NAPA, Calif. -- In his 16th NFL season, Raiders defensive back Charles Woodson should have nothing to prove. He's won a Super Bowl. He was the league's Defensive Player of the Year. He's a seven-time All-Pro and an eight-time Pro Bowler.
In short, the guy's circled the bases.
Nevertheless, Woodson is on a mission this season, and that mission is to demonstrate he's something more than a mentor to young players and locker-room leader helping to build a foundation for a struggling team. Basically, it's to demonstrate he can and will be an impact player.
"So, odd as it is to say, you might have something to prove, right?" I asked him.
"I guess a little bit," he said. "But what people have said about me I don't believe. If I felt there was any truth to it I might feel I had to prove it.
"At the heart of me, I'm a football player. If I can't do anything else in life I can play football. Whether it's proving somebody wrong or whatever, I plan on coming out here and being a 'dog' on that football field."
Hiring Woodson was a smart move for a Raiders team in search of an identity. A check of this week's training camp roster revealed nearly 50 players in their first seasons with the club and close to 70 with no more than two years' time with Oakland. Inexperienced teams need veteran leadership, and Woodson is an ideal choice.
Except, he insisted, he's more than that.
"I believe what I'm going to give to the team will be more on the field," he said. "What people are saying that I lack as a player is just not the truth. I'm a heck of a football player, and I have a lot left to give ... and I plan on giving it all on the field."
The opportunity is there. The Raiders' secondary was a mess last season, with injured cornerbacks and safety Michael Huff having to switch positions. But there's a raft of new faces, including rookie D.J. Hayden, veterans Mike Jenkins and Tracy Porter and Woodson.
For that reason, Woodson believes the Raiders can be better -- far better -- than preseason projections that have them ranked at or near the bottom of the NFL.
"I read everything," he said. "So I read what people are saying. I think the important thing coach [Dennis] Allen said the other day is that we have enough on this team to do what we want to do, and I believe that.
"Some of the guys we have you really haven't heard or know about, but we've got some players. A good team can start with the defense, and, defensively I think we're going to be really strong. I believe we'll win games defensively, and that will carry us through the season."
He also believes he's not close to the end of his career. Yes, he missed nine games last season because of injury. Yes, he turns 37 in October. Yes, he went unwanted for months before the Raiders signed him in late May. But, no, retirement is nothing he thinks about.
"How long do you plan on playing?" I asked.
"As long as somebody lets me," he said. "I love it. I told the defense the other night that after 16 years I still love it -- just like the day I came in. My hope is that they love the game as much as I do."
More observations
1: If there's a question, it's this: How will the Raiders score? Running back Darren McFadden is an impact player, but he hasn't played one season without missing time because of injuries. They have a quarterback with two career starts and a wide receiver corps that is thin, with Rod Streater the most consistent and flashes from Denarius Moore. Jacoby Ford should be a factor, but he's sidelined because of an undisclosed injury.
2: Rashad Jennings, signed away from Jacksonville, is taking turns behind McFadden, but people here tell me to watch out for rookie Latavius Murray.
3: Punter Shane Lechler is gone, and former Vikings star Chris Kluwe is here to keep reporters busy. But Kluwe has competition on the field, with Marquette King -- a guy who was injured last year -- pushing him. King has a strong leg and can outkick Kluwe, but punting is not all about distance. "He's got to work on his consistency," Allen said. "I think that's where Chris Kluwe is a little bit ahead of him."
4: Andre Gurode -- yes, that Andre Gurode -- could shake things up on the offensive line. Depending how things work out, Gurode, 34, is a possibility at center or guard. He played for offensive line coach Tony Sparano when the two were in Dallas and Gurode was a Pro Bowl choice there. Where Gurode fits in -- if, in fact, he has something left -- could depend on the Lucas Nix-Tony Bergstrom competition at left guard.
5: David Ausberry is the leading candidate to win the starting tight end job. The former USC wide receiver put on 20 pounds and seems to have the edge on rookies Nick Kasa and Mychal Rivera. Ausberry has the edge in receiving; Richard Gordon the edge in blocking.
6: Nobody has made a bigger impression than middle linebacker Nick Roach, with Allen saying he's "extremely impressed" with his free-agent addition. Roach takes over for Rolando McClain and is a lock to start. The two other starting linebacker positions are unsettled, though veteran Kevin Burnett and rookie Sio Moore are the leading candidates.
7: The Raiders have Ford and Josh Cribbs as return specialists, and good thing. They might be busy. Oakland surrendered more points (443) last season than all but two AFC teams (Tennessee and Jacksonville).
8: If Oakland's defense is going to win games, as Woodson said, it can start by creating turnovers. The Raiders had 19 last season, including 11 interceptions. Only six teams had fewer takeaways.
9: GM Reggie McKenzie, who had to rid the club of fat contracts to get out of salary-cap jail, believes the Raiders are back to a level playing field and can, as he put it, "be competitive." OK, at least that's progress. Because when McKenzie took over, the team had to take two steps back to go one forward. "I don't feel I had to take a couple back this year," he said. "Maybe one." The club's failure to retain Desmond Bryant and Philip Wheeler hurt, but McKenzie isn't dismayed. If the Raiders can stay healthy, he believes they can start winning again. "It's all about improvement," he said. "What does improvement mean? Does it mean wins? Well, we get judged by wins and losses. Four wins wasn't good enough [last season], but was I optimistic we were going to be a playoff contending team? Probably not. But I want to be competitive. That's why I'm optimistic this year. I think we have some guys in place to be competitive. We have some talent, but that talent's got to mesh. We can't have lone rangers out there doing their thing."
