You don't have to back out of the thread, that's childish. Your local perspective and willingness to support claims with evidence is valuable to the forum. Just don't respond to disagreements as if they were intended to offend you personally...
I haven't been offended by anyone. Moving on.
So that would be two more years, at the earliest.
That said, I am not as big a believer in Woodhead as Just Win. Woodhead will turn 31 during the season, comes off a fractured fibula and ankle, and was already showing signs of aging in 2014 before going down for the season. Probably still great for dump-offs, but hardly a big play threat anymore. I wouldn't be shocked if he comes back and catches 80 balls, but won't bet on it.
Comments:
1. IMO Woodhead's injury from last year is irrelevant going forward. There is no reason to believe it will linger in any way or otherwise cause him to be more susceptible to additional injury. If anything, it means he is further removed from the abuse a RB takes, since he missed almost all of last season.
2. IMO it is hard to take anything substantive from Woodhead's performance last year. The sample size was small -- he only played 69 snaps before the injury -- and both games in which he played more than one snap were against good defenses (@ARI, SEA). Also, the Chargers starting center was lost for the season after just 16 snaps, so the OL, which was poor to begin with, was in flux in both of his games.
He rushed 15 times for 38 yards, which is poor, but the team was #31 in YPC, so it wasn't all Woodhead. He caught 5 of 6 targets for 34 yards, with 33 yards after the catch. 4 of his catches went for first downs, and the other catch gained 6 yards on 1st and 10. He was very effective on those plays, just as he had been in previous years. I watched the games, and did not see any signs of aging.
3. To the bolded, his role isn't to be a big play threat. His role is to move the chains and help keep the offense in favorable down/distance situations. And he is great at it.
4. I agree he probably won't have 80 catches, but he should be a lock for 50+ if he stays healthy. He brings an element to the offense that no other player on the roster brings. Consider that in 2013, Mathews was 4th in the NFL with 285 carries, yet Woodhead played more offensive snaps (504 to 480). That is a sign of how much the coaching staff wants him on the field. I would be surprised if he has more snaps than Gordon, but I do think he will play a lot.
5. I also wouldn't necessarily assume that this coaching staff will give Woodhead's role to Gordon when Woodhead becomes ineffective or moves on. UDFA Oliver showed a lot of quickness and burst last season and good potential as a receiver -- PFF gave him the 5th highest receiving grade among all RBs in the NFL last season. If he continues to progress, the coaching staff will also want to see him on the field, and they could attempt to groom him as Woodhead's successor.