Why is Damian Woody playing Guard?

[Tatonka]

if he is such a good center.. why is he at guard?

just wondering..

[The Spaz]

Re: Why is Damian Woody playing Guard?

Originally posted by Tatonka
if he is such a good center.. why is he at guard?

just wondering..

They need him more at guard because of injuries they have. I beleive Koppen is playing center right now for them for this reason.

[Tatonka]

how long was woody at center?

[The Spaz]

Originally posted by Tatonka
how long was woody at center?

Well from what it looks like not very long only 1-2 weeks this year. Wilbert Brown I think was supposed to there RG but he got hurt so Koppen is a rookie and has only played center in college and Woody has been around long enough to know the schemes and play calling.

[Tatonka]

no, i ment how many years prior to this? was he always a center prior to this year?

[The Spaz]

Oh sorry I think Woody has always been a center prior to this,yes!

[Tatonka]

Originally posted by The Spaz
Oh sorry I think Woody has always been a center prior to this,yes!

goofball.. i am asking, how long has he been a good center in NE.. nevermind.. rofl.. i will just look it up.

[The Spaz]

Originally posted by Tatonka


goofball.. i am asking, how long has he been a good center in NE.. nevermind.. rofl.. i will just look it up.

Ruh Roh Rorry. I don't know how long he has been a "good" center in NE but I do know he has been there starting center prior to this year I think!

[Ickybaluky]

Woody has played OG before this year for the Patriots, although his primary position is C.

Reasons he has played OG:

1) Going back to 2001, he has struggled with Shotgun snapping. Because of that, the Patriots would flip-flop him with OG Mike Compton on the line (who played C in Detriot before signing with the Pats) in shotgun formations. This happened in both 2001 and 2002. He hasn't shotgun-snapped in a game since 2000, where his problems became so bad the team ended up scrapping the shotgun formation for the season. When they brought back the shotgun in 2001, Compton would C for the snap.

2) In 2002 OG Joe Andruzzi missed quite a bit of time to a nagging knee injury (he had microfracture surgery this past offseason). Andruzzi missed several games, and couldn't finish several more. When this happened, the Pats brought Grey Ruegamer off the bench to play C and moved Woody to OG.

3) This season, Woody was slated to play C and the flip-flop arrangement with Mike Compton was to continue. The Pats had some depth at OG, with Andruzzi getting healthy, Compton returning and promising young Stephen Neal expected to push those 2 for a starting job. It was also possible that OT Kenyatta Jones or OT Adrian Klemm would be moved to OG if necessary (both had played OG and OT). However, Jones was slow to recover from knee surgery and was PUP'ed, then released after a bizarre off-field incident resulting in his arrest for throwing boiling hot water on a guy. Klemm was injured and IR'ed. Neal suffered an offseason shoulder injury and was first PUP'ed and then IR'ed. Finally, early this season Compton broke his foot and had to be IR'ed. The Pats were left with no choice but to start rookie 5th-round pick Dan Koppen at C and move Woody to OG. Koppen played so well they decided to keep it that way.

4) Koppen has played so well, that Woody will likely have to play OG if the Pats re-sign him. Woody claims he has practiced and is beyond the shotgun-snap issues he had, but the Pats have been afraid to let him prove it in a game. As an OG, his athleticism is a key component to the Pats screen-game, which is an integral part of their offense.


My guess is the reason you are asking this question is because you are looking at Woody as a guy the Bills might try to sign this offseason. Woody has stated he would like to return to the Patriots and doesn't care if he plays C or OG, but so far there has been no agreement on a contract, despite negotitations (which aren't acrimonious).

That said, I put Woody's chances of returning at about 50/50. While the Pats are in good cap shape for next year (they are currently about $4M under next years projected cap before doing any tweaking, and only have about $55M committed to 2005, when the cap is projected to be about $82M), whether they can afford him or will likely not be the determining factor. The fact is they have their young C of the future in Koppen (and he is cheap), Neal will be returning (and he is cheap), and they may not want to invest huge dollars in an OG. If Woody is hell-bent on getting Olin Kreutz money, then he will be gone. If he is willing to take a little less to say in NE, then it might happen. Woody has established himself in the community and is acive locally, but he is from Virginia and spends a great deal of his offseason in Florida, where he has a home and plans on retiring.

Also, though Woody is a class act, a very good player, a hard worker and an usually athlete for a guy his size (330#), he has struggled with weight issues throughout his career. Belichick has consistently fined him for being over his projected weight, and he has habitually failed the conditioning run at the start of camp under the current regime. Woody trains hard, but he likes to eat and seems to balloon up each offseason and come in over his target weight. He eventually plays himself into shape and can't be classified as a lazy player, but I merely point that out because it has been an issue every year under Belichick. I think the Patriots would be happier if Woody played closer to 315#-320#, instead of the 330# he has been throughout his career. That said, he has also been a consistently good player, so I can't say that issue would effect whether the Pats decide to keep him or not.

If Woody becomes a free agent, then there will be a lot of teams interested in him. He is a very good, athletic player with position flexibility. If he plays C, then the shotgun-snapping problems he has had could be an issue, but that may not sway some teams. He would be an upgrade for the Bills over Trey Teague (who also has shotgun problems). It is rare you find a guy at his size that has the athleticism to consistently get out and lead screens and sweeps (usually those guys are smaller), but Woody can do that. He was named a Pro Bowl alternate last year, and his best years are probably coming up.

[ryven]

Originally posted by NE39
Woody has played OG before this year for the Patriots, although his primary position is C.

Reasons he has played OG:

1) Going back to 2001, he has struggled with Shotgun snapping. Because of that, the Patriots would flip-flop him with OG Mike Compton on the line (who played C in Detriot before signing with the Pats) in shotgun formations. This happened in both 2001 and 2002. He hasn't shotgun-snapped in a game since 2000, where his problems became so bad the team ended up scrapping the shotgun formation for the season. When they brought back the shotgun in 2001, Compton would C for the snap.

2) In 2002 OG Joe Andruzzi missed quite a bit of time to a nagging knee injury (he had microfracture surgery this past offseason). Andruzzi missed several games, and couldn't finish several more. When this happened, the Pats brought Grey Ruegamer off the bench to play C and moved Woody to OG.

3) This season, Woody was slated to play C and the flip-flop arrangement with Mike Compton was to continue. The Pats had some depth at OG, with Andruzzi getting healthy, Compton returning and promising young Stephen Neal expected to push those 2 for a starting job. It was also possible that OT Kenyatta Jones or OT Adrian Klemm would be moved to OG if necessary (both had played OG and OT). However, Jones was slow to recover from knee surgery and was PUP'ed, then released after a bizarre off-field incident resulting in his arrest for throwing boiling hot water on a guy. Klemm was injured and IR'ed. Neal suffered an offseason shoulder injury and was first PUP'ed and then IR'ed. Finally, early this season Compton broke his foot and had to be IR'ed. The Pats were left with no choice but to start rookie 5th-round pick Dan Koppen at C and move Woody to OG. Koppen played so well they decided to keep it that way.

4) Koppen has played so well, that Woody will likely have to play OG if the Pats re-sign him. Woody claims he has practiced and is beyond the shotgun-snap issues he had, but the Pats have been afraid to let him prove it in a game. As an OG, his athleticism is a key component to the Pats screen-game, which is an integral part of their offense.


My guess is the reason you are asking this question is because you are looking at Woody as a guy the Bills might try to sign this offseason. Woody has stated he would like to return to the Patriots and doesn't care if he plays C or OG, but so far there has been no agreement on a contract, despite negotitations (which aren't acrimonious).

That said, I put Woody's chances of returning at about 50/50. While the Pats are in good cap shape for next year (they are currently about $4M under next years projected cap before doing any tweaking, and only have about $55M committed to 2005, when the cap is projected to be about $82M), whether they can afford him or will likely not be the determining factor. The fact is they have their young C of the future in Koppen (and he is cheap), Neal will be returning (and he is cheap), and they may not want to invest huge dollars in an OG. If Woody is hell-bent on getting Olin Kreutz money, then he will be gone. If he is willing to take a little less to say in NE, then it might happen. Woody has established himself in the community and is acive locally, but he is from Virginia and spends a great deal of his offseason in Florida, where he has a home and plans on retiring.

Also, though Woody is a class act, a very good player, a hard worker and an usually athlete for a guy his size (330#), he has struggled with weight issues throughout his career. Belichick has consistently fined him for being over his projected weight, and he has habitually failed the conditioning run at the start of camp under the current regime. Woody trains hard, but he likes to eat and seems to balloon up each offseason and come in over his target weight. He eventually plays himself into shape and can't be classified as a lazy player, but I merely point that out because it has been an issue every year under Belichick. I think the Patriots would be happier if Woody played closer to 315#-320#, instead of the 330# he has been throughout his career. That said, he has also been a consistently good player, so I can't say that issue would effect whether the Pats decide to keep him or not.

If Woody becomes a free agent, then there will be a lot of teams interested in him. He is a very good, athletic player with position flexibility. If he plays C, then the shotgun-snapping problems he has had could be an issue, but that may not sway some teams. He would be an upgrade for the Bills over Trey Teague (who also has shotgun problems). It is rare you find a guy at his size that has the athleticism to consistently get out and lead screens and sweeps (usually those guys are smaller), but Woody can do that. He was named a Pro Bowl alternate last year, and his best years are probably coming up.

Thanks for the info.

