Dick LeBeau’s recent appearance on Bryant McFadden’s “All Things Covered” podcast stirred memories for Steelers Depot readers, given our comprehensive coverage per usual. Of course, LeBeau and McFadden talked about the 2008 Steelers defense. It is one of LeBeau’s favorite subjects.
LeBeau, George Von Benko, and I have been working on a book about that group – it is set for release next July — and it will be appropriately titled, “A Legendary Defense.”
One thing LeBeau did in preparation for our regular interview sessions was watch every game again from 2008. Doing so refreshed his memory and confirmed how special that season and those players were.
Those game reviews sometimes caused LeBeau to marvel, to see some things maybe did not jump out as much as when he was going through the season in real time. One of those was how good LaMarr Woodley was starting opposite James Harrison at left outside linebacker.
“That season he probably had as many impactful plays as anybody on our defense,” LeBeau said.
Indeed, Woodley recorded 17.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and three recoveries when including the postseason, and many of his big plays were timely ones.
There was the fumble recovery he returned for a touchdown against the Ravens, a turning point in a 23-20 season over Baltimore early in the season.
His final sack of the season ended Super Bowl XLIII when the Arizona Cardinals were on Pittsburgh’s side of the field with a chance at a “Hail Mary” touchdown.
Heck, earlier that game one of his biggest contributions did not even show up in the box score. Woodley threw several key blocks, including the final one, on Harrison’s 100-yard interception return for a touchdown at the end of the first half.
What is revealing about Woodley’s second NFL season — and one first as a starter — is he dominated on a transcendent unit while still learning LeBeau’s complex defense.
“When I was out there, I can’t say I knew every play,” Woodley told me recently. “I had a bunch of great veterans around me that helped me my second year in the league: Larry Foote, Deshea [Townsend], Aaron Smith, who was on my left side and helped me get lined up sometimes. Having those veteran guys consistently helping me helped me have a great sophomore year.”
The next season he led the Steelers with 13.5 sacks., and in 2011, Woodley was well on his way to a fourth consecutive season with at least 10 sacks. He was a game-wrecker in the Steelers’ 25-17 win over New England at Heinz Field.
He sacked Tom Brady twice. He said he was a “foot away” from the Patriots quarterback for what would have been his 10th sack of the season when he hurt his hamstring.
Woodley was never the same after that.
He missed six of the Steelers’ final eight regular-season games. He did not have more than five sacks in any of the four seasons he played after 2011, two with the Steelers and one each with the Raiders and Cardinals.
Woodley’s rapid decline led to speculation that the 6-2, 270-pounder got too big, causing his body to break down. Woodley is dismissive of that narrative, saying he has always been big. That goes back to his middle school days when his coaches moved him to fullback, and he took No. 36 in honor of Jerome Bettis.
“When I was a freshman in high school, I was like 215, 220 pounds,” Woodley said. “A lot of people fail to realize I came out of high school at 265. When a lot of people said, ‘Oh, Woodley’s out of shape,’ I was like, ‘I’ve been this big since I was 18 years old.’ Some guys might have had to gain, 40, 50, 60 pounds (after getting to the NFL). Yeah, I put on maybe five, 10 pounds but shoot this is the way I’ve been since I was 18.”
Not that Woodley has time to think about his Steelers legacy, secure as it is. The Saginaw, Mich., native owns a film production company, Area 56, in Detroit. He and his team recently finished shooting a series titled “Draft Day” – it will be released prior to the 2024 NFL Draft –and has a number of non-sports projects in the works.
Woodley also remains active in the community that helped shape him, leaving him little time to follow football. Not that he has any hard feelings when it comes to the Steelers. Far from it, he appeared at several Steelers-related events in Mexico in late April. There he and Alex Highsmith announced the team’s fourth-round pick in this year’s draft.
A more basic testament to how much Woodley treasured his time in Pittsburgh can be found via his cell phone. He has never changed the phone number he got after Pittsburgh drafted him in 2007 even though it is almost a decade since he last played for the Steelers.
“I keep the Pittsburgh area code because we had a hell of a partnership there,” Woodley said. “They put me in the situation I’m in today to help me live the life I want to live for me and my family so I’ll always have my 412.”
