Samuel and Woodson have something to prove

Charles Woodson has always been a star. Asante Samuel had to wait.

Woodson went to Michigan, one of the biggest names in college football, and won the Heisman Trophy while leading his team to a national championship. Samuel was lightly recruited, snubbed by Georgia, and ended up at the University of Central Florida.

Woodson was the fourth pick in the 1998 draft and promptly won the Associated Press' defensive rookie of the year award. Samuel saw 119 players selected ahead of him in 2003 before the Patriots picked him. It wasn't until late in his second season that he won a permanent starting job.

Woodson, a rangy 6-foot-1 and 202 pounds, can cover, tackle, and rush the quarterback and has been named to seven Pro Bowls.

"He's Charles Woodson. He's been making plays since the beginning of his career," said Michael Vick, who knows a thing or two about making plays.

The brash Samuel, at 5-10, 185, has one big trick, but it's an excellent one: He produces interceptions at an astounding rate. He runs fast, talks fast, and processes offensive cues incredibly fast.

"He does more before the snaps than any corner I've seen," defensive coordinator Sean McDermott said earlier this year.

And, like a true star, he does it even better when the games mean more. Samuel has seven postseason interceptions, tied for third-most in NFL history. He has brought four postseason returns back for touchdowns, most ever.

Despite their vastly different beginnings, Samuel and Woodson share this: uncommon talent and key positions in Sunday's Eagles-Packers first-round playoff game. They are both Pro Bowl starters for the NFC, and will both play crucial defensive roles in games featuring a pair of high-powered offenses. Stationed at often-lonely positions where mistakes are magnified and success usually happens off-camera, the two will each be expected to shut down portions of the field.

Woodson will be trying to limit Vick and the NFL's third-most prolific offense with his coverage and blitzing. Samuel is taking aim at an offense that ranks 10th in scoring and is led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Who has the upper hand? After all their career turns, who is the bigger star?

Andy Reid and other Eagles said this week that Woodson is a surefire Hall of Famer. That's a distinction Samuel openly craves.

But there's this: Samuel, who made his fourth Pro Bowl this season, has two Super Bowl rings. He has been to the playoffs every year of his career and has played in 18 postseason games.

Woodson, for all he has won before, has not held the Lombardi Trophy. It haunts him. Talking to Boston-area reporters in late December, he was reminded of the infamous "tuck rule" game, in which Woodson, then a Raider, caused an apparent game-sealing fumble against the Patriots only for the play to be ruled an incomplete pass. The Patriots rallied to win and went on to become a dynasty. "I've had that flashback more times than I would like," Woodson told reporters, half joking, half serious.

A Super Bowl win this year might take some of the sting off that memory, but first Woodson has to help overcome the Eagles Sunday.

Samuel will be on the opposite sideline, talking (as always) and scheming to stop the Packers and perhaps taking a step toward a third ring for himself.

For an unwanted recruit, that would leave a starry, shiny legacy indeed.

Asante Samuel

Key statistic: His four defensive touchdowns in the postseason are an NFL record.

Signature play: Moments before a late fourth-quarter snap, Samuel switched positions with safety Quintin Mikell, read Peyton Manning, and made his second interception of the day, sealing an Eagles win over the Colts.

Quotable: "If I wake up tomorrow, it will be a better day than today."

Charles Woodson

Key statistic: He's forced five fumbles this year and is considered one of the best at stripping the ball.

Signature play: After intercepting a Lions pass in Week 4, Woodson raced 48 yards for a touchdown, finishing with a soaring leap from the 5-yard line, jumping over a lunging Lion and into the end zone.

Quotable: "I like playing an attacking-style defense."