LaMarr Woodley shined for many seasons as an oversized outside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, chasing smaller and faster receivers and tight ends.

Now that he’s with the Raiders, Woodley is looking forward to putting his hand in the dirt as a defensive end, beating the man in front of him and sacking the quarterback as often as possible.

That’s the thing that attracted Woodley most to the Raiders when he hit free agency after spending his first seven NFL seasons with the Steelers.

“Seeing how guys were flying around on defense and getting after people, after talking to coach (Dennis Allen), that’s what he wanted me to do,” Woodley said. “He wanted me to rush the passer more than drop back in coverage.

“I felt with the kind of people that were on their defense and adding me, I felt like I could help the team win.”

Woodley was accustomed to winning when he played for the Steelers. He played for teams that reached the Super Bowl twice and hoisted the Lombardi Trophy once.

He said he feels as if he and other older players such as defensive end Justin Tuck and wide receiver James Jones – two other offseason acquisitions – can help instill in the Raiders younger players what it takes to win.

“They were in a lot of games (last season), they just didn’t finish,” Woodley said. “This offseason, they went and brought in guys that know how to finish games. You bring that in here along with the attitude that a lot of these players have and this team has and you go to the next level.”

Woodley is a firm believer that the Raiders are talented enough to make it to the playoffs for the first time since the 2002 season.

He told Allen and general manager Reggie McKenzie as much when he visited the Raiders during free agency.

“If you come here saying, I’m just trying to be 8-8, I don’t want you as part of my team,” Woodley said.

Woodley, who turns 30 this season, also is hell-bent upon proving that his best years aren’t behind him. He said calf and ankle injuries in recent seasons are the only reasons his production dropped.