A transcription of a media session with Raiders safety Charles Woodson, who picks his spots when it comes to the press but seemingly never fails to give a thoughtful, honest answer:



Q: What’s different this year?

Woodson: The optimism is always there, but this year is really a clean slate, all new coaches, basically, a new attitude, a new strength and conditioning staff, everything is new around here. We’re very optimistic about what we have going on. We’re out here working hard every day, trying to get better and feel good about our progress up to this point.

Q: Impact of having coaches that have played at a high level carries more weight?

Woodson: I think when you have any player, when you have a guy that played the game, that knows the scrutiny put on you as a player, he knows about the bumps and bruises that you take, on a day in and day out basis, he knows about being in training camp, he knows about what it takes to win, it’s validation for that guy when he played the game. When you’re a player, there is almost automatically a respect you have for a person that has been in that fight, who knows what it’s all about. I think the guys are responding to that. I think our teaching level has been at an all-time high, as far as guys understanding where they’re supposed to be at each and every play. I think that will go well for us.

Q: On not missing practice, offseason and now during camp . . .

Woodson: Honestly, man. Practice, training camps to me are fairly easy. I tell these guys all the time when I first came in practices were a lot different. Guys had to bang a lot more. You were putting on the pads twice a day. Training camps are a lot different these days. I find it hard to come out and complain about practice when it’s not how it used to be. Coaches have done a great job as far as my reps and how many I take throughout the day, so for me it’s not hard to come out and practice at all.

Q: Surprised you didn’t sign a veteran corner, and your impression of the three young guys at corner?

Woodson: I can’t say I’m surprised. I’m not really sure what the coaches wanted to do in that regard, I don’t know. I know they were fairly confident in the guys that we had, although they were young guys. These guys are working, man. You guys are out here every day and you’re watching them compete, and the awesome thing about it is they’re soaking it all in. When you go in and watch film every day, these guys are learning and they’re getting better and they’re competing, because they know when the season starts there ain’t no going back. They are what we have, and we need them all to step up.

Q: Played on a defense that put guys that big on the D-line?

Woodson: Man, I love it. It kind of reminds me Grady Jackson, when Grady was here, you could put him in the middle, and we had a guy like Darrell Russell, was an unbelievable player, you could put him in the middle, and when they wanted to go, it was special. To be able to have Ellis and those guys in the front, we feel like you shouldn’t run the ball on us, if they put those guys up there, we should be a very stout defense. That’s what we’re counting on.

Q: Working with Nate Allen on the back end . . .

Woodson: We’re pretty interchangeable, we work both positions, strong safety and free safety, and we mix it up, for the most part. The great thing about us is I think both of us are veterans in the league and we understand the communication aspect of it so we’re constantly talking in the back end. We have to get each other lined up sometimes. He may yell over to me and I may have to get him lined up or say something to him if he doesn’t see the right formation. It’s great working for a guy like that.

Q: When you came to Raiders, Tim Brown an established veteran, impressions of him as a teammate and a player?

Woodson: He was a pro. That’s what he was. He was a seasoned vet by the time I came in and he’d played the game for awhile. He knew what it was about and had already established himself as a player. He’d gone through the time period of being a young player in the league to being a veteran, so he knew what it was all about to be a pro. And that was him, every day. You could look at Tim Brown, you walk in the locker room and you knew you were going to get consistency with him as a person and as a player. It’s always great for a young guy to have those examples, even though you may not follow ’em right away, it’s great to have those guys in the locker room that you could look up to and see the right way to go about your business.

Q: What’s it like to be the guy the young guys are following?

Woodson: Pressure. It’s pressure, man. Trying to do the right things, trying to say the right thing. I do my best. But it’s the same, when I came in, I was you could say, hard-headed, and the guys now are the same way. For those guys, you just hope they understand earlier better than later because you don’t know how long you’re going to be able to play this game before you get it. Try to do the right things, try to say the right things, so they can have a good example.

Q: 49ers had to cut Aldon Smith today because he got in trouble again, do those things serve notice to young players or do they feel it won’t happen to them?