[venis2k1]

wow, thats NE, great post. I sure hope we can bring in woody, even if we gave him big time center money, its not gonna be much more than teague is getting.

[SABURZFAN]

Re: Re: Why is Damian Woody playing Guard?

Originally posted by The Spaz


They need him more at guard because of injuries they have. I beleive Koppen is playing center right now for them for this reason.

i wish we would have drafted koppen.

[ryven]

I wonder if woodey has worked out his shotgun snapping problems but even if he didnt he would be a huge upgrade over tegue. Trey is a good player but he should play his natural position which is OT or maybe even guard.

[Tatonka]

Originally posted by NE39
Woody has played OG before this year for the Patriots, although his primary position is C.

Reasons he has played OG:

1) Going back to 2001, he has struggled with Shotgun snapping. Because of that, the Patriots would flip-flop him with OG Mike Compton on the line (who played C in Detriot before signing with the Pats) in shotgun formations. This happened in both 2001 and 2002. He hasn't shotgun-snapped in a game since 2000, where his problems became so bad the team ended up scrapping the shotgun formation for the season. When they brought back the shotgun in 2001, Compton would C for the snap.

2) In 2002 OG Joe Andruzzi missed quite a bit of time to a nagging knee injury (he had microfracture surgery this past offseason). Andruzzi missed several games, and couldn't finish several more. When this happened, the Pats brought Grey Ruegamer off the bench to play C and moved Woody to OG.

3) This season, Woody was slated to play C and the flip-flop arrangement with Mike Compton was to continue. The Pats had some depth at OG, with Andruzzi getting healthy, Compton returning and promising young Stephen Neal expected to push those 2 for a starting job. It was also possible that OT Kenyatta Jones or OT Adrian Klemm would be moved to OG if necessary (both had played OG and OT). However, Jones was slow to recover from knee surgery and was PUP'ed, then released after a bizarre off-field incident resulting in his arrest for throwing boiling hot water on a guy. Klemm was injured and IR'ed. Neal suffered an offseason shoulder injury and was first PUP'ed and then IR'ed. Finally, early this season Compton broke his foot and had to be IR'ed. The Pats were left with no choice but to start rookie 5th-round pick Dan Koppen at C and move Woody to OG. Koppen played so well they decided to keep it that way.

4) Koppen has played so well, that Woody will likely have to play OG if the Pats re-sign him. Woody claims he has practiced and is beyond the shotgun-snap issues he had, but the Pats have been afraid to let him prove it in a game. As an OG, his athleticism is a key component to the Pats screen-game, which is an integral part of their offense.


My guess is the reason you are asking this question is because you are looking at Woody as a guy the Bills might try to sign this offseason. Woody has stated he would like to return to the Patriots and doesn't care if he plays C or OG, but so far there has been no agreement on a contract, despite negotitations (which aren't acrimonious).

That said, I put Woody's chances of returning at about 50/50. While the Pats are in good cap shape for next year (they are currently about $4M under next years projected cap before doing any tweaking, and only have about $55M committed to 2005, when the cap is projected to be about $82M), whether they can afford him or will likely not be the determining factor. The fact is they have their young C of the future in Koppen (and he is cheap), Neal will be returning (and he is cheap), and they may not want to invest huge dollars in an OG. If Woody is hell-bent on getting Olin Kreutz money, then he will be gone. If he is willing to take a little less to say in NE, then it might happen. Woody has established himself in the community and is acive locally, but he is from Virginia and spends a great deal of his offseason in Florida, where he has a home and plans on retiring.

Also, though Woody is a class act, a very good player, a hard worker and an usually athlete for a guy his size (330#), he has struggled with weight issues throughout his career. Belichick has consistently fined him for being over his projected weight, and he has habitually failed the conditioning run at the start of camp under the current regime. Woody trains hard, but he likes to eat and seems to balloon up each offseason and come in over his target weight. He eventually plays himself into shape and can't be classified as a lazy player, but I merely point that out because it has been an issue every year under Belichick. I think the Patriots would be happier if Woody played closer to 315#-320#, instead of the 330# he has been throughout his career. That said, he has also been a consistently good player, so I can't say that issue would effect whether the Pats decide to keep him or not.

If Woody becomes a free agent, then there will be a lot of teams interested in him. He is a very good, athletic player with position flexibility. If he plays C, then the shotgun-snapping problems he has had could be an issue, but that may not sway some teams. He would be an upgrade for the Bills over Trey Teague (who also has shotgun problems). It is rare you find a guy at his size that has the athleticism to consistently get out and lead screens and sweeps (usually those guys are smaller), but Woody can do that. He was named a Pro Bowl alternate last year, and his best years are probably coming up.

NE39 - that is exactly what i was looking for... thank you so much for a well written, very well informed post.