PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Wearing number 16, Robert Woods noted he had at least one of the numbers of former Steelers receiver Hines Ward. It seems like if they don’t have exactly the same game, they play with a similar mentality.
“I think a lot of guys are fake tough guys and when you get hit you see who is really tough,” Woods said. “Being able to deliver the blow every single time. You get a guy, you hit him once, he might come in a little different the next time.”
Yep, sounds like Ward.
The 33-year-old played defense through his freshman year in college. He approaches the game that guys don’t want to be hit for four quarters. Woods believes if he can teach that to the other receivers, it will make the whole team better.
Before DK Metcalf arrived, Woods was the veteran in the receivers room. He’s trying to find a role this year and is comfortable with that part of it. While not having a thousand-yard season since 2019 with the Rams, Woods says he adapts his game. Early in his career, he was a blocker for Shady McCoy. He said he transformed to 4,626 yards in five seasons with Jared Goff in LA and back to a blocker with the Titans and a third receiver in Houston.
Woods considers himself a complete receiver. But there is an edge there and he wants to transfer that to his teammates so they also play that way, every single play.
“We are going to be physical,” Woods said. “We are going to be grimy. We are going to play until the end of the whistle.”
“My game, how I approach it, I’m trying to feed my knowledge to the whole team, even the DBs. If everybody is getting better, this whole team is getting better. Trying to lead by example, do my job and put it on tape. When these guys have questions, I’m giving them answers, giving them confidence and allowing them to play their game and be themselves.”
There is a role for someone like that. How big of a role for the 6-footer is the question.