Woodson competing for Giants roster spot

by chirop1 on Jul 27, 2009 6:07 PM EDT Comment 13 comments

The Elizabethtown News Enterprise had an interview with Andre Woodson in Sunday's paper (he's from just up the road in Radcliff). ~~I looked for a link online today... but no such luck.~~

More after the jump ...

The gist of it is that Woodson is back in camp with the Giants competing for a roster spot. Essentially he is competing for the 3rd string spot with Rhett Bomar who was drafted by the Giants this year out of Sam Houston State. Those of you who follow college football may remember Bomar from a brief stint at Oklahoma before he got in some trouble with the law and had to skip town a few years ago.

Last year, Woodson stepped into a competition which included former number 1 overall pick David Carr, Anthony Wright, and former UK QB Jared Lorenzen. It didn't go well for the former Cats, Woodson ended up on the practice squad and Lorenzen is now the starting QB for the Lexington AFL team IIRC.

There were some good comments from Woodson in the article, he says he has dropped 20 pounds from his frame and now feels lighter on his feet and more mobile. He also says they have worked with him to entirely rework his throwing motion and he now no longer has that odd "hitch" that caused him to slip so far in the draft. He also feels like he has a much better grasp of the Giants' playbook now and is more equipped to succeed. The article then pointed out the progression he made at North Hardin from serviceable QB to D1 prospect and then at UK from near bust to Heisman contender.

It was a nice write up. If I can find a link online somewhere I'll try to add it later. [UPDATE: The article is here.]

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It's not just a "plus" that he is reworking his throwing motion.

He absolutely HAS to if he wants a chance to make a roster.

by mrmondaynite on Jul 27, 2009 7:24 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

The competition would seem to be a little less intense this year, so maybe he has a better shot at it this time around.

Like the article says… making the team this year would be huge with Carr being a free agent next year.

Of course its difficult, its a shortcut... if it was easy it'd just be "the way."

by chirop1 on Jul 27, 2009 10:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I never understood why the "hitch" was such a huge deal re draft position

I thought they had coaches in the league. Shouldn’t they have been able to “coach” that out of him? Looks like they have. . .

If Northwestern can do it, why can't we?

by NYCCats on Jul 28, 2009 9:07 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I think the "risk" was that...

…if he still had it in college, it might be impossible to coach it out of him.

Woodson throws a solid accurate ball with the “hitch,” which worked fine in the college game where not every defensive player is elite. But pro DBs and LBs can almost telegraph where the ball is going or at least anticipate its direction when the QB throwing it has that “hitch” or slow release. It’s the major knock on the NFL’s Byron Leftwich and the main reason why he was a backup in Pittsburgh last year and may maintain that position this season in Tampa Bay.

Also, maybe Woodson is incapable of throwing a solid and accurate ball without the “hitch,” meaning that his talent – which was more than passable in college – does not translate to the NFL game.

by mrmondaynite on Jul 28, 2009 3:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

All valid and potentially true points

But I do think (as a broader point) that pro coaches have an aversion to actually teaching something (as opposed to just designing/executing schemes). It always surprises me that the supposedly best coaches on the planet don’t seem to see teaching as a part of their profession – one would think there would be an iconoclast out there who would say, “I can fix that.” (and become known for it, as certain pitching coaches are in MLB)

If Northwestern can do it, why can't we?

by NYCCats on Jul 28, 2009 4:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

There are plenty of elite talents out there that don't need "fixing"

I see your point… but then I realize that there are roughly 110 Division 1-A football schools… each of those schools has 3 QBs on their roster in a given year. A quality NFL QB can hang around the league for 10 years or so. In that time, the colleges will have spit out close to 3000 talented QB’s.

There are 102 QB’s on NFL rosters at any given time and one or two in federal prison. (Just had to get a good Michael Vick zinger in there…)

When you look at the sheer number of players out there vieing for a very limited number of NFL positions… it becomes readily apparent why they don’t want to spend time “fixing” a QB.

Its like I’m standing looking at two valleys. One has gold sitting there in the streams and rivers; the other might have more gold buried in the hills which a little strip mining could yield a greater profit. Which one would I honestly go for?

Of course its difficult, its a shortcut... if it was easy it'd just be "the way."

by chirop1 on Jul 28, 2009 4:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You both make excellent points.

I have to side with chirop – not necessarily because of your respective arguments, but because it’s just what I tend to believe.
First of all, we’re talking about “professionals.” Of course, everyone learns on the job as they go along, but professionals – by definition – should have advanced skills so that significant teaching is not necessary. The teaching part should come in when the individual is an amateur (college). I’m sure you could point out certain professions which don’t follow the aforementioned thinking, but that’s how I see “professional” in the context of sports.
I think in baseball, there are such things as “prospects” that can be nurtured and taught because shelf life for a baseball player can be 20-25 years (especially for pitchers, a position that NYC noted are often “fixed”).
However, in football, a player’s expected career duration is much shorter, and the loss of a year or two “fixing” him is almost a waste of time (both financially and from the standpoint that he’s taking up a roster spot for a guy that doesn’t need to be taught).
And why waste time teaching Andre Woodson to fix his throwing motion when there are other guys out there who don’t need fixing? That goes right to chirop’s point.

by mrmondaynite on Jul 28, 2009 4:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I can buy that (from both of you)

But the UK homer in me wishes it were not so.

And I’m jaded by seeing a parade of Bengals quarterbacks (pre-Palmer) about whom the best I could say was, “He sure throws a pretty interception.”

If Northwestern can do it, why can't we?

by NYCCats on Jul 28, 2009 5:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh, I'm wishing it, too.

I think he has a shot.

All I can say is sorry about the Bengals. I spent the first 18 years of my life in Pittsburgh as a Steelers fan and I remember drubbings dealt to the Bengals yearly all the way back to Boomer, then Blake, Ki-Jana Carter, etc.

by mrmondaynite on Jul 28, 2009 5:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

BA DUM TING

DEEETROIT BASKETBALLL!!!

by davw83 on Jul 29, 2009 9:00 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Didnt post in the right spot

nice Vick jab

DEEETROIT BASKETBALLL!!!

by davw83 on Jul 29, 2009 9:00 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Regardless of "the hitch" I'm really pulling for Woodson.

He’s a class guy, and what he did at UK will always be appreciated by Kentucky football fans everywhere.

by Ken Howlett on Jul 28, 2009 5:30 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Sidenote

The Rhett Bomar situation at Oklahoma was the topic that I first commented on at ASoB, in response to a Tru post. Just another reason to be rooting for Woodson:)

by Ken Howlett on Jul 29, 2009 9:08 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs