Growing up in Aliquippa just outside of Pittsburgh, Ty Law was exposed to quite a bit of great football, especially at the defensive back position.
Born in 1974, Law was a bit young for the heyday of the Pittsburgh Steelers and all-time great Mel Blount, but he was still able to see and remember the back end of his career in the Black and Gold.
Though he was not a Steelers fan — he actually was a Dallas Cowboys fan — Law had an admiration for the cornerback position. Years later, during his star turn at Aliquippa and then at Michigan, Law took it upon himself to model his game at the cornerback position after another Steelers great, that being Rod Woodson.
Appearing on the “Games with Names” podcast with former Patriots receiver Julian Edelman, Law stated that he modeled his game after Woodson because their physical traits and styles matched up, even though Law acknowledged that Deion Sanders was the best corner in the game.
But that didn’t take away his admiration for Woodson, whom he called the “real deal.”
“One of my favorite DBs who I kind of like, say if I had to pattern my game off of who I looked at, was Rod Woodson,” Law said, according to audio via the show’s page on Spotify. “Rod Woodson was the real deal. He was fast, but he put his nose in there tackling. And he just played the game like…someone growing up in Pittsburgh.
“Rod Woodson was that guy.”
Woodson definitely was the real deal. A Steeler from 1987-96, Woodson quickly became one of the best defensive backs in the NFL and in Steelers history. Five of his first-team All-Pro accolades came during his time with the Steelers, and he won the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award in 1993 with the Black and Gold.
He also went to the Pro Bowl every year but 1995 when he suffered a torn ACL suffered in the season opener. He ultimately returned for Super Bowl XXX against the Dallas Cowboys after the Steelers and then-head coach Bill Cowher famously didn’t place Woodson on Injured Reserve, allowing him to return for the final game of the year.
Woodson was a ballhawk, one who played with an edge, too.
That was Law’s style coming out of Michigan, too, landing with the Patriots as the No. 23 overall pick in the first round of the 1995 NFL Draft.
Modeling his game after Woodson ended up paying off for Law. He became one of the best corners in the NFL, helping the Patriots win three Super Bowls during his time in New England, before then spending two seasons with the Jets, two seasons with the Chiefs and a final season with the Broncos.
He finished his career with 53 interceptions, two first-team All-Pro accolades and five Pro Bowls, earning a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2019, joining Woodson (Class of 2009) in Canton.
