- Messages
- 5,432
- Reaction score
- 0
Jason Williams waits for his time to play
IRVING -- Friday afternoon we caught up with Jason Williams.
Who?
Williams was the first draft pick of the 2009 draft. He was selected in the third round and suffered a left high ankle sprain in third preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers.
It seemed that ankle injury might as well have been an ACL. Williams played only five games, struggling to make the move from outside linebacker/pass rusher at Western Illinois to inside linebacker in the pros
Now, he can't get on the field in 2010 and has seen 2010 second-round pick Sean Lee surpass him on the depth chart.
In fact, both Lee and Williams are not on the field.
The coaching staff has little confidence in their abilities to play in the nickle or dime defenese, instead allowing Bradie James and Keith Brooking to get the bulk of the time.
Wade Phillips praised Williams' special teams efforts last week and said if he improves in that area he can see more time in the sub packages.
Really?
Lee is another guy the Cowboys have high hopes for and one NFC scout told me he should play in the base package more often, and Phillips admits he needs to get Brooking and James more rest.
Another scout told me Williams should move back to an outside pass rusher because he's not very good in pass coverage.
Williams, meanwhile, is trying to be patient.
"Yeah coming out of college, I didn’t play a true linebacker position, so I understand it will be a process so it’s a lot of stuff I need to get used too," he said.
Williams said he's gaining more confidence as an inside linebacker and feels he's improving on pass coverage and is now working on getting better against the run.
It's a new concept for Williams because while backing up Brooking's spot in the lineup, he has to take on centers and guards at times and be able to move quickly to make tackles.
You would think Williams has the athletic ability to do that, but he's inconsistent in this area.
The other day in practice, Williams joked around with DeMarcus Ware that he wants him to clear out so he can rush the passer on some plays.
"From last year to this year my main concern is our running game [and] figuring out where I fit in that game," Williams said. "Last year I felt more comfortable, so the whole offseason my focus is to be more consistent in the run game."
IRVING -- Friday afternoon we caught up with Jason Williams.
Who?
Williams was the first draft pick of the 2009 draft. He was selected in the third round and suffered a left high ankle sprain in third preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers.
It seemed that ankle injury might as well have been an ACL. Williams played only five games, struggling to make the move from outside linebacker/pass rusher at Western Illinois to inside linebacker in the pros
Now, he can't get on the field in 2010 and has seen 2010 second-round pick Sean Lee surpass him on the depth chart.
In fact, both Lee and Williams are not on the field.
The coaching staff has little confidence in their abilities to play in the nickle or dime defenese, instead allowing Bradie James and Keith Brooking to get the bulk of the time.
Wade Phillips praised Williams' special teams efforts last week and said if he improves in that area he can see more time in the sub packages.
Really?
Lee is another guy the Cowboys have high hopes for and one NFC scout told me he should play in the base package more often, and Phillips admits he needs to get Brooking and James more rest.
Another scout told me Williams should move back to an outside pass rusher because he's not very good in pass coverage.
Williams, meanwhile, is trying to be patient.
"Yeah coming out of college, I didn’t play a true linebacker position, so I understand it will be a process so it’s a lot of stuff I need to get used too," he said.
Williams said he's gaining more confidence as an inside linebacker and feels he's improving on pass coverage and is now working on getting better against the run.
It's a new concept for Williams because while backing up Brooking's spot in the lineup, he has to take on centers and guards at times and be able to move quickly to make tackles.
You would think Williams has the athletic ability to do that, but he's inconsistent in this area.
The other day in practice, Williams joked around with DeMarcus Ware that he wants him to clear out so he can rush the passer on some plays.
"From last year to this year my main concern is our running game [and] figuring out where I fit in that game," Williams said. "Last year I felt more comfortable, so the whole offseason my focus is to be more consistent in the run game."
