The Pittsburgh Steelers' number 56 didn't always belong to Alex Highsmith. In the mid-2010s, it was worn by linebacker LaMarr Woodley. Woodley made a significant impact during his seven seasons with the franchise. During Super Bowl XLIII against the Arizona Cardinals, he ended Kurt Warner's last-ditch attempt to win by sacking him, forcing a fumble that ended the game.
While numbers might change hands over the years, other things don't, according to Woodley. Recently, he joined his former teammate Stevenson Sylvester on the JJ and Alex Show. Sylvester shared what a prankster Woodley was and said once that Woodley had to teach a young rookie a lesson.
He said that just like now, the Steelers rookies are expected to handle some jobs for the veterans. During his rookie year, Woodley did everything that was asked of him without complaint. It was important to show the veterans that he was a team player.
By 2011, Woodley said it was his time to be a veteran and teach rookies how things are done. That included Chris Carter, a linebacker drafted in the fifth round out of Fresno State. But Woodley and Sylvester said he wasn't taking his rookie jobs seriously, so it was time for one of Woodley's famous pranks.
"Chris Carter got this brand new Cadillac. While we were at practice, LaMarr had somebody fill his car with popcorn to the brim, where you could only get out through the sunroof. There was Casey Hampton eating popcorn. It was even salted and buttered. Casey like, 'Oh yeah, this better than the movies,'" shared Sylvester with a laugh.
Nose tackle Casey Hampton was known as "Big Snack" for obvious reasons. During his playing days, he was about 6'1" and 325 pounds. He was one of the many vets that got a kick out of what Woodley considers his best prank.
"As a rookie, your job is to make sure the small refrigeration is filled up with waters, juice and that the snack box is filled up. When I was a rookie, I made sure that we had that handled, so now we have Chris Carter coming in, and he's slacking a bit. The veterans were like, 'Hey Wood, man, you got to put the hit on him.' So once I made the phone call to make the hit, I couldn't take it off," laughs Woodley. "He had a car full of butter popcorn that we got from the movie theatres, $25 a bag. Carter, all he could tell is there was so much oil in his seats from the popcorn. It was six trash bags worth."
Sylvester said it was an epic prank. Woodley added that Carter wasn't mad; he was a good sport and learned the lesson he needed to learn about doing his rookie tasks.
Carter stayed with the Steelers for three seasons, but only played in a few games, starting only four. He was never able to match Woodley's level of success. After leaving Pittsburgh, he spent several more years playing for multiple teams as a journeyman.
Steelers' 2008 Success Was Thanks To Fun
Woodley was also asked what made that defense so successful. He said it boiled down to trust. That trust was built in part through their fun as a group. They spent time together, like a family, and built lasting bonds.
That meant when it came time for games, they all knew that their fellow teammates would do their jobs to the best of their ability. The example he gave was James Harrison's 100-yard interception for a touchdown. When Harrison caught that ball, he knew that his fellow defenders would do everything they could to get out and block for him.
