OXNARD, Calif.– Darren Woodson's resume clearly speaks for itself when considering his addition to the Cowboys' Ring of Honor.
What might be even more impressive than that resume, though, is the reputation he has built up around the Cowboys organization and the NFL. The announcement Wednesday that Woodson would be inducted into the Ring of Honor launched an outpouring of support.
Here are some of the top responses from around the Cowboys organization:
Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones:
"He's a five-time Pro Bowl player, he's a four-time All-Pro selection, more important than all of that, you know his stats. He has 1,350 tackles. We all know first-hand, because we were there to be a part of it, Darren was a difference maker. He was a difference maker off the field and he was a difference maker on the field. We were a different defense because he was out there."
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett:
"He's just a rare individual and clearly one of the best players at his position for over a decade in the NFL. The impact he had on the league, the impact he had on his team was really, really significant, and he's just an unbelievable human being. When we think about building our team, you have models, you have guys you want guys to be like and he's certainly at the head of the list. He's one of the guys that I have in my mind as we think about who we want to bring in here and what we want them to be like. If we had a group of guys that were like Darren Woodson, we'd have a hell of a football team."
Longtime Cowboys play-by-play announcer Brad Sham:
"I think that he was the kind of player who was most appreciated when he was gone. When he retired, he was the one, it turns out, who helped Roy Williams understand how to play safety. When he left – I'm not sure they've had a great safety since he left. He was one of those guys. He's one of those guys that, when he stopped playing, they kept saying 'Well, we need to find another Woodson.' Well, maybe they should have appreciated him when he was here."
Cowboys Pro Bowl guard Nate Newton:
"He's the ultimate warrior. There's no more like him," said teammate Nate Newton. "He never left the field. He played all the special teams. He only left the field with the offense. He made everyone better. He was the back end to our defense."
Cowboys Ring of Honor and Hall of Fame RB Emmitt:
Cowboys Ring of Honor WR Drew Pearson:
Cowboys executive vice president Charlotte Jones Anderson:
