It didn’t take long for Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers to realize he had something special with Charles Woodson.
“When I first started watching tape, 5-to-7 tapes, it reminded me of when I went to Pittsburgh in 1992 and watched Rod Woodson,” Capers told PFT Thursday.
The two defensive backs share a last name, and the same sort of hard-hitting versatility.
“We moved Rod into nickel cornerback so he could blitz and he could be closer to the action. We basically use Charles the same way we used Rod back in the 90’s. “
Capers said Charles Woodson can be an excellent safety in the future. In many ways, he already is. Woodson played safety almost exclusively in the NFC Championship when the Packers were in a 3-4 alignment. Capers lauded Woodson’s instinctive feel for the game and his versatility.
“Charles plays corner for us, he plays nickel, he plays safety, a lot of times we put him on the best interior people. He just gives us a lot of flexibility. . . . You can do that with Charles because he’s very bright. He sees the big picture.”
Packers receiver James Jones said you have to stay creative to beat Woodson in practice.
“He’s ridiculously smart. He’ll be breaking on your route before you even run it,” Jones said. “I remember one time in training camp and I thought I ran a great route. And he was all over it.
“‘I’m like, ‘Charles, how did you know I was going run that route?’ And he said, ‘I could tell how fast you were running, you were going to stop.’''
That type of smarts and flexibility gives Charles Woodson a chance to extend his career as long as Rod Woodson once did.