JetsReport Free Agency Roundup: Offensive Tackle Damien Woody
This is the seventh post in my JetsReport Free Agency Roundup series. You can look back at the other players I’ve covered so far: David Harris, LaDainian Tomlinson, Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards, Antonio Cromartie, and Brad Smith.
Damien Woody has only spent three seasons in New York, but it seems like he’s been a Jet forever. His three seasons in New York with the Jets have coincided with the Jets offensive line becoming one of the best offensive lines in all of football.
In 2008, his first season in New York, Woody was the best offensive tackle in the NFL. Not the best right tackle. The best tackle, left or right, in the entire National Football League. But don’t take my word for it, just ask Pro Football Focus.
In 2008 Woody was our top ranked offensive tackle overall. Better than Joe Thomas, better than D’Brickashaw Ferguson, better than anybody else you can name.
And it’s not like he was a one year wonder either. Woody has been an elite player in the NFL for a long time, and a versatile one at that.
His first four seasons, he played center for the New England Patriots, including making a Pro Bowl in 2002. The following season, his final year in New England, he moved over to left guard. After five years with the Patriots, he played four seasons with the Lions, playing mostly right guard.
So he comes over to the Jets in 2008 and in his first year as a full-time right tackle promptly plays better than any tackle in the game. That tells you all you need to know about the dedication and determination of Big Wood.
In 2009, the Jets set a franchise record 2756 rushing yards, averaging 172.3 rushing yards a game as they boasted one of the best run-blocking offensive lines in NFL history. Woody was an enormous part of that, as the Jets loved running to the Woody and Brandon Moore’s side, using that formula to get the AFC Championship game.
Pro Football Focus rated Woody as the second overall right tackle in 2009 at age 32, and despite a couple of freak injuries this past season, he was still the 3rd overall ranked right tackle in 2010. He was one of nine Jets on the All-AFC East team.
There’s no doubt in my mind that if the Jets had a healthy Damien Woody this postseason, we’re in the Super Bowl. No disrespect to Wayne Hunter, who played his heart out in Woody’s absence, but there are not a lot of guys out there on Damien Woody’s level.
Now, coming off an Achilles injury is no walk in the park. But if there’s anyone who can do it, it’s Damien Woody. I could almost guarantee right now that Woody will still be the best run-blocking tackle in the game if the lockout is lifted and there’s football in 2011.
The Jets released Woody for salary cap reasons, and now they risk losing him to a team like the Patriots, who are in need of offensive line help. But Woody is on record that he hasn’t ruled out a return to the Jets either.
“I would consider all options, so yeah, definitely,”
Woody said after his release. “I had a great time up there. I didn’t leave on any bad terms or anything like that. That would definitely be intriguing, coming back.”
We hope so, Big Wood. I know, and a lot of Jets fans know that he’s still got it. But the Jets may choose to go younger with Vladimir Ducasse and let Woody walk like they did Alan Faneca the year before. I think this would be a mistake. Unlike Faneca, I believe Woody can still play at an elite level.
And although Matt Slauson played very well as a first year starter last year, there’s no guarantee that Ducasse can step in to Woody’s shoes just like that in 2011. Mike Tannenbaum’s got a tough decision to make when it comes to the right tackle position. I think it would be wise to bring back Woody for one more year, but I’m not in charge. We’ll just have to wait and see.
