Woodley is money in the playoffs

**hawaiiansteel** · 01-29-2011, 03:12 PM

we really gotta find a way to re-sign Woodley and Ike Taylor...

LaMarr Woodley peaks in the postseason

JAN 29
By James Walker

Al Bello/Getty Images
LaMarr Woodley has 10 career sacks in the postseason.

PITTSBURGH -- Of all the great pass-rushers in NFL history, Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley stands alone in one important category.

In the AFC Championship Game victory over the New York Jets, Woodley became the first player to record at least one sack in his first six playoff games. It's a feat even Lawrence Taylor would envy. Woodley also holds the NFL record with 10 sacks over that same postseason span.

On Feb. 6 Woodley will try to extend his historic streak in Super Bowl XLV against the Green Bay Packers. Pressuring Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be vital, and based on Woodley's postseason track record, he will be a disruptive force.

"If you compare his first eight games to his second eight, that's usually when he explodes ... and I think that just rolls over to the playoffs," Steelers safety Ryan Clark said. "He's a big-game player."

"It's just a habit and it comes second nature to him," teammate Ziggy Hood said of Woodley's postseason play. "He's a relentless player and he deserves everything that he gets."

This will be Woodley's second Super Bowl appearance. In Super Bowl XLIII, he sacked quarterback Kurt Warner twice in a 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. The Steelers are 5-1 in postseason games when Woodley records a sack.

Consistency has been the key to Woodley's success. This season he joined fellow outside linebacker James Harrison as the only two Steelers to record double-digit sacks in three consecutive seasons.

In the AFC title game, Woodley sacked Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez in Pittsburgh's 24-19 win, despite being shut out in the first meeting between the teams in Week 15.

"It's either win or go home," Woodley said of his playoff mentality. "If they thought their tackles did a great job [in the regular season], well, let's see if your tackles do a great job when it really counts. And it seems like when it really counts, we’re going to show up."

MONEY IN THE PLAYOFFS

Steelers OLB LaMarr Woodley has recorded at least one sack in six career playoff games.

Date Opp Tot Sack Result

1/23/11 Jets 4 1 Win 24-19
1/15/11 Ravens 3 1 Win 31-24
2/1/09* Cardinals 4 2 Win 27-23
1/18/09 Ravens 7 2 Win 23-14
1/11/09 Chargers 5 2 Win 35-24
1/5/08 Jaguars 3 2 Loss 31-29
*Super Bowl XLIII

It's been an interesting year for Woodley, who didn't get a contract extension with the Steelers this past offseason and is due to become one of the league's prized free agents after the Super Bowl.

The 26-year-old was one of the NFL's best bargains, making just $550,000 in the final year of his rookie deal. Woodley filled up the stat sheet and started all 18 games, including playoffs, and recorded 57 tackles, 12 sacks, three forced fumbles, two interceptions and one pick returned for a touchdown. The Steelers also led the league in run defense and sacks and were second in total yards allowed.

The Steelers are expected to make re-signing Woodley their biggest priority. He's said and done all the right things by not holding out, never complaining about his contract and performing well on the field.

"If I'm going into this season worried about my contract, I'm not focusing on going to the Super Bowl and I'm not focused on this team," Woodley explained. "I would be selfish to think about myself and this contract situation and not focus on this team. I got guys on this team counting on me to play my best, and I'm not going to let them down."

Woodley is from Detroit but wasn't a Lions fan. The linebacker said he grew up rooting for the Dallas Cowboys -- often regarded as America's Team -- until he was 11 or 12 years old.

After that Woodley became a fan of fellow Detroit native Jerome Bettis and the Steelers, who later drafted Woodley in 2007 out of the University of Michigan. Woodley said he even wore a No. 36 jersey and played some fullback while in middle school. He missed being Bettis' teammate by two years -- the Hall of Fame finalist retired after Super Bowl XL at Ford Field.

Next week Woodley can write his own Super Bowl script wearing the jersey of one of his childhood teams (Steelers) and playing in the stadium of another (Cowboys). Woodley has a chance to extend his sack record to seven consecutive playoff games while going for his second championship in three seasons.

"It would be nice," Woodley said. "But if my streak stops, as long as we win, that's what it's all about at the end of the day."

[url]http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/36662/page/espntexas/lamarr-woodley-peaks-in-the-postseason[/url]

**hawaiiansteel** · 01-29-2011, 08:22 PM

Woodley, Steelers are a perfect fit

January 27th, 2011

LaMarr Woodley considered himself a Cowboys fan until junior high when he started playing fullback and wearing a No. 36 jersey.

“I called myself the Bus,” Woodley said Thursday. “Even since then I’ve been a Steelers fan.”

The significance of that anecdote: it is hard to imagine Woodley and the Steelers ever parting ways though it could happen in the near future.

Woodley, 26, has been wildly productive and to say he has outplayed first contract is an understatement.

Woodley made a base salary of $550,000 in 2010 and joined James Harrison as the only players in team history to record at least 10 sacks in three consecutive seasons.

Woodley loves everything about Pittsburgh -- from the fans here to the fact that it is only about a five-hour drive to his offseason home in Michigan.

The Steelers should love everything about Woodley -- from the fact that he has been at his best during the postseason to the team-first attitude he has shown both on and off the field.

Woodley is in the final season of his contract.

And the Steelers typically sign cornerstone players to a long-term deal before they reach the final year of their contract.

They probably didn’t do that with Woodley because of the uncertain labor situation. Woodley still could have made his contract an issue but said virtually nothing about it all season.

He explained why after one of the Steelers' final practices of the season in Pittsburgh.

“If I’m going into this season worried about my contract then I’m not focused on going to the Super Bowl and I’m not focused on this team,” Woodley said. “I’d be selfish just to go out here and think about myself and the contract situation. I’ve got the guys on this team counting on me to go out and play my best. I’m not going to let them down because I’m worried about my contract situation.”

That commitment to the Steelers is one of many reasons why the organization needs to take care of Woodley -- at some point.

With the collective bargaining agreement expiring in early March, the Steelers and Woodley will have to wait until new rules are in place before they can talk about a long-term contract.

It's hard to imagine they won't be able t0 agree on something that will keep Woodley in a Steelers jersey -- No. 56, not No. 36 -- for a long, long time.

[url="http://blog.triblive.com/view-from-the-press-box/2011/01/27/woodley-steelers-are-a-perfect-fit/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaig n=Feed%3A+triblive%2Fblog%2FViewFromThePressBox+%2 8View+from+the+Press+Box+Blog%29"]http://blog.triblive.com/view-from-the- ... ox+Blog%29[/url]

**Steelgal** · 01-29-2011, 08:48 PM

I want a Woodley jersey SOOO badly, but gonna wait until they re-sign him. Definately my next Steeler purchase though.

**hawaiiansteel** · 01-30-2011, 02:53 PM

Lamarr Woodley pokes fun at Packers team photo drama

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on January 30, 2011

The whole Packers team photo controversy is more than a little silly, but the recent round of back-and-forth between Packers players means the story is going to extend into this week.

Steelers linebacker Lamarr Woodley was the latest to chime in via Twitter.

“I can tell u this much-us @steelers would never be tweeting jabs at each other.. over a team picture issue especially LOL,” Woodley wrote on Saturday.

The story will not have any impact on the game, but the last few days may have told us why the Packers didn’t want guys like linebacker Nick Barnett and tight end Jermichael Finley joining the festivities until later in the week.

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