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Roy Williams: 'I thought I was out of here'
BY NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • May 8, 2008
Lions wide receiver Roy Williams talked with reporters after practice Wednesday. He touched on the trade rumors that swirled around him earlier this off-season, whether he wants to play in Dallas someday, his contract situation and the Lions' new approach on offense.
QUESTION: What did you think of all the trade talk?
"It was a lot of talk. I'm here, and that's it. I'm here. My job is to try to help this team win."
How do you feel about being here?
"I'm just happy to be in the league, man. There's a lot of guys that's not in this thing."
Did you ever seriously think you might be traded?
"From all the rumors, I thought I was out of here. Just from listening to everything. But then I listened to Coach saying I wasn't going nowhere, so that reassured me that I wasn't going anywhere."
How many times did Rod Marinelli call you?
"He just called me one time in March. He said, 'It's done. You're not going nowhere.' "
Was that all you needed to hear? Did you have any doubts after that?
"I mean, I don't think it was zero percent chance I wasn't going anywhere. I think if somebody would have come with something that could have benefited the Lions, I think I would have been out of here."
What about the anonymous source that told the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram you want to play in Dallas?
"I don't know who said that. Like I said, I'm just happy to play in the league, man. I'd play for anybody, any team. Like I said, I want to be a Detroit Lion, because this is where I got drafted. It's a challenge to me to try to get this organization from the bottom and take it to the top. That's a big challenge. It's not working too good right now, but we're slowly rising to the top."
Do you want to play in Dallas at some point? (Williams is from Odessa, Texas, and went to the University of Texas.)
"I'll play for anybody, man. But if you can get back home, everybody wants to play at home. But I can't choose that."
Next year you might be able to. (Williams' contract expires after the 2008 season.)
"I don't think I'm gone next year, either. I think they're going to slap me."
With the franchise tag?
"Yeah, I think so. That's a possibility."
Would that be good?
"I'll take whatever, man. Just as long as I can play football, I really don't care who I play for."
You want to play for a winner, though, right?
"Yeah, I want to win. And I think this place can win, man. I don't know what's the problem, what's been the problem. We got a little taste of it last year at 6-2. But that was last year, man. People are asking, 'Can we learn from that?' No, we can't learn from that. That was a whole different ballclub last year."
Has there been any contract talk at all?
"No."
How will you play with that this season? Will it be a motivating factor?
"It's not motivating. I don't play for money, man. I play for wins. The money is there. It's what this league is based on or whatever, but I don't play for money. I play for wins. Growing up, I didn't have money, so that's not a big issue to me. I've always been a winner all my life. That's all I care about."
How do you feel about the changes to the offense?
"It sounds good, man. Everything sounds good in the off-season. I've got to see it Week 1 vs. the Falcons. We're just working hard, man, doing the things we're supposed to do, and hope it pays off Week 1, and Week 1 I can answer those questions."
BY NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • May 8, 2008
Lions wide receiver Roy Williams talked with reporters after practice Wednesday. He touched on the trade rumors that swirled around him earlier this off-season, whether he wants to play in Dallas someday, his contract situation and the Lions' new approach on offense.
QUESTION: What did you think of all the trade talk?
"It was a lot of talk. I'm here, and that's it. I'm here. My job is to try to help this team win."
How do you feel about being here?
"I'm just happy to be in the league, man. There's a lot of guys that's not in this thing."
Did you ever seriously think you might be traded?
"From all the rumors, I thought I was out of here. Just from listening to everything. But then I listened to Coach saying I wasn't going nowhere, so that reassured me that I wasn't going anywhere."
How many times did Rod Marinelli call you?
"He just called me one time in March. He said, 'It's done. You're not going nowhere.' "
Was that all you needed to hear? Did you have any doubts after that?
"I mean, I don't think it was zero percent chance I wasn't going anywhere. I think if somebody would have come with something that could have benefited the Lions, I think I would have been out of here."
What about the anonymous source that told the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram you want to play in Dallas?
"I don't know who said that. Like I said, I'm just happy to play in the league, man. I'd play for anybody, any team. Like I said, I want to be a Detroit Lion, because this is where I got drafted. It's a challenge to me to try to get this organization from the bottom and take it to the top. That's a big challenge. It's not working too good right now, but we're slowly rising to the top."
Do you want to play in Dallas at some point? (Williams is from Odessa, Texas, and went to the University of Texas.)
"I'll play for anybody, man. But if you can get back home, everybody wants to play at home. But I can't choose that."
Next year you might be able to. (Williams' contract expires after the 2008 season.)
"I don't think I'm gone next year, either. I think they're going to slap me."
With the franchise tag?
"Yeah, I think so. That's a possibility."
Would that be good?
"I'll take whatever, man. Just as long as I can play football, I really don't care who I play for."
You want to play for a winner, though, right?
"Yeah, I want to win. And I think this place can win, man. I don't know what's the problem, what's been the problem. We got a little taste of it last year at 6-2. But that was last year, man. People are asking, 'Can we learn from that?' No, we can't learn from that. That was a whole different ballclub last year."
Has there been any contract talk at all?
"No."
How will you play with that this season? Will it be a motivating factor?
"It's not motivating. I don't play for money, man. I play for wins. The money is there. It's what this league is based on or whatever, but I don't play for money. I play for wins. Growing up, I didn't have money, so that's not a big issue to me. I've always been a winner all my life. That's all I care about."
How do you feel about the changes to the offense?
"It sounds good, man. Everything sounds good in the off-season. I've got to see it Week 1 vs. the Falcons. We're just working hard, man, doing the things we're supposed to do, and hope it pays off Week 1, and Week 1 I can answer those questions."
