Can Anything Good Come Out of the Oakland Raiders? Yes, Rod Woodson

It was not that long ago when Rod Woodson, a 6'0", 200-pound corner back/safety played with the Oakland Raiders. He was a member of the team in 2002-2003, for two seasons.

My Saturday research to report some positives is what motivated me to write this article.

A recent Bleacher Report article mentioned that many Oakland Raiders have been overlooked by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That may be true, but a few good men have been recognized and enshrined, too.

In 2009, Rod Woodson was enshrined in the Hall of Fame. On page 17, in the Insider magazine, published by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Woodson is pictured and a biographical sketch is given.

As a member of the Oakland Raiders and other NFL teams, Woodson managed to accomplish the following statistics:

71 interceptions

1,483 interception return yards

2,362 punt return yards

17 touchdowns

The article tells us,

"The Fort Wayne, Indiana native also reached the end zone on an NFL record 12 interception returns, 1 fumble return, 2 punt returns and 2 kickoff returns.

"His interception return yards are also an NFL record and his 71 interceptions rank third all time."

So, I ask you, "Can anything good come out of the Oakland Raiders?"

The answer is, "Yes."

Now the context in which Woodson played while with the Oakland Raiders is partially characterized by the data in the chart.

The data indicates there was one good year, and the following year, a bit of a struggle with a .25 win-loss ratio. The 2002 season with a 11-5 record was followed by a 4-12 season.

Nevertheless, a man whose career ended with the Oakland Raiders was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2009. That is recent enough to believe that some good can still come out of the 2009 season.

Let's look at the bright side and cheer the team to victory on Nov. 22.

The article in the Insider helps us connect with an expectation for Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009:

"Rod Woodson's first career interception, which he returned 45 yards for a touchdown, came against the Cincinnati Bengals' Boomer Esiason on November 22, 1987."

Without this research I would never have seen a connection. It goes like this:

Who are we playing tomorrow? The Bengals. 

What day did Rod Woodson make history? Nov. 22, 1987.

What team was Woodson's team playing when Woodson made history? The Bengals.

What is tomorrow's date? Nov. 22.

How many years ago did Woodson's historical moment happen? 22 years ago.

Well, some say that history repeats itself. Let's hope there is another "Rod Woodson" type on the field tomorrow, making history for the Oakland Raiders, and getting a touchdown!

Go Raiders!

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