Much has been made of the New England Patriots of the past supposedly falsifying injury reports, but there was no denying Damien Woody's ailment during Thursday's edition of ESPN's "Get Up!."
The former New England blocker and current Bristol analyst perhaps needed to take a few plays off after going against the Patriots during an NFL predictions segment known as "Big Man, Tiny Helmets." Woody, a 12-year NFL lineman who won two Super Bowls in Foxborough, is presented with two gumball machine-style helmets that represent a matchup in the coming NFL week. He is then granted a hammer to smash the mini-headgear of the team he sees ending up on the wrong side of the scoreboard.
This week's Sunday slate features a personal matchup for Woody, as two of his three NFL employers, the Patriots and New York Jets, will do battle on Sunday at MetLife Stadium (1 p.m. ET, CBS). Woody picked the green team that hosted his final three NFL seasons, dooming the Patriots' signage to his hammer ... though it didn't go down without a fight.
Upon returning from a commercial after the segment, Woody was revealed to have sustained a cut on his finger. The former blocker was nonetheless in good spirits, jokingly declaring that he would not need to be placed on injured reserve.
Woody also confirmed that it was indeed the New England helmet that drew blood, which spooked his co-stars Harry Douglas and Mike Greenberg.
"Of course, it happened on New England," Woody said. "That's (a) bad omen, I smashed New England and it came back to haunt me."
Patriots fans certainly hope that Woody is proven wrong on Sunday, and history is on their side: New England has won 14 consecutive get-togethers in the annual AFC East rivalry and has a prime opportunity to leave the cursed brotherhood of winless teams, as they're one of nine teams to kick off the year on an 0-2 mark.
The first of Woody's three predictions made on "Get Up!" came true on Thursday: his first destruction came at the expense of the New York Giants, who dropped a 30-12 decision to the San Francisco 49ers in the Week 3 opener. Woody also has the New Orleans Saints falling to the Green Bay Packers.
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