Jamaal Williams left BYU as the career leader in rushing yards, carries and 100-yard games. He topped 1,000 yards in each of his final two full college seasons, and figured he’d have no problem doing the same in the NFL.
Six years later, Williams is finally track for his first 1,000-yard season as a pro.
“I think it’s more of just dedication, just working hard and not psyching yourself out mentally of seeing like it could be, your sixth year could be your best year,” Williams told the Free Press on Thursday. “A lot of us want it to happen right away. Trust me, I did. My first year, rookie year, I wanted 1,000. But it’s more of just staying focused on the plan, learning your role and once you get those opportunities make them count and then go from there.”
Williams has got more opportunity than ever before in his second season with the Detroit Lions.
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He leads the team in rushing yards (545), attempts (126) and touchdowns (eight) through eight games, needs 61 yards to set a career-high in rushing Sunday against the Chicago Bears and is on pace to become the Lions’ first 1,000-yard back since Reggie Bush in 2013.
Signed to be a complement to D’Andre Swift in one of Brad Holmes’ first free-agent deals as general manager, Williams has instead emerged as the team’s lead running back while Swift has missed significant time with injuries.
“Since we got him even a year ago, he’s been the model of consistency for us offensively,” Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said. “He runs hard. It might not be flashy or sexy all the time, but he finds a way to always be falling forward when he’s being tackled. He’ll find creases. He’s got great vision, and he’s shown the ability to break tackles and potentially have some explosive runs for us, too.”
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Williams has scored two touchdowns in four separate games this season, including his season-high 108-yard day against the Seattle Seahawks.
He lost the first fumble of his career on the goal line of the Lions’ Week 7 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, but has bounced back with strong performances the past two weeks.
Last Sunday, Williams powered the Lions to their second win of the season, rushing for 81 yards on 24 carries and keying the game-securing touchdown drive. He carried the ball six straight times on the drive as the Lions went 70 yards in 13 plays for the score.
Johnson said he could feel Williams wearing down the Packers defense on that drive, like a boxer throwing repeated body blows. Williams had one gain longer than 6 yards, a 14-yard run on first-and-10 after he converted on third down, but the Lions ran three plays out of no-huddle to keep Green Bay’s tired defense on the field.
“It’s more just keeping the pressure on, get them tired, just go. See what type of toughness they got and just go,” Williams said. “I feel like my mental capacity and when I’m tired is not going to stop me from making a big play. And I get more energy in watching how the defense moves and if they’re tired and they look like they don’t want to be there, then I know. I’m going to keep going at them.”
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At 220 pounds, Williams is about 7 pounds lighter than he was during his first four seasons with the Packers, when he split backfield duties with Aaron Jones. He said he feels more agile than he did during his Green Bay days, though he has not lost sight of his identity as a runner.
“I’ve already been called a mudder,” he said. “I want to be more than a mudder, but I’m a mudder, too. At the end of the day, I can do the physical part but I want to expand my role and keep trying to be elusive, keep trying to be fast, make people miss and stuff. But that part of me is always there.”
Soon, a 1,000-yard season will be, too.
“I’ll be excited once I hit those things, those milestones,” WIlliams said. “It’s meaningful, but at the same time it’s still, the job’s not done yet. Once I look back on that, if I get it, cool. But right now I’m just worried about winning games for the team and just helping any way I can.”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.