At the ripe young age of 31 years old, Wesley Woodyard is smack dab in the middle of his tenth season as an inside linebacker in the NFL. After six seasons as a Denver Bronco, the former Kentucky Wildcat came to the Tennessee Titans in 2014. But, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. At one point, Titans fans were beginning to murmur that Woodyard might not cut it in the middle anymore. But, that criticism is starting to subside.
He averaged just under 50 solo tackles per season between 2014-116. But, this year, he already hit that mark. As for combined tackles, his average as a Titans prior to 2017 was 79.3 each season. So far, he already has 71. It’s far and away his best season in the Music City, and it’s only half over.
Woodyard recorded 14 tackles (eight solo) — including two tackles for loss — and a pass defensed in Sunday’s 23-20 win over the Ravens.
Woodyard’s on pace for a monstrous 142 combined tackles and 100 solo tackles at the halfway point of his season. The 31-year-old linebacker has offered a great floor with at least eight tackles in all but one game this season.
That’s unreal. He’s on pace to have the best year of his career….it’s his 10th season….he’s 31 years old. Did I mention that yet? He’s like a fine wine, only gets better with age. I’m a big proponent of the ‘Fine Wine Woodyard’ nickname, so if any Titans read this, y’all make it happen.
Anyway, these aren’t just fine numbers for a Titan. Woodyard’s 71 total tackles puts him at 6th in the NFL in the category. He’s proving himself to be one of the elite tackling machines in the entire league!
But, when you look beyond the straight tackling stats, Woodyard stands out. Only two guys above him on the tackling list have more sacks than he does (Zach Brown and Demario Davis). His passes deflected number is comparable to Deion Jones and Bobby Wagner. He’s also one of six in the top 10 to have a fumble recovery. Again, I’m looking around the top 10 tacklers. But, of that sample, I’d consider Woodyard among the elite. Plain and simple.
Then you look at Titans history, and this season stands out as well. 142 total tackles has only been eclipsed three times in the Titans era. Stephen Tulloch had 160 in 2010. Keith Bulluck did it twice…with 144 in 2006 and 152 in 2004. Like I said, it’s kind of unreal. To simply call Woodyard efficient is a mistake – he’s downright outstanding.
I wouldn’t call him the best, but I would say that he needs to start getting ready for a trip to Orlando, same as Kevin Byard. This could be a historical year for Woodyard.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. A strong advocate of GSD (get shit done) and #BeBetter, he’s down to talk Tennessee Titans and Alabama Crimson Tide football over a beer any day. Check him out covering the WWE for WrestlingNews.co. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley, @WrestlingNewsCo
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