Off-topic conversation: Darren Woodson

During his 12 years playing in the NFL, it was rare Darren Woodson would get too excited about training camp.

Sure, Woodson was thrilled to be around his teammates once again when the Dallas Cowboys gathered in late July, but preparing himself to endure almost four weeks of football in hot weather was mentally exhausting when Woodson reminisces about his career.

“I remember the anxiety of knowing a week before or two weeks before you’re like, ‘(Darn), I got to get back out there in this heat. I got to get to work again; all over again. Here comes the full-time commitment,’ ” Woodson said. “The week leading up to training camp you just feel that anxiety. You can’t sleep. You get your mind ramped up a little bit, so you’re a little on edge. And I’m not alone. There are a whole lot of other guys out there that feel the same way; just on edge going into training camp.”

In part two of the Off-Topic conversation, Woodson discusses why the Philadelphia Eagles are the best team in the NFC East, what team could be a sleeper this upcoming season, and best and worst moments from his career.

When we last spoke, you were talking about the Eagles being the best team in the division. Does it pain you to say that knowing the battles you’ve had with that team in your career and knowing the hatred that team has for the Cowboys?

No, not at all. In all honesty, I’m a realist. I bleed that star brother, that’s home for me. But at the same time, if I’m outside looking in, I’m covering all these teams. ESPN covers all 32 teams. I look at the Eagles and say, “Hey look, what they have at their disposal, and the upside they have and experience they gained last year, they’re a good team.” A strong team understands who they are and their identity. To me, it’s not that hard to make that decision.

And I’ve said this before when the Cowboys were good and (Tony) Romo was on top and Dez (Bryant) was on top of his game and (Jason) Witten was on top of his game, I was picking the Cowboys to win the division back then. I just saw last year with my own eyes, and everyone else saw it, too, that the Eagles were by far the best team in the division and it’s not like they’ve had a ton of dropoff.

Is there a team that maybe isn’t talked about but could surprise some people this year?

I would say Anthony Lynn’s Chargers. This is a team that was a field goal away from making it to the playoffs. This is a team that can rush the passer with (Melvin) Ingram and Joey Bosa on the outside; very good secondary on the back end and just brought in Derwin James as a young rookie safety. Personnel-wise defensively, they’ve really stepped it up. It’s different from what we’ve always talked about with (the Chargers). We’ve always talked about the offense, and now we’re starting to talk about the defense. Offensively, they have weapons. The biggest issue with (the Chargers) is probably the offensive line. They are still trying to figure out the (offensive line) and if they can run the ball successfully. But man, you have Melvin Gordon, Philip Rivers, a plethora of receivers on the outside, they’re dangerous. If I’m looking at a team right now; the main teams in that division have always been the Broncos and the Chiefs, but I’m looking at (the Chargers). They can be in the mix. And I watched that same team come to Dallas last year and just put it on the Cowboys. I mean, top to bottom. The Cowboys had no answers as far as matchups. So, if I’m looking at one team that I would say is that under the radar team that can make some things happen, it would be the Chargers for me.

When you recall your career, what do you miss most about stepping on that field, putting on that helmet and going to war on Sundays?

The camaraderie. That’s what I miss the most. I miss being in the locker room, and not just during the season, but the offseason programs, working out with the guys, cutting it up. That’s one of the things you’ll never get back. I do a lot of speaking engagements around the country, and I always talk about coming out of the tunnel. That feeling that you have when you’re playing away games in Philadelphia and New York, and you’re coming out of that tunnel with your guys, who you’ve worked out with since March, guys that become your family. Walking out that tunnel together knowing that you’re all on the same page, that you’ve got their back and they got your back; I have yet to find a real estate deal or whatever I’m doing in business, I have yet to find something that can replace that feeling. That’s the one thing I miss about the game.

Do you remember the best game you have ever played? Is there one?

Individually? No. I mean, it’s hard man because I never remember all the good times. I remember the good times as far as Super Bowl wins, the big playoff wins, I remember some of those. But a lot of times as a competitor, you think about the negatives like, ‘Damn, I gave up (a big play). I could have done this better.’ That’s how I always looked at things. I wish I was more in the moment back then. … Most of the accomplishment I can think of is coming into the locker room after a Super Bowl win and sitting there talking trash to each other or paying debts to who got the interception. Those types of things are what I think about.

OK, with that said, do you recall the worst game you played?

Yeah. It was in Philadelphia. I don’t know what wide receiver it was, but it was a deep ball, and I couldn’t track it. It ended up being a touchdown catch, and I could not track the ball correctly. That’s the one that stays. I can still see the ball in the air right now.

What was the toughest stadium you’ve ever played in, especially coming in as a Dallas Cowboy?

Philly was always one at the Vet (Veterans Stadium). The Redskins — all the NFC East teams because it was so much animosity toward the Cowboys, and we had so much success early on when I first got into the league. I mean, we could be 5-11, and the Cowboys fans would just show up, and it would be rowdy, and there would be fights in the stands. … It was just so much of a buzz playing those teams in any of those (NFC East) stadiums. But I always thought about the Vet. I remember when I first came into the league, RFK Stadium to me was the best place to play football. It was the best atmosphere because the crowd was right on top of you. The stands would shake. It was just a really good place to play football, and it was grass. It was fun. I mean, I loved it.

Who was the toughest quarterback you ever played? A guy you knew would get the better of you no matter what.

I saw him every day — Troy Aikman (laughs). Troy was good, man. We had a lot of competitions. He made me a better football player. Outside of Troy, Steve Young was a very good football player, and because I saw him so many times in big games. If I had (to pick) one, I would probably say Brett Favre because of the amount of times we played them in the playoffs. I think I played (the Packers) a little bit more than I played (the 49ers). But Brett Favre is probably to me the guy that could do a little bit of everything. He could throw the ball. (Favre) could run. He could get out of the pocket and create some things with his legs. So, I would probably go Brett Favre.

When you were on that field, what was Darren Woodson’s superpower?

I would say I was a really good tackler. I was very versatile, man. I think my superpower was covering the slot receiver as a safety, and I would say my tackling was really — I was very confident especially in my first nine, 10 years in the league. I think my confidence dropped a little bit later in my career. But my first nine years, there wasn’t a better tackler in the league than me.