Welcome back to another edition of the Countdown to Kickoff series. We’re officially 28 days until the start of the regular season. While that may seem like a long time (literally only four weeks), at least we had some Dallas Cowboys Football action last night!
But instead of talking about their clash with the Denver Broncos in-depth, I wanted to dive into the Greatest #28 in franchise history. After some evaluation of the nine players who wore #28, the choice was easy as one player swept his competition by a mile.
With three Super Bowl titles, four First-Team All-Pros, and five Pro Bowls to his name, this player was not only today’s winner, but he is arguably the Greatest Safety in franchise history.
So without further ado, let’s welcome Mr. Darren Woodson to the floor. But, before we relive his accomplished career, check out the other players who also wore silver and blue on Sundays.
- Alvin Blount, RB
- Norm Granger, RB
- Malik Hooker, FS (active)
- Felix Jones, RB
- Rashard Robinson, CB
- Curtis Stewart, RB
- Tyson Thompson, RB
- Darren Woodson, S
- Daryl Worley, CB
Darren Woodson’s NFL Career
Drafted in the second round (37th overall) in the 1992 NFL Draft out of Arizona State Univerisity, Woodson was one of several players who came to Dallas because of the Herschel Walker trade. In his rookie year, Woodson didn’t see the field often as he was relegated to the backup SS role and saw most of his work on special teams.
However, he would win one of his three Super Bowls in his first year. It wasn’t until his second year when Woodson landed the starting SS gig, and in his first year as a full-time starter, he had 155 combined tackles and one forced fumble.
Statistically, that was his best year. However, Woodson was a tackling machine throughout his 13-year NFL career as he finished as the all-time leader in tackles (1,350).
Woodson was a guy I don’t remember as a young Cowboys fan since I didn’t start getting into football till around 2005. But after seeing his play and reading up on the number of times that he’s been snubbed for the Pro Football HOF, it’s disrespectful, to say the least, for him not to be inducted already.
While researching Woodson, I stumbled across this highlight reel of him on Twitter that made my mouth drop. I can only imagine how terrified opposing QBs were when they knew he was lining up against them, as he could impact the game with his tenacious hits, elite ball-hawking abilities, or his crazy, downhill speed.
As I said, this man deserves to be in Canton already. Plain and simple. His resume is too good not to earn himself a gold jacket, and I hope he can get his well-deserved induction someday.
But for now, to add to his championship-pedigree resume that includes all of the accolades above, we’re adding the Greatest #28 crown for him. Congratulations to Mr.Woodson on the honor, and check back on Monday as I will crown the Greatest #27 in franchise history!
