The NFL Hall of Fame ceremony is Sunday, August 8th. This event, along with the traditional Hall of Fame Game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys tonight, will symbolically kick off the 2021 NFL season. The weekend will honor both the 2020 and 2021 Hall of Fame inductees, as last year’s ceremony was canceled due to COVID-19.
The Green Bay Packers will have two inductees on the weekend, one for each Hall of Fame class. The 2020 class sees the induction of Bobby Dillon, who is the franchise’s all-time leader in interceptions with 52. Dillon played for the Packers from 1952 to 1959.
In more contemporary news, the 2021 Hall of Fame class has former Green Bay cornerback Charles Woodson becoming a first-ballot inductee. Woodson’s 18-year career saw him play in Lambeau for seven seasons, earning numerous Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors while wearing the green and gold. Woodson also won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2009 with the Packers.
Initially drafted by the Oakland Raiders in 1998, Woodson took his career to the next level when he signed with Green Bay in April of 2006. Until that point, he had been a perennial Pro Bowl player with the Raiders, earning that honor in the first four years of his career. However, he would not make the Pro Bowl as a member of the Raiders after the 2001 season, which happened to coincide with the Tuck Rule.
In the years following, Woodson battled injuries and was even considered to be a risky signing by some before eventually agreeing to a seven-year contract with the Packers. In a season where an embattled Brett Favre was pleading with the organization to put more talent on the team (sound familiar?), Woodson was the perfect addition. Eager to reclaim his status as one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks, Woodson did not disappoint.
The Charles Woodson that the Green Bay Packers came to know was a true leader on and off the field. His candor and upfront personality provided much-needed stability on a team that would eventually undergo a significant era change from Favre to Rodgers in 2008. Woodson was poised and professional, yet also knew the best ways in which to talk trash.
In his first three years in Green Bay, Woodson caught more interceptions (19) than he did the previous eight years in Oakland (17). Woodson quickly shed the “injury prone” label and let everyone know that he was still one of the NFL’s premier players. He would go on to win Defensive Player of the Year in 2009, leading the league with a whopping nine interceptions and three defensive touchdowns that year. What’s even more incredible is that he accomplished this feat in his age-33 season. A disappointing playoff exit in 2009 was quickly in the rearview mirror after he led a sturdy Packers defense to a Super Bowl title in 2010.
It was these early days of the Rodgers/Woodson-led Packers that truly hooked my interest in the team. The defensive side of the ball was absolutely stacked with Woodson, Nick Collins, Al Harris, Desmond Bishop, B.J. Raji, and a young Clay Matthews. Woodson was, as always, at the heart of that unit’s success.
Even when he went out with a shoulder injury in the second quarter of the 2010 Super Bowl, Woodson was able to rally his teammates to hang on to victory. Woodson said in his post-game interview that his teammates were saying that they were playing for him after it was revealed that Woodson couldn’t return in the game. The Packers hung on for the win, and Woodson finally got the ring he was after for all of those years.
While Woodson would eventually return to the Raiders in 2013 and play the final three seasons of his career there, he solidified his place in Green Bay lore with an illustrious seven-year tenure that saw Woodson catch 38 total interceptions across an even 100 regular season games. He is truly one of the best to ever suit up for the Packers. Jaire Alexander may be well on his way to approaching Woodson’s notoriety, but Woodson is the true model to look to for Green Bay’s young DB corps.
As Woodson gets his gold jacket this weekend, it is a good time to appreciate all the fond memories and wins that Woodson brought to the Packers. His competitive spirit still lingers on the defense, and his presence on the team will have a lasting impact on future Green Bay DBs for years to come. His success is well deserved, and we are fortunate that we got to experience a slice of that magic in Titletown.
