Danny Woodhead went from undersized and undrafted to big-time playmaker in 10 NFL seasons.
The versatile running back announced his retirement from playing in a humble and heartfelt post on Instagram early Saturday.
"10 years!" Woodhead wrote. "Wow
Joe Namath Jets Jersey , God had crazy plans for a small little kid from North Platte, NE! It's been a wild ride and feel so blessed He allowed me to do what I
loved for so long. But now it's time to say goodbye to the game I love."
The 5-foot-8, 204-pound Woodhead had 2,238 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns, along with 300 catches for 2,698 yards and 17 scores while playing for the New
York Jets, New England, San Diego and Baltimore. He added an exciting element to
the offenses in which he played, able to run the ball through seemingly the
smallest of holes or take a short pass and turn it into a long gain.
The 33-year-old Woodhead is also a devout Christian who leaned on his faith during the ups and downs of what became a successful NFL career.
"All I had to do was follow His plans for my life," Woodhead wrote, "and His plans were crazy awesome!"
?10 years! Wow, God had crazy plans for a small little kid from North
Platte Authentic Da'Ron Payne Jersey , NE! It?? been a wild ride and feel so blessed He allowed me to do what I loved for so long. But now it?? time to say goodbye
to the game I love. First, I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Without Him my career wouldn?? have been possible. He blessed me with the gifts
and He paved the way. All I had to do was follow His plans for my life, and His
plans were crazy awesome! Next, I want to thank my wife who has been by my side
since freshman year of high school. She has been a rock through all the ups and
downs. Sis, Willy, Mae Mae, and Hopie your daddy is going to be home a ton more
and I can?? wait! Thanks to my Dad and Mom for always supporting me and showing
me that God is first, then everything else will fall into place. Ben, Joel, and
Anna thanks for preparing me for the NFL in our backyard games growing up. The
dreaded in-laws Steve and Suzie for always being there for me. Chris Gittings
(agent) you??e the best and thankful your my brother/uncle! Thank you Jets,
Patriots, Chargers, and Ravens! Thanks to all my head coaches (Bob Zohner, Brad
Smith, Bill O??oyle, Eric Mangini, Rex Ryan, Bill Belichick, Mike
McCoy http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-brandon-parker-jersey , and John Harbaugh) who believed in me! To my rbs coaches (coach skiles, coach
reiners, Jimmy Raye, A Lynn, Ivan, Ollie, Ridge, and Thomas) thanks for putting
up with me. Thanks to all my teammates from high school till now. Without you
guys I never would??e become who I was as a player. To all my olinemen, you guys
deserve the credit for anything that I received credit for. I thank you for
helping make my career. To all the trainers, team docs, strength coaches,
chiropractors, massage therapists, physical therapists, body gurus thanks for
making sure I was on the field. To all the people who made my life easier at the
facility (ops, pr, equipment staff, cafe workers, custodians) thanks and your
work doesn?? go unnoticed. And how could i forget all my fans?! You??e the best
and have always felt the love and support! I?? sure I??e forgotten a few but
know that I?? thankful for everything everyone has done on my journey.
Authentic Terrell Edmunds Jersey ,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;
margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px;
text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared
by Danny Woodhead (@teamwoody39) on
Mar 16, 2018 at 9:25pm PDT
Woodhead was a two-time Harlon Hill Trophy winner at Chadron State in Nebraska as the top player in NCAA Division II. Despite his college success, he
went undrafted in 2008 and signed with the Jets as a free agent.
Already a longshot to make the roster, Woodhead suffered a serious knee injury during a training camp practice and spent his entire rookie season on
injured reserve. He recovered in time for camp the next summer and became a fan
favorite as one of the Jets' featured players on HBO's "Hard Knocks." Woodhead
made his NFL regular-season debut midway through the 2009 season.
He was released by New York early the next season because of a roster crunch, but New England quickly signed him. In three seasons with the Patriots, Woodhead
established himself as a valuable part of Tom Brady's offense. His 547 yards
rushing and five TD runs in 2010 are both career highs.
Woodhead signed with the Chargers in 2013 and played parts of four seasons with them while thriving in the passing game with Philip Rivers. He caught 76
passes for 605 yards and six touchdowns in 2013, but missed all but three games
the next season after breaking a leg during a game.
Woodhead returned the next season and had perhaps the best year of his career, with a personal-best 80 receptions for 755 yards and six TDs while also
rushing for 336 yards and three more scores.
