Watch Dan Woodard for a few plays, and it's clearly evident he played at a high level of college football.

A 6-foot-2, 225-pound graduate of Cornell High School who played at Rutgers and later at Slippery Rock, he looks like a linebacker and, more important, plays like one.

"Danny is a phenom," said Pittsburgh Colts coach Ed Brosky. " His anticipation. His explosion. His closing speed. You can tell that he was coached at a higher level and he plays at that level."

Three years after shattering his right shin -- and seemingly his NFL dreams --in a motorcycle accident, Woodard is steadily making up for lost time and is one of the key cogs of a standout linebacking corps that has helped get the Colts off to a 6-0 start in the North American Football League.

A starting middle linebacker, Woodard has teamed with former Duquesne High School star Wade Brown and former Duquesne University standout Joe Neckerman to give the Colts an imposing trio at the position.

The Colts have shut out three opponents and surrendered just 24 points all season.

"We have the best linebacking corps," said Brosky, who added that former Aliquippa and California University player Andre Hunter has done a fine job, as well. "Our linebackers have set the tone for what we do defensively, because we've been slow up front. We don't have those big destroyers up there, so we rely on the linebackers a lot."

Woodard continues to dazzle in his second season with the Colts, and said he has fully recovered from his accident, which required seven hours of surgery. It's been quite a fight for him, however, and that includes an illness he endured last year that caused him to lose 30 pounds.

"Last season was my first season after sitting for three years, so I did feel a little uncomfortable," he said. "It's just now coming back to me after sitting for so long. I'm doing things different from last year fundamentally that I needed to work on."

Brosky has been quite impressed with Woodard's play, primarily because of an attitude and hitting ability that often seems commonplace for players who excel at his position.

"He reminds me of a guy who, when he was younger, he either fell out of the crib and landed on his head or was struck by lightning," Brosky said. "He brings a bad attitude when he hits people.

"The other day I was watching NFL Access and they were talking about Wilbur [Marshall] from the Bears back in that '46 defense.' He's got that same attitude as those guys, as Jack Lambert had. When he comes, he comes with a real bad attitude. He brings it."

Woodard is a pretty vocal player, too. But unlike his NFL counterparts, his words are always constructive.

"His motor is always running," Brosky said. "When's he's talking, he's not talking trash. He's talking motivating stuff, making challenges and competing.

"He's a competitor. I don't allow trash talking. That's NFL. It works for TV, but there are no TV cameras here."

That doesn't mean Woodard wouldn't like to play in a league regularly televised. His commitment to getting better and earning a chance to test his skills at a higher level remains the same.

"I'm not content," he said. "I had a shot to go to the next level, whether it be NFL, Arena or Canada, but that motorcycle accident blew it. But I feel that I still got it to get somewhere, but I have to get my weight right and fundamentals down a little bit better. I definitely want to go somewhere else."

Woodard said that adding some weight onto his frame is his biggest challenge right now.

"I have some connections in the CFL, but it's a weight issue," he said. "Ten or 15 pounds and I don't think anybody can pass me up, but I'm missing 10 to 15 pounds.

"Hopefully, next season with the Canadian thing, I can get something rolling."