Pick6TerenceNewman
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Roy Williams wants to be here. That's what he says, and during camp, that's what he's showing. The Lions want Williams here. That's what they say, and during camp, that's what they're showing. That's all good. Williams can (should?) be one of the NFL's top receivers and can (should?) give the Lions a terrific tandem with Calvin Johnson.
But there remains a mystery about Williams, one that will play out in the final season of his five-year contract, after which the team and the player must make a tough choice. The mental machinations already are under way, evidenced by trade rumors that swirled during the offseason. Williams still affixes his smile, still talks confidently, still is the energetic guy at practice who interacts with fans.
He's probably the best-known player, and yet I doubt we've seen the best of him. And with the Lions'increased, and necessary, emphasis on the running game, who knows if we'll see all his big-play potential. Even now, it's hard to tell what Williams represents. The future? The past?
The squandered talent and unfulfilled promise? Williams is a fine player, an entertaining guy who can be enormously personable. But it's as if each side is waiting for the other. Will Williams be good enough this season that the Lions will have to keep him? Will the Lions be good enough that Williams will want to stay?
"It's not a distraction but it kind of gets to me, like, what's gonna happen?" Williams said. "It's just a business, man. I heard there were offers for me so it must mean I'm pretty good. I don't know the future. I don't know if I'm gonna be here or not. They can franchise me (keep him for a lucrative one-year contract) and I'd be here for another year and then it'd start all over again." When I asked if he wants to stay, Williams repeated what he said before, semi-convincingly. "Oh, yeah, anybody wants to stay where they got drafted," he said. "And then when they get to the end of their career, they want to go home.
I talk strongly about Texas because I'm from there but I don't talk strongly about the Cowboys or the Texans. I would love to stay here, get to the playoffs here, be part of history here." -- Detroit News
But there remains a mystery about Williams, one that will play out in the final season of his five-year contract, after which the team and the player must make a tough choice. The mental machinations already are under way, evidenced by trade rumors that swirled during the offseason. Williams still affixes his smile, still talks confidently, still is the energetic guy at practice who interacts with fans.
He's probably the best-known player, and yet I doubt we've seen the best of him. And with the Lions'increased, and necessary, emphasis on the running game, who knows if we'll see all his big-play potential. Even now, it's hard to tell what Williams represents. The future? The past?
The squandered talent and unfulfilled promise? Williams is a fine player, an entertaining guy who can be enormously personable. But it's as if each side is waiting for the other. Will Williams be good enough this season that the Lions will have to keep him? Will the Lions be good enough that Williams will want to stay?
"It's not a distraction but it kind of gets to me, like, what's gonna happen?" Williams said. "It's just a business, man. I heard there were offers for me so it must mean I'm pretty good. I don't know the future. I don't know if I'm gonna be here or not. They can franchise me (keep him for a lucrative one-year contract) and I'd be here for another year and then it'd start all over again." When I asked if he wants to stay, Williams repeated what he said before, semi-convincingly. "Oh, yeah, anybody wants to stay where they got drafted," he said. "And then when they get to the end of their career, they want to go home.
I talk strongly about Texas because I'm from there but I don't talk strongly about the Cowboys or the Texans. I would love to stay here, get to the playoffs here, be part of history here." -- Detroit News
