Oh man I'm so sick of these race-related football threads. He is an undersized, undrafted, unlikely guy from a small school and everybody loves an underdog. Period. End of story. There is plenty of racism in our society that we need to be concerned about, but the media being interested in our darkhorse RB who was just recently and unexpectedly elevated to the active roster is not one of them. Stop trying to make something out of nothing.
Yeah. Sometimes the media is to blame, but let's be honest, Woodhead has been one of the more talked about players on the board, and that has had nothing to do with the media.
Racism in our society? What the hell does that have to do with people being interested in Danny Woodhead. The fact that he's white and playing running back in the NFL most definitely does add to the story, like it or not. It's just a fact.
What portion of the media aside from a couple of sports journalists who asked a couple of questions is interested in our darkhorse running back? I guarantee virtually none. Speaking of making a mountain out of a molehill.
Thank you sir. It's like people can't admit to the fact that because he is white (along with the rest of his story) there is some intrigue surrounding it. When Lovie played Dungy in the Superbowl and there was all sorts of talk about the first time two black head coaches played each other in the big dance, it was warranted. Yes there was the element of race which made the story interesting. Not racism mind you, race. On a far less grand scale that same element is present with woodhead. The same way it was a topic of discussion when we started to finally see more black quarterbacks. To acknowledge the fact that he is white and has some potential in a position that has been historically black does not make one racist, does not make one ignorant. Now if people are rooting for him BECAUSE he is white that is a different story. But an undrafted guy from a DIII (I think) school who plays a position where there has not necessarily been a littany of successful white men...so what, we can't acknowledge that as an interesting adjunct to the story without somone spouting off about people being racist, give me a break.
The real story around Woodhead is when are the Jets going to stop TALKING about using him (at RB, at Slot receiver) and actually START using him. I don't know if he's the next Wayne Chrebet or Wes Welker (and we won't until the Jets get him the ball), but I do know this.... NFL people continue to devalue (1) Undersized players, and (2) Top players at lower division colleges. In category 1, I can remember the conversations about Priest Holmes in Baltimore, Charlie Garner in Philly, and our own Leon Washington being too small to take the punishment. Leon's injury was a freak accident that had nothing to do with his size and everything to do with being unlucky. In category 2, the big example is Brian Westbrook, who was the Top 1-AA Player of the Year at Villanova, and was ignored by every team but Philly. Can Woodhead be a Pro Bowler--I don't know--but I would love to find out this weekend if he can be an IMPACT player. Stop talking, Jets, and get him in the lineup!
I think it's the undedog factor....and NY had a guy like that in Chrebet. Woodhead's similar...a hard worker with a lot of want-to and he just needs to get a few opportunities... Who knows....maybe we will have a Greene/Leon/Woodhead rotation in a couple seasons...
I'm sure with enough practice , and a good bowling ball he can become a pro bowler - as far as being a decent football player that's debateable.
welker is an excellent player, even though he's been on evil teams. whether he was white or black he'd still be on sportscenter. he's small and quick and makes tons of plays.
angry, are we? maybe it's just the underdog factor. did you go around saying people were pulling for clowney because he's black? i don't think so. everyone loves an underdog. there's been many over the years on different teams. bart scott? james harrison? willie parker? guys that came from nowhere to somewhere. seeing an underdog achieve is like rooting for one of us joe averages to make the nfl. that's cool. if it's not your thing, then fine, but to accuse people of only liking him for being white is ignorant on your part.
some people in this thread aren't saying what you are saying. they are saying we only care about him because he's white and if he was black no one would care. that was stated in this thread. it is not imagined.
How quickly people forget that this forum was going insane over Shonn Greene before he was inserted into the lineup full time......
I think you misunderstood what I was trying to get at. My point is that there are times when race is a relevant matter in a particular issue and there are times when it is not. In this case I continually hear people harping on the fact that Woodhead is white just as often as they bring up the other reasons why he's an intriguing prospect. Perhaps for some people that adds to the interest of the story, but personally I just feel that it continues to perpetuate stereotypes to act like it's some kind of big deal that an undersized white guy is getting a shot at a position where that isn't the norm. So what? If the guy doesn't perform, does it matter? If he becomes a sensational success does it make it any more special than if he was black or any other color? I just don't see the relevance. Yes, he's white, I don't deny that that's a fact of the story, but it's also a fact that he was the leading rusher in NCAA history and was an undrafted guy who is getting an unlikely chance to play. Those are all facts, it's up to the fans and the media to decide which facts are important and which are not.
I was really just referencing the title of the thread and I agree that a few questions don't amount to much. It seems like it's more the fans making a big deal out of it than the media.
The Jets rarely talk about Woodhead on their own. The media keeps asking Rex questions about Danny's role and possible playing time. Rex says some nice things about Danny (as he should about any player) but he rarely says anything about using him on the field during a game situation.
There sure is some stupid shit posted by stupid people in this thread... I hope some of these comments were just putting a worm on the hook. Welker was limited to return duty in Miami. Only Belichick saw how good he was, and yes, he is one of the best WR's in the NFL. Both Clowney and to a lesser extent, Leon were also both underdogs that many on this board took a rooting interest in, loooong before anyone knew what they might be able to do. I still want to see more Clowney and less Wright on plays from scrimmage. Good thing that wasn't a typo... imagine if I typed Wallace WHITE instead? :rofl: Besides that, Woodhead DID have an awesome preseason showing against second and third defensive players, but he did show some talent there. Then he had the 3 carries against Oakland, and did well. With Leon gone, and Jones and Greene being more similar than different, reporters SHOULD be asking about what role Woodhead might have. Good thing Sanchez is of Mexican heritage, or anyone wanting him to do well would be called out to, eh? The truth is that black players get more attention from the media than white ones at one particular position. QB. The great black hopes: Vick, J Russell, V Young. Now, what would happen if a black UDFA QB were to show something in preseason? The hype would be beyond belief. It's football. We are Jets fans. We don't give a shit about race. We want to win. Being underdogs all these years, we like underdogs. Take the racist BS back to where you learned it from. Worm on hook....:smile:
