Terrell Owens questions why Darren Woodson is not in Hall of Fame

Terrell Owens recently stood up for fellow Cowboys veteran Darren Woodson. The Hall-of-Fame wide receiver claimed Woodson should be in the NFL Hall of Fame, as well.

More specifically, Owens took issue with John Lynch being inducted in the NFL Hall of Fame before Woodson. Although Woodson and Owens were never teammates, they were opponents. Owens claims Woodson was a far greater focus in game plans than Lynch ever was.

“I’m thinking about a guy like Darren Woodson that’s not in the Hall of Fame, but John Lynch is. How in the hell do you quantify that?” Owens said on a recent episode “Getcha Popcorn Ready” on Fubo Sports. When I got with the Niners like I said, I didn’t know anything about no rivalry with the Cowboys and the Niners, I knew nothing about that. But when it comes to the game plan [it was about where is Woodson]?

“Granted, John Lynch did some great things here and there, but I’m not looking for John [on the field]. I wasn’t. But when I played from my rookie year on, and I played against the Cowboys, I had to identify [where Woodson was]. … I wasn’t scared of No. 47 [Lynch].”

Per NBC Sports’ Charean Williams, “Woodson and Lynch’s careers overlapped by 11 seasons. Woodson was named All-Pro three times to twice for Lynch, though Lynch’s nine Pro Bowls were four more than Woodson. Neither was all-decade. Woodson won three Super Bowl rings and Lynch one.”

Woodson retired in 2004 as Dallas’ All-Time Leading Tackler with 1,350 career stops while boasting career totals of 11 sacks and 23 interceptions.

Woodson won two Lombardi trophies in his first two seasons in the NFL. Woodson’s third championship triumph came in just his fourth campaign. For his efforts, Woodson has received numerous awards following his retirement, including many hall of fame inductions.

 In 2015, Woodson was inducted into the prestigious Cowboys “Ring of Honor.” He was also selected to the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame (2009) and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame (2017). While these accolades are spectacular in their own right, one has to wonder when the NFL Hall of Fame will come calling.

This year could be the year. Woodson was named a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023, his first time being a finalist. Now, the former Arizona State star must wait to see if he makes the cut. At this point, Woodson has been retired longer than his playing career last.