Saying he owes it to his family, former New England first-round draft pick Damien Woody will shop his skills as one of the top offensive linemen in the NFL.

05:07 PM EST on Tuesday, February 24, 2004

BY TOM E. CURRAN
Journal Sports Writer

File photo DAMIEN WOODY

For four seasons, the Patriots have sacrificed sentimentality in the name of fiscal sensibility. Two Super Bowl titles make it impossible to argue they're doing the wrong thing.

But the flip side of the Patriots' calculated approach is that they can't kick when a player plays the "just doing business" card on them.

And that's what veteran offensive lineman Damien Woody is doing. Woody, 27, will enter free agency tomorrow after failing to come to agreement with the Patriots on a deal that would keep him off the market.

As a two-time Pro Bowl alternate (Woody played in the 2003 Pro Bowl after Raider Barrett Robbins was unable to) who's shown he can play both guard and center at a high level, he will be high on the wish list of a few teams. He's likely going to make a lot more money somewhere else than he would in New England. Just as the bottom line matters to the Patriots, it matters to Woody, too.

"If (getting released) can happen to Drew Bledsoe and Lawyer Milloy, it can happen to anyone," Woody said yesterday. "If you told me when I was a rookie that Drew Bledsoe and Lawyer Milloy wouldn't be here and finishing their careers as Patriots, I'd have laughed. But they're not and that shows you it is a business. (The Patriots) treat it as a

business and I have to do the same thing. You can't let your feelings get too involved.

"I've expressed a number of times that I want to stay here but I have to do what's in the best interests of my family, too."

Woody's agent, Ben Dogra, said the team hasn't made his client an offer since before the 2003 season began.

"And it was a relatively light deal compared to what some of the other interior linemen like Will Shields, Ruben Brown, Jeff Hartings and Olin Kreutz got."

Dogra bristled at reports that the Patriots spoke to him about their plans to let Woody enter free agency, saying that the team spoke only to Woody and hadn't attempted to negotiate with him since the initial offer.

The deal was in the six-year, $22-million range, but the first three years of the deal guaranteed Woody just $10 million. Also, the final three seasons had escalating salaries and cap hits that would have put Woody in the same position Milloy wound up in.

A first-round pick of the Pats in 1999 (17th overall), Woody has been a durable player over much of his career. He missed the first game of his career last September in Philadelphia but returned to the lineup and took over for the injured Mike Compton at guard as rookie Dan Koppen came in to play center. The move to guard showcased both Woody's versatility and his selflessness.

In the Pats' playoff game against Tennessee, Woody suffered a season-ending meniscus tear in his knee but, after the injury, tried to play through it for a series.

Woody's emotions are mixed as he heads to the open market.

"It's both exciting and hard to deal with," he said. "I've been with New England my whole career. At the same time, I want to see what's out there and have some fun with this and see what free agency brings."

Woody was asked if he would consider returning to the Patriots even if he found a more lucrative deal elsewhere.

"Definitely," he said. "I would consider staying here, but what do you give up in order to stay for less? What are the other factors? I want to do what's in the best interests of my family, but I've expressed a number of times I want to stay here."