He was injured again, though, in Week 2 of the 2016 season when he tore a knee ligament against Jacksonville. Woodhead signed with Baltimore last
offseason, but spent the first eight games on injured reserve while dealing with
a hamstring injury. He finished with 33 catches for 200 yards and also ran for
56 yards in limited action with the Ravens.
In his farewell message, Woodhead thanked God, his wife Stacia ??his high school sweetheart ??and fami Jon Gruden jawed at the officials, worked closely
with the quarterbacks and was once again adored by the Oakland Raiders fans.
It was as if he had never left the Coliseum.
Jon Gruden was a winner in his return to the sideline for Oakland when the Raiders got a touchdown pass from Connor Cook in a 16-10 victory over the
Detroit Lions on Friday night.
"It was awesome," he said. "I saw some recognizable faces that had gotten a little bit older. I saw some old friends who mean a lot to me. Like I said all
along, this is a great responsibility. The nostalgia has worn off. We have to do
something with the opportunity. But it was sure great to see the Raiders
fans."
Gruden was welcomed back warmly to the Coliseum for his first game here as Raiders coach since beating the Jets in a playoff game Jan. 12, 2001. Gruden was
traded to Tampa Bay after that season and has spent the past nine years as an
ESPN analyst.
Raiders owner Mark Davis lured Gruden back to the sideline with a 10-year contract worth a reported $100 million following a disappointing six-win season
under Jack Del Rio.
The Gruden era appeared to get off to a rousing start when Marshawn Lynch ran 60 yards for a TD on the third snap, but the score was called back on a holding
penalty by rookie tackle Kolton Miller.
"I was really ticked off after watching that get called back
Andy Pettitte Jersey ," Gruden said. "Chucky came out for a brief moment tonight."
Oakland settled for a punt on the only drive with starting quarterback Derek Carr, but scored three times in five drives with Cook at the helm. Cook threw a
7-yard TD pass to Ryan Switzer in the second quarter and led Oakland to a pair
of field goals by rookie Eddy Pineiro. Cook finished 11 for 19 for 141
yards.
The Lions also welcomed a new coach in Matt Patricia, who opted to rest star quarterback Matthew Stafford, who got enough work in two days of joint practices
against Oakland.
"We got a lot of good work in this week," Patricia said. "He took a lot of reps and he saw a lot of different looks. That was the goal, to come out here
and be able to get some of those different team tempo plays and have it scripted
and a little controlled. Just thought it was a good opportunity tonight to have
the other guys go out and compete."
Matt Cassel got the start and went 10 for 18 for 81 yards, leading Detroit to one score on three drives, with Ameer Abdullah capping it with a 1-yard TD run .
Jake Rudock finished 12 for 19 for 84 yards.
NATIONAL ANTHEM
Lynch once again sat during the national anthem. Lynch also sat for the anthem all of last season but never gave a reason for his decision. No other
players on either team demonstrated during the anthem, with the Lions all
standing together with locked arms.
ROOKIE REPORT
Lions second-round RB Kerryon Johnson showed good burst, running for 34 yards on seven carries and adding four catches for 33 yards.
"To me, didn't make enough plays at the beginning, didn't make enough plays at the end," Johnson said. "I still have work to do. We still have work to do.
It was the first game. First-game jitters out for everybody."
The Raiders also had a strong performance from a second-round pick with DT P.J. Hall getting a sack and batting down a pass in the first half. Oakland
undrafted free agent RB Chris Warren III ran 13 times for 86 yards .
INJURIES
Raiders CB Antonio Hamilton limped off twice in the second half with an apparent ankle injury.
HELMET FOUL
There was one penalty under the new rule prohibiting players from leading with their helmets. Oakland S Karl Joseph was called for the infraction on a
tackle against Abdullah in the second quarter.
OFF THE DIRT
Pineiro's second field goal came at the end of the first half after Gruden called for a run that set up Pineiro's 48-yarder off the infield dirt. Pineiro
added a 45-yard field goal off the dirt in the fourth quarter. The Raiders will
play at least one regular-season game this season with the infield dirt in place
for Oakland Athletics games.
"I remember when we drafted (Sebastian) Janikowski, it was like being on a foreign planet for him when he got here and started kicking off the dirt,"
Gruden said of Oakland's first-round pick in 2000. "We did manage to get him a
couple of looks."
NEXT UP
Lions: Host Giants on Aug. 17.
Raiders: Visit Rams on Aug. 18.
.
