Better than ever at 35? Woodson says its true

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Some things get better with age. But it's uncommon for that to be true among professional athletes, especially football players at speed positions such as cornerback. So how is it that the 35-year-old Charles Woodson is better than the 25-year-old version, who was coming off four straight Pro Bowls 10 years ago? "Now everybody always says I'm an old guy and can't run and this and that," Woodson said in an exclusive interview. "I can still run, but mentally I'm way sharper on the field than I was as a young player. So that works to my advantage." Since leaving his 20s and the Oakland Raiders behind in 2006, Woodson has statistically played the best football of his career. In 2006 -- his first season with the Green Bay Packers -- Woodson had eight interceptions. That was more than during his previous five years combined while in his mid- and late 20s. In the five seasons since, Woodson has 29 interceptions, eight of which he has returned for touchdowns. At age 33, Woodson was the 2009 NFL Defensive Player of the Year with nine interceptions (three for touchdowns), four forced fumbles and two sacks. At 34, Woodson won his first Super Bowl title. This season, at 35, Woodson is tied for the league lead in interceptions with seven. The two players tied with him, New England's Kyle Arrington and San Diego's Eric Weddle, are 25 and 26 years old, respectively. "I think I'm at my best now," Woodson said. "It's because mentally I'm better. Of course as a young player, athletically I had no fear. I didn't think I could be beat, and I felt like I was the best athlete every time I stepped on the field." Woodson had every reason to think of himself as the most athletic player on the field. Though he was also a punt returner at the University of Michigan, Woodson remains to this day the only Heisman Trophy recipient to win the award while primarily playing defense. Now, 14 years later, he is taking advantage of players who lack his savvy. In Week 2 against Carolina, Woodson welcomed No. 1 overall pick Cam Newton into the league by intercepting two passes. Five weeks later, with Vikings rookie and 12th overall pick Christian Ponder making his first NFL start, Woodson greeted him with two interceptions. "Experience is golden," Woodson said. "I could say I've seen a lot of things and still not go out and make a play. I could hesitate. I could be scared to make a play. I could be scared of getting beat. I could be scared that what I see isn't what I really think I see. If you play that way, then you're not going to make the plays that are there for you to make." Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers -- whose first season with Green Bay was 2009 -- has noticed Woodson's improvement even over the past three years. "I know in some areas he's gotten better, even though he was a Player of the Year my first year here," Capers said. "It's not the norm. You see guys when they reach a certain point at that stage, they go down." Even now, at 35, there is no evidence to suggest Woodson will be slowing down any time soon. And as long as he is among the NFL leaders in interceptions with players who are a decade younger than him, Woodson's confidence will remain high. "To be honest with you, I look around the league now and I don't see anybody playing better than me at corner," Woodson said. So even though a lot of cornerbacks migrate to safety when they are fortunate enough to play as long as Woodson, he won't be doing that any time soon. "Most people move to safety because they have to," Woodson said. "They're not playing the same way at corner as they did. I can still play corner." One of the reasons he can is his health, which also seems to have improved with age. In 2002, at age 26, Woodson missed a total of eight games with the Raiders, first with a shoulder injury and later with a fractured right fibula. In 2005 -- his final season in Oakland -- he played only six games before suffering a broken leg. In Woodson's six years with Green Bay -- all since turning 30 -- he has missed two games. "I feel good," said Woodson, who hasn't even missed practice time in more than a month. With the possibility of winning back-to-back Super Bowls in Woodson's sights, he is also one interception return for a touchdown away from tying Rod Woodson as the NFL's all-time leader in that category. "I'd love to do it," he said. "The closer you get to something, the more you think about it. I could say, 'Yeah, I don't think about it.' Yes, I do. When you think about at any time you get to a place where you're challenging all-time records, why wouldn't you? That'd be special." Follow Paul Imig on Twitter