The Wolverine

October 2015 Issue

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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BY MICHAEL SPATH P ierre Woods figures he would still be suiting up on fall football Sundays had the NFL not changed the location of kickoffs in 2011 — the league moved the ball five yards for- ward, to the 35-yard line, resulting in almost 45 percent of all kickoffs resulting in touchbacks (per ESPN. com data), up from 8-9 percent prior to the rule change. Woods specialized on special teams, leading the New England Patriots in kickoff coverage during his four-year stint with them from 2006-09. Covering kicks and punts was a role he first had at Michigan during his redshirt freshman campaign in 2002, a job he took great satisfaction in. "We would say, 'One, two, three, hit squad' before a kick, and then we got after it," said Woods, who returned to live in his hometown of Cleveland following the end of his NFL career. "Every time we stepped on the field, we were charged up. Every guy knew their assignment, so you had 11 guys all on the same page, and we loved flying down the field, throwing guys out of our way and meeting at the ball. "We definitely had a lot of fun." Woods — who was ranked as a four-star prospect, the No. 4 defen-   WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Pierre Woods Battled Through Ups And Downs At U-M, But Is Proud Of The Man He Became Woods has his best season with the Maize and Blue in 2003, producing career highs in tackles (68), tackles for loss (13) and sacks (seven). PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN

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