At the Caesars Celebrity Pro Am on Wednesday at the Edgewood Tahoe Resort, Charles Woodson and Larry Fitzgerald each weighed in on a football topic tied to their own worlds.
Woodson was asked about his son, Charles Woodson Jr., who recently committed to Michigan. The younger Woodson picked the Wolverines over Kentucky, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Florida State and Oregon, and his father said the key factor was comfort with the coaching staff.
"I think for him, man, he's all about people he can grow comfortable with. Coach Whit, Coach Hill, and Coach Stockton, when they met him, he felt comfortable.
And if he's comfortable, then he's ready to roll. I think that's the difference," Woodson said.
Fitzgerald, meanwhile, talked about the Arizona Cardinals and the possibility that they could turn to Carson Beck this fall. With Jacoby Brissett in an ongoing holdout over his contract, Beck could be pushed into the QB1 job right away as a rookie.
Fitzgerald pointed to Beck’s experience in college and said that matters when the games get big.
"You know, he's old, and he's seasoned. He's played in big-time games from Georgia to Miami.
He played in 15, 16 games last year at the highest level. He made big-time plays in the CFP.
You know, you can never take that for granted," Fitzgerald said.
He added that he hadn’t seen Beck’s spring work and wasn’t in a position to judge the competition for the job.
"In terms of how he did in the spring. I wasn't there.
I didn't watch any of the practice. I didn't see how that progressed.
I just hope whoever the best option is takes the lead and helps us win as many games as we possibly can."
Woodson’s son choosing Michigan carries obvious family ties, but Woodson made it clear the decision also came down to the relationship he built with Kyle Whittingham’s staff, especially Jay Hill and Tyler Stockton. Fitzgerald’s comments, on the other hand, centered on a quarterback who has already played on some of the biggest stages in college football and may be asked to do it again immediately in Arizona.
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