearances (he also was selected twice as a kick returner). A safety at Purdue, he was uncomfortable moving to cornerback, particularly when asked to play on the right side. "I had to make myself play well," he says. "It might sound funny, but I did. I had to work a lot harder on the right side. I am righthanded, and I open up better when I am on the left." Besides, Cowher's staff came in preaching technique, something not always high on Woodson's priority list. But little things have made the difference.