Bear Woods
| No. 48 Montreal Alouettes | |
| Date of birth | January 22, 1987 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Macclenny, Florida |
| Career information | |
| Status | Active |
| CFL status | International |
| Position(s) | LB |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) |
| Weight | 245 lb (111 kg) |
| College | Troy |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 2010–2011 | Atlanta Falcons* |
| 2011–present | Montreal Alouettes |
| *Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| CFL All-Star | 2014 |
| CFL East All-Star | 2014, 2016 |
| Career stats | |
Jonathan "Bear" Woods (born January 22, 1987) is a gridiron football linebacker for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played college football at Troy University.
Early years
He is a native of Macclenny, Florida and attended Baker County High School.[1]
Professional career
Atlanta Falcons
Woods was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent on April 26, 2010. He was waived on September 2, 2011.
Montreal Alouettes
On September 28, 2011, Woods signed with the Montreal Alouettes.[2] Woods did not see any playing time in his first 2 seasons in the CFL; in the 2013 CFL season Woods played on special teams and sparingly on defense. He accumulated 5 defensive tackles and 13 special teams tackles.
The 2014 CFL season proved to be a breakout year for Bear Woods, as he finished the year ranked number 2 in tackles with 89 (BC Lions linebacker Solomon Elimimian finished first with 143). He also added an impressive 7 quarterback sacks. He was the East Division nominee for the CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award in 2014, winning the James P. McCaffrey Trophy as consolation.[3] Following his standout season, he signed a three-year extension with the Alouettes on January 2, 2015.[4] Woods missed the vast majority of the 2015 season after suffering a torn pectoral muscle in the second game of the season.[5] Woods returned to being one of the star players on the Al's defense for their 2016 season. He played in all 18 regular season games and for the second time in his career finished second in tackles to Solomon Elimimian. Woods also had five sacks, three forced fumbles, one of which he recovered, and two interceptions. Just like in 2014 both linebackers were nominated to represent their divisions as the finalists for the CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award.[6] Just like in 2014 Solomon Elimimian once again took home the CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award for the 2016 season.[7]
References
- ↑ http://blog.al.com/press-register-sports/2010/01/grin_and_bear_it_troy_lineback.html
- ↑ Alouettes beef up practice roster
- ↑ "Shortening the list: Elimimian, Ray headline awards finalists". cfl.ca. November 13, 2014. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
- ↑ "Als extend four on defence including Woods". cfl.ca. January 2, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
- ↑ "Alouettes turn to Nic Shortill to fill middle-linebacker hole". Montreal Gazette. 2015-09-25. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
- ↑ "Alouettes linebacker Bear Woods a finalist for top CFL defender award". Montreal Gazette. 2016-11-10. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
- ↑ "Stamped and Sealed: Calgary dominates Shaw CFL Awards". CFL.ca. 2016-11-24. Retrieved 2016-11-25.