ESPN's Damien Woody. Damien Woody on ESPN. (ESPN.)
By Michael Grant on

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Damien Woody has never been short on opinions about the NFL, and now he’ll have an opportunity to share those thoughts across different platforms.

Woody, whose contract with ESPN recently expired, is taking his voice to two new outlets at once. The former offensive lineman will join Trey Wingo’s The OG Football Show, a program stacked with fellow ESPN alumni Merril Hoge and Mark Schlereth, debuting Sept. 7 and streaming on YouTube. Alongside that, Woody is launching his own solo project, a podcast called In the Trenches with Damien Woody.

Awful Announcing recently caught up with Woody to talk about his new gigs and the state of the NFL heading into the season.

Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

How did this opportunity come about?

Damien Woody: “Trey Wingo was the one who spearheaded the whole thing, and he approached me to ask if I was interested in doing something like this. I’ve always been interested in getting back with Trey. We’ve had a long career together at ESPN and NFL Live, and the opportunity to work with him again was one I couldn’t pass up, so here we are.”

What will your role be in this show?

“It’ll be one of those deals where it’s a Monday show, and we’re going to be reviewing games from the weekend, from Sundays, and we’re just going to be talking ball, whether it’s the Xs and Os or the critical things we saw in each game. I think each analyst will bring their perspective on what they saw from the Sunday slate. I’m going to contribute along with everyone else, and we’re going to make this thing a really good product.”

How would you persuade someone to watch The OG Football Show?

“I would say the biggest thing is that, in a football world where there are a lot of hot takes and people throwing a lot of gimmicks out there, that’s not going to be our show. Our show is going to be about having fun. The chemistry is going to be great because we’ve all worked together, but we’re going to get down to the nuts and bolts of football and break down what we’ve seen and all those things from a football perspective. So, if you don’t want the hot takes and all that type of stuff, our show is going to be for you.”

Were you surprised by how things ended at ESPN? 

“The landscape and the environment are always changing, and when you have constant budget cuts, you always have your eyes and ears open to what could happen. Unfortunately, I was a victim of that. But for me, I’ve had 15 years at ESPN. I was on television longer than my playing career, which was 12 years. And so, I’m forever grateful to Seth Markman, the executive who brought me to ESPN, Norby Williamson, and Dave Roberts, as well as a couple of other executives who were instrumental in my career at ESPN. I will never be bitter about what happened. I’m just thankful. And now I’m just looking forward to the future.”

Which was tougher, the end of your NFL career or the end of your ESPN career?

“I will probably say my playing career because when you play football for basically all your life, there’s no senior circuit in the NFL. And so, when your career is over, it’s a tough thing to deal with because of the locker room and the camaraderie and all those types of things. So that was definitely tough. But transitioning to television at ESPN definitely helped with that. And having the camaraderie again with guys like Trey, Mark, and Merril definitely helped with that.”

What can you tell us about your upcoming podcast, In the Trenches with Damian Woody?

“I have another podcast in the works that’s football-centric, but it’s more conversational. It’s just talking with different figures in football, whether you’re talking about players, executive coaches, significant others, just getting their background and what makes them tick. Why do they love football? Conversational is the way I would describe it.”

Moving on to the upcoming season, what do you think the challenges will be for Aaron Donald returning from retirement?

“I know Aaron Donald prides himself on his condition and takes really good care of his body, but 35 is 35. He has a lot of wear and tear on his body. I think the challenge is maintenance: how the Rams maintain him throughout the season. He didn’t have to go through training camp, which was a smart veteran move on his part, but you still have to maintain him throughout the season. The one thing I’m going to be watching is how they utilize him week in and week out. It’s definitely going to be a ramp-up. There’s no question about that. I don’t think he’s going to play all the snaps. Again, you’re talking about a guy who’s 35 and has been out for the past couple of seasons. I think it would be unrealistic to ask Aaron Donald to go out there and play all the snaps.”

What’s the main story for you this season?

“We have a lot of new play callers in the National Football League right now—a lot of young, first-time play callers. We got Declan Doyle, who’s a first-time play caller. He’s (30) years old and with the Baltimore Ravens with Lamar Jackson. The Denver Broncos got Davis Webb, who is a first-time play-caller for the team. And so we have a lot of first-time offensive coordinators and first-time play-callers. I think that’s going to bear watching because a lot of these play callers are with teams that have high expectations.”

Last year, no one picked the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots to meet in the Super Bowl. Aside from the Chiefs and Ravens, is there a surprise team that can do the same?

“I hate to talk about the Cowboys like this. We’ve talked so much about the Cowboys, but I think this is the first time in a while I’m like, ‘I like the Cowboys and where they stand.’ The Cowboys can score with anyone. Dak Prescott is one of the best quarterbacks in the game. Obviously, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens are maybe the best duo of wide receivers we have. Their offensive line is good. And I think all the pieces they’ve added on the defensive side, including the trade last year for Quinnen Williams, are good. I like all the pieces they’ve added via trade, free agency, and the draft. They’re going to really remake this defense. And I think this new defense, with new defensive coordinator Christian Parker, who came over from the Philadelphia Eagles, will be a lot better.”

Do you have a Super Bowl prediction?

“I’m going Denver. I’m going to go Rams.”

About Michael Grant

Born in Jamaica. Grew up in New York City. Lives in Louisville, Ky. Sports writer. Not related to Ulysses S. Grant.

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