It’s the words and actions of veteran cornerback Charles Woodson that the Packers will lean on Sunday.
IRVING, Texas -- The list of accomplishments during Charles Woodson's football career could fill a novel.
Heisman Trophy winner 1997
NFL Defensive rookie of the year 1998
NFL Defensive player of the year 2009
Seven-time Pro Bowler
Voted as a member of the NFL's all-decade team for 2000 to 2009
In 2009, he donated $2 million dollars to the University of Michigan Children's hospital
And that is just the Coles Notes version.
Now in his 13th season in the NFL, Woodson is still one of the league's most respected and dynamic defensive players. There is only one thing missing from a resume that borders on football perfection: a Super Bowl ring.
Woodson fell short in Super Bowl XXXVII while playing for the Raiders when they were crushed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48-21.
Now that he's back in the Super Bowl, Woodson has become the undisputed vocal leader of the Packers, imparting all of his wisdom from a career that is beyond reproach.
"I have been doing it throughout the course of the year," Woodson said. "Telling experiences that I have been through and talking to guys about what it means. We all kind of talk about it amongst ourselves what (it) means to each other."
As Clay Matthews explains, Woodson's words have been both welcome and necessary for a team filled with many young players.
"We do have a young team," Matthews said. "Guys with two, three, four years on this team and he's a guy with 10-plus years of experience who's been in this situation before and had it slip through his hands. He's the guy who talks to us pre-game and post-game and lets us know where we are at and what we should be focused on and keeps us level-headed.
"We really look up to him especially, not only as a vocal leader, but what he does on the field. You can only have respect for a guy like that."
What makes Woodson's words carry so much weight in the Packers locker room is the fact he's not the kind of guy who talks just to hear the sound of his own voice; so when he does speak, he has the complete attention of all of his teammates.
"We know the type of character he has and the type of player he is and that alone speaks for itself," cornerback Tramon Williams said. "So whenever he speaks everyone listens."
Woodson takes extra special pride in this year's version of the Packers -- a team that overcame a season with 15 players being placed on injured reserve and still found a way to get into the Super Bowl.
"I think this team has showed a lot of resolve throughout the season with a lot of what we went through as far as injuries are concerned," Woodson said. "This team has come a long way from the final two games of the regular season and having to win those games and then getting to the playoffs and having to go on the road to get here just showed a lot of character about the guys, showed how hungry they were to get to this point."
Woodson has taken an extra interest in rookie cornerback Sam Shields. An undrafted free agent, Shields says he never would have made it this far if wasn't for what Woodson did for him.
"He gave me a lot of help any time I needed it," Shields said. "He was there to watch film on Tuesday on my off-days he helped me learn how to watch film."
Woodson has been reminding Shields and the rest of the Packers to just play within themselves and everything will be alright.
"You go to do what you do. That's what got you here. Don't try to do any more or any less than what you have been doing. But do what it is that got you here and if you do that, guys will be fine.
"We just got to do it one more game. If you do it for another game, which is the biggest one of the season, you will get all the recognition you need."
Woodson is also smart enough to realize that after 13 years in the league, this could very well be his last chance to win a Super Bowl.
"It's been noted about myself, (Donald) Driver, (Chad) Clifton, guys that have been over 10 years in the NFL and what it would mean to everybody to have a championship; all of us are nearing the end of our careers and we definitely want it."
As far as the pre-game speech is concerned, that falls on Mike McCarthy's shoulders. It is a speech he says he's been working on for some time.
But once the game begins and the Packers are battling with the Steelers, it will be the words and the actions of Charles Woodson that they will end up leaning on for support.