Woodson: I don’t guys don’t think it’s going to happen to ’em, but in this life you make mistakes, and some people make more than others. Right now, the way the NFL is, they’re cracking down on a lot of different things, some things in years past you maybe could get away with and continue to play. It’s just not the case anymore. When you’re out and doing whatever you’re doing, you’ve got to be on your best behavior because they’not cutting any slack.

Q: Matched up with Crabtree, how does he compare to when he put up big numbers in San Francisco?

Woodson: I thought he’d been playing well. He’s one of those crafty guys. He’s not going to be the fastest guy out there on the field, but he knows how to get open. You guys have been here every day and you’ve seen him making all kinds of catches. He has great hands, that’s never been a question. But just knows how to get open, reads the defenses, knows where he needs to be and he finds himself open a lot of times.

Q: On offense and defense is talent level significantly higher than last year?

Woodson: I think it’s been great. I think some key positions where we’ve added people, you add talented guys that can be potential game breakers for you. And that’s what you need, guys that can go out there and take the game over at any given moment, and I think we have a few guys like that.

Q: What was it about Derek Carr that enabled him to come in as a rookie and win over the locker room and serve as a leader as a first year guy?

Woodson: He just came out and worked, every day. When he came out there was no question he had talent. He came out every day, he picked up the offense, he knew what he was doing, and then he just started making throws. He let that talent take over and just watching it last year, it was pretty easy decision when the time came that this is a guy we were going to use going forward, let’s throw him in there and let him go, let him fly.

Q: Year 1 to 2 is supposed to be a big jump . . . with that in mind, what do expect to see out of Derek Carr?

Woodson: I expect to see that out of Derek. I think it’s for any player, at a any position, if you’re able to come in the first year and you can play the entire season, I think that second year is your biggest jump as a professional athlete, and I think it’s going to be the same for Derek, at least that’s what we’re all hoping. But I feel he will, man. He’s a pro, he’s a leader, I think the guys on the team recognize him as a leader and you go out here to practice, he’ll come over to sidelines sometimes and ask me what I see. He’s hungry, he’s thirsty for that knowledge, and he can make all the throws. You put all those things together and combine that with the fact that he played every game last year, we’re looking for him to be dominant this year.

Q: Expectations big for Amari Cooper, what have you seen since camp began . . .

Woodson: He’s going to be pretty special. He can do it all. The sky will be the limit for that young man.

Q: What have you seen from DJ Hayden now that he’s stayed healthy . . .

Woodson: The same with the rest of the guys. Every day I think you can see improvement in the guys. They’ve got a Hall of Famer coaching them and you can tell that those guys are listening. With DJ, a couple of days ago he was right there, he was just a little bit off, and I told him, just watching him through the course of this training camp, it’s getting closer and closer. Eventually those plays will become either breakups or interceptions. He made a play yesterday on an interception, and making a big play for our defense. If he just keeps learning, keeps grinding, the biggest thing for him will be experience. Once you get into the games, practice is one thing, you get into those games and you get that game experience, we think he’ll continue to grow.

Q: What made Tim Brown special on the field?

Woodson: He was one of those crafty guys too. Just knew how to work leverage. Knew how to work a defender and get separation. They liked to move him around a lot, in the slot, and when he came off the ball, he didn’t always come off fast, but he’d kind of put you to sleep and then he’d take off, getting where he needed to be and catching the ball and turning it up and making a touchdown or whatever it was. He was crafty in that regard in that he knew how to work you, knew how to work the defense and make a lot catches. He made a lot of catches over his career, so touchdown Timmy was special, man, and congratulations to him for making it the Hall of Fame.

Q: Been around a lot of strength and conditioning staffs, what is different about this one?

Woodson: I think they’re a lot like our staff, it’s all about the details. You see me wearing this vest, I guess they’re checking to see if my heart is beating OK or beating too fast or beating too slow or whatever it is, it was a lot of things they’re checking on each and every day to try and bring it all together. It’s not just about going in the weight room and lifting weights and seeing how much you could lift and that sort of thing. Maybe one day you’re not feeling up to lifting a heavy weight, they’ll back off you, and that’ll be it, and go from there and see what they need to do. They pay attention to detail, man, and I think their program is outstanding.