XFL Las Vegas Head Coach Rod Woodson was on the I AM ATHLETE podcast talking about his career and the XFL. He talks about joining the XFL 3.0, his coaching staff, including a female Linebacker coach, and more.
Woodson talks about why he became a Head Coach in the XFL.
“It’s a great opportunity. And if you ever coached in anything, be it little league, you always want to be the head guy, right? You always want to be that dude, like the head coach… You might not say it out loud, but I kind of want to be that dude.
Then when I was given the opportunity back last September, they came out, and we were talking to the higher-ups. They said they’re going to bring it back…. I’m like, in a perfect world, it’s a perfect setting I can work with the XFL, still have my own foundation, which is Hope Through Football and really give back to these young guys, because really it’s about them…. I’ve lived my life…. I don’t need to do a whole bunch more. But give these guys’ opportunity.”
He talks about who is on his coaching staff.
“I got some old heads who know ball. The foundation of football, how to get it out of the guys who’ve been around for a while.. I got Bob Wylie… I got Ray Sherman. Oh, love him. I’ve known Ray since I was 17 years old. He was at Purdue before I got there. So he was one of the reasons I went to Purdue… The staff I put together is a good blend of older and younger guys. I got a female on my staff as my linebacker coach… I got a guy, Franco who lives in the UK. But was born to Mexico. He’s our quality control guy. So I got a good blend of individuals together. “
Woodson talks about how he got into coaching in the XFL with a text from Doug Whaley.
“They recruited me. I got a text from Doug Whaley, who’s a part of the personnel with the XFL… Doug is an old school guy from Pittsburgh. He was with the Steelers when I was there as a player.. I called him and he was like the XFL is coming back. And I’m like, what? That’s coming back?
So him, Mark Ross and Russ Brandon all came out to Las Vegas. I asking a couple of questions. I said, listen, in a perfect world, this is a great opportunity. It’s a great opportunity for me to still coach because that’s what I love.
I love ball, I love coaching at the grassroots level, and giving back what was given to me from all my really good coaches.
I was like, yeah, but in the back of my mind, I was still like, but is this thing really going to work and it’s not going to work until I get a contract.
A couple of months later, I got a contract, signed the contract and got to have the opportunity to start getting my own personnel guys and my own people to come in who think as I do.
God works in mysterious ways. He puts people together when he knows it’s your time.”
They talk about Deion Sanders comments about the Pro Football Hall Of Fame, why Art Model should be in the HOF, how one person is keeping Model out of the HOF, the best NFL DBs, and more.
