We’re almost at the halfway point of the NFL season, and plenty of strange things have happened. The Indianapolis Colts (6-1) have the best record. The Baltimore Ravens (1-6) are one of the worst teams in the league. The Philadelphia Eagles can’t run the ball. And Aaron Glenn can’t seem to handle the New York media scrutiny.
To help us make sense of it all, we recently caught up with ESPN’s Damien Woody. We discussed his NFL observations and also what it’s like debating with Cam Newton.
Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
Awful Announcing: What has surprised you the most about this NFL season?
Damien Woody: “I’ll probably have to say Daniel Jones. This guy was in a quarterback battle with Anthony Richardson entering training camp, and he has the Indianapolis Colts looking like the Greatest Show on Turf right now. Make no mistake about it. The Colts have a lot of good players surrounding him. But to go from a guy who was in a quarterback battle with the No.4 overall pick a couple years ago with Anthony Richardson, to now playing the way he’s playing right now, you’ve got to give him a lot of credit, and the Colts organization credit as well.”
What’s your assessment of the Kansas City Chiefs right now?
“I think a lot of teams should be scared. This is a Chiefs team that went 15-2 last year and went to the Super Bowl with a lot of flaws. They’re a better team than they were last year. All these skill-position guys didn’t really play together last year. So now, last week was the first time all of them got to play together. If they can stay healthy and play together, the AFC, they’re going to be a (force) again this year.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvXAAmOI6kw
How concerned should the Philadelphia Eagles be about their running game?
“They should be concerned because they’re a run-first team. You don’t bring a Saquon Barkley in and have the year he had if that’s not going to be one of your staples in your offense. We can clearly see that the offensive line isn’t performing (as well as last season). They don’t run Jalen Hurts as much as they did last year, and Saquon Barkley isn’t seeing the holes he had last year. There’s still time to figure it out, but I think if they want to repeat as champions, they’re going to have to get this running game figured out.”
What is it like debating with Cam Newton on First Take ?
“Cam is always going to try to keep things light and funny. It seems like sometimes Cam is a contrarian. He tries to find the other viewpoints, and that’s fine. Like with any other big personality, you’ve got to be bold in your conviction. You’ve got to be bold in what your eyes are telling you when you’re watching these games and digging up the facts. As long as you have conviction in your viewpoint, then it, to me, is fun because Cam is going to make it fun. He has that type of personality.”
Is there something you and Cam adamantly disagree on?
“I said Drake Maye is playing like a top-five quarterback, and he looked at me like I was from Mars. He was vehemently against what I was saying. If you watch the New England Patriots, Drake Maye is playing like one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. We were sparring back and forth about it.
“I think Cam, like some other people out here, when you talk about top-five quarterbacks, they tend to revert to, ‘What about Josh Allen? What about Lamar Jackson?’ This is not a lifetime achievement award. It’s about who’s playing the best right now. So, the discussion was pretty vibrant.”
.@CameronNewton can’t believe @damienwoody said Drake Maye is playing like a top five QB in the league right now 👀 pic.twitter.com/damjedc4oO
— First Take (@FirstTake) October 20, 2025
What advice would you give Aaron Glenn on handling the media?
“During my time with the Jets, I always tried to be honest about my assessment of how I played, how the team performed. I was one of those guys who, when we won, I was there. And when we lost, I made sure I was front and center then, too. I would tell Aaron Glenn: just be honest about where things are. I think people can appreciate guys shooting it to you straight. They’ll give you leeway. I know the Jets are in a bad place, but I think you can’t go wrong with being authentic and being truthful about the state of where things are right now.”
With the trade deadline coming, is there a team that needs to make a move?
“The Dallas Cowboys, if they can make a move, a trade on the defensive side, I think they’d be in a good position because they have a championship offense right now. If they can make a move and get this defense to average, the Dallas Cowboys will make the playoffs because history has told us that when Dak Prescott plays a full slate of games, they win double digits and they make the postseason.”
The Baltimore Ravens reportedly removed some recreational stuff from the locker room, including a basketball hoop and a ping pong table. Does that motivational tactic work?
“No, because at the end of the day, you still have to go out there and perform. What does taking away a pool table in the players’ lounge have to do with going out on the field and making a tackle or throwing a critical pass on third down? It has nothing to do with it. But sometimes coaches want to send a message to the team.”
After the loss to Kansas City, the Ravens coaching staff removed several “distractions” from the locker room including the pingpong table, cornhole boards, basketball hoop, and video game consoles, per @baltimoresun. pic.twitter.com/ELgAqeTKij
— Ravens Nation 𝙇𝙄𝙑𝙀 (@LIVERavenNation) October 20, 2025
How is school going as you try to finish your degree in sociology?
“School is going great. I’m just taking a slower pace. With all the stuff I have going on, I wanted to make sure that I didn’t have too much on my plate. It’s looking like fall 2027. I’ve got a lot of support. I got a lot of things going on, even outside of ESPN.”
Is there any chance that you’ll dress like Cam Newton for Halloween?
“Man, it would be hard to dress up like him because Cam got a very eclectic look, and I don’t know if that would look right on a big man like myself.”