Shawn Williams: hard-nosed, with high goals

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He's going to likely be the lone voice of experience in the secondary early on this coming season. But Shawn Williams is taking the challenge ($$) much in the same way he plays his safety position, head on.


His coach thinks he has the tools to be an All-American.

“He’s a physical player, sure,” Lakatos said. “I think that’s part of his deal. He plays the game the way it’s supposed to be played. That’s what you want. You want physical, hard-nosed guys that are athletes. That’s what he gives you. He can do some things in deep zone. He can do some things in man coverage. When it comes down to it he can stick his face in there and knock some people backwards. You’ve got to have that. You like to have that in your secondary.” 

Williams once struck me as a player that would always have trouble living up to his vocal chords. But last season he did a lot to shed that image, in my opinion. He played where he was needed and really became a versatile player. Here are his 2011 stats:

78 tackles (48 solo)

5 tackles for loss

4 interceptions

1 forced fumble

5 pass break-ups

2 QB hurries

1 blocked kick

Because of all that, I wasn't too surprised when he considered leaving for the NFL back in January. Also because of all that, I'm glad he stayed.