Randall Godfrey
Encyclopedia
Randall Euralentris Godfrey (born April 6, 1973) is a former American football
linebacker
in the National Football League
. Godfrey played college football
at the University of Georgia
, where he majored in housing and consumer economics
. He also played High School Football at Lowndes High School
in Valdosta Georgia. He was drafted
in the 1996 NFL Draft
by the Dallas Cowboys
with the 49th overall pick. Since then he has also played for the Tennessee Titans
and the Seattle Seahawks
.
in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft
.
Although he was drafted to play middle linebacker, the level of skill and speed he demonstrated in training camp
, allowed the Cowboys to move him to strongside linebacker in an effort to improve the defense.
Godfrey started the last six games of his rookie season at strongside linebacker replacing Broderick Thomas
, and stayed there through the 1998 season
.
In 1999
, he was switched to his natural position at middle linebacker, replacing Fred Strickland
who was released. That year he led the team with 81 tackles.
During the 2000
free agency
period, although Godfrey was firmly entrenched as the Cowboys starting middle linebacker, the Cowboys chose not to match the offer he received from the Tennessee Titans
and decided to let Dat Nguyen
take over the position.
Godfrey played 4 seasons in Dallas, never missed a game, and recorded 306 tackles, 2 interceptions and 2 quarterback sacks.
, Godfrey set a career-high with 169 tackles and made second-team All-Pro
.
He led the Titans in tackles each of his first two seasons with the team, but after the 2000 season
season he struggled with injuries. Because of an injured ankle, he started in only five games and played in just eight during the 2002 season
.
Even though the Titans reworked his contract, with Godfrey agreeing to take less money. They ended up releasing him for salary cap reasons, at the start of training camp in 2003
.
, where he started 14 games and had 59 tackles in 2003
.
signed Godfrey to a three-year deal in 2004
.
After the 2007 NFL Draft
, Godfrey was released by the San Diego Chargers. On August 21, 2007, Washington Redskins
coach Joe Gibbs
,seeking to rebuild an injury-riddled linebacking corps, talked Godfrey out of retirement. However, Godfrey was not resigned after the season and has since retired.
On October 28, 2007, Godfrey made critical remarks regarding New England Patriots
head coach Bill Belichick
. Following a game in which the Patriots defeated the Redskins 52-7, Godfrey accused Belichick of showing the Redskins "no respect" because the Patriots continued to call deep passing plays despite leading 38-0 entering the fourth quarter.
Belichick defended his play calling, saying "When you're playing defense it's your job to stop them. It's not (the offense's) job to not score."
, where he is seeking to complete his degree.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. Godfrey played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
, where he majored in housing and consumer economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
. He also played High School Football at Lowndes High School
Lowndes High School
Lowndes High School is a public high school in Valdosta, Georgia, USA. The school is part of the Lowndes school system, which serves Lowndes County except for the city of Valdosta.-History:...
in Valdosta Georgia. He was drafted
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
in the 1996 NFL Draft
1996 NFL Draft
The 1996 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 20–21, 1996...
by the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
with the 49th overall pick. Since then he has also played for the Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
and the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
.
Dallas Cowboys
After college, Godfrey was drafted by the Dallas CowboysDallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft
1996 NFL Draft
The 1996 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 20–21, 1996...
.
Although he was drafted to play middle linebacker, the level of skill and speed he demonstrated in training camp
Training camp
A training camp is a place, usually with an army-camp-type environment, where people go to learn skills, usually skills involving physical action rather than book subjects, usually for an armed force or an action sport...
, allowed the Cowboys to move him to strongside linebacker in an effort to improve the defense.
Godfrey started the last six games of his rookie season at strongside linebacker replacing Broderick Thomas
Broderick Thomas
Broderick Lee Thomas is a former professional American football player in the National Football League.-High school career:Thomas graduated from Madison High School in Houston in 1985.-College career:...
, and stayed there through the 1998 season
1998 NFL season
The 1998 NFL season was the 79th regular season of the National Football League.The Tennessee Oilers moved their home games from Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, still awaiting construction on a new stadium in Nashville.This was the first season that CBS...
.
In 1999
1999 NFL season
The 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular season of the National Football League. The Cleveland Browns returned to the field for the first time since the 1995 season...
, he was switched to his natural position at middle linebacker, replacing Fred Strickland
Fred Strickland
Fredrick William Strickland, Jr. is a former American football linebacker who played for twelve seasons in the National Football League from 1988 to 1999. He played college football at Purdue University and was drafted in the second round of the 1988 NFL Draft....
who was released. That year he led the team with 81 tackles.
During the 2000
2000 NFL season
The 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXXV when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants.Week 1 of the season reverted to Labor Day weekend in 2000...
free agency
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
period, although Godfrey was firmly entrenched as the Cowboys starting middle linebacker, the Cowboys chose not to match the offer he received from the Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
and decided to let Dat Nguyen
Dat Nguyen
Dat Tan Nguyen is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League . He was the first Vietnamese American to play in the NFL. He played for the Dallas Cowboys from 1999 to 2005. He played college football at Texas A&M. He was the Cowboys' assistant linebackers coach and...
take over the position.
Godfrey played 4 seasons in Dallas, never missed a game, and recorded 306 tackles, 2 interceptions and 2 quarterback sacks.
Tennessee Titans
In 20002000 NFL season
The 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXXV when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants.Week 1 of the season reverted to Labor Day weekend in 2000...
, Godfrey set a career-high with 169 tackles and made second-team All-Pro
All-Pro
All-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season. It began as polls of sportswriters in the early 1920s...
.
He led the Titans in tackles each of his first two seasons with the team, but after the 2000 season
2000 NFL season
The 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXXV when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants.Week 1 of the season reverted to Labor Day weekend in 2000...
season he struggled with injuries. Because of an injured ankle, he started in only five games and played in just eight during the 2002 season
2002 NFL season
The 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League.The league went back to an even number of teams, expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans. The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each...
.
Even though the Titans reworked his contract, with Godfrey agreeing to take less money. They ended up releasing him for salary cap reasons, at the start of training camp in 2003
2003 NFL season
-Milestones:The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:-Team:-Individual:-Awards:-External Links:**-References:*NFL Record and Fact Book *...
.
Seattle Seahawks
He signed a one-year contract with the Seattle SeahawksSeattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
, where he started 14 games and had 59 tackles in 2003
2003 NFL season
-Milestones:The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:-Team:-Individual:-Awards:-External Links:**-References:*NFL Record and Fact Book *...
.
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego ChargersSan Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
signed Godfrey to a three-year deal in 2004
2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005...
.
After the 2007 NFL Draft
2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
, Godfrey was released by the San Diego Chargers. On August 21, 2007, Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
coach Joe Gibbs
Joe Gibbs
Joe Jackson Gibbs is a former American football coach, NASCAR Championship team owner, and two time NHRA Pro Stock team owner. He was the 20th and 26th head coach in the history of the Washington Redskins...
,seeking to rebuild an injury-riddled linebacking corps, talked Godfrey out of retirement. However, Godfrey was not resigned after the season and has since retired.
On October 28, 2007, Godfrey made critical remarks regarding New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
head coach Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick
William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...
. Following a game in which the Patriots defeated the Redskins 52-7, Godfrey accused Belichick of showing the Redskins "no respect" because the Patriots continued to call deep passing plays despite leading 38-0 entering the fourth quarter.
Belichick defended his play calling, saying "When you're playing defense it's your job to stop them. It's not (the offense's) job to not score."
Personal life
Godfrey, originally drafted following his junior year of college, is currently enrolled at the University of GeorgiaUniversity of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
, where he is seeking to complete his degree.