09-13-2010, 06:57 PM
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#1
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: South Korea
Posts: 3,530
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NLF Comeback: Mike Williams
Mike Williams 35 Yard Welcome Back Catch
Great story in progress here. And some decent Fantasy sleeper potential if you are in a league with no Seahawks fans that might have already picked him up.
Quote:
RENTON, Wash. — Is this right?
"It's actually two pounds off," a sweaty Mike Williams, just finished from the practice field, tells a visitor holding a Seattle Seahawks roster that lists the wide receiver at 6-5, 235.
He checked into camp at 233 pounds.
"That might not matter to most people," he says, "but two pounds makes a difference."
At one point in 2008, during a disastrous foray with his third NFL team, the Tennessee Titans, Williams tipped the scales at 270. Too big. Too slow. Too sloppy. That he carried the weight of a tight end or linebacker was merely the first impression of much gone wrong.
Now he's lean again, looking and performing like the receiver who came of Southern California in 2005 as a top-ten draft pick rather than a man cast for The Biggest Loser.
Williams, reunited with his college coach, Pete Carroll, is one of the most intriguing storylines in Seahawks camp with his make-or-break comeback attempt.
"I can do what my mind pictured for myself, the way I want to look and run," says Williams, 26, whose outstanding start to training camp follows his stellar work in OTA sessions. "How I picture myself, I can apply that and actually do it, as opposed to being a little heavier and not being able to cut as much."
It apparently took three teams, three failures and two years of unemployment for Williams to realize that he was blowing his considerable talent. Yet the diet – he says he's eliminated fried foods, sweets and sodas, while significantly cutting back on red meat, breads and pasta – wasn't the only drastic change he needed to make.
His lifestyle needed fixing, too. Williams, who also bombed with the Detroit Lions and Oakland Raiders, recently told The Seattle Times that he developed some "real bad habits" as his other pro football opportunities flamed out, such as hanging out in nightclubs and trying to share the NFL experience with family and friends.
This summer, though, he's been taking the bus back and forth to the team hotel, carrying himself like a humbled rookie. Seahawks offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates sees that as another sign that demonstrates how much Williams cares, this time around.
"He's treating it with respect," Bates says.
Better conditioned, Williams is also leaving impressions with his explosiveness in drills and endurance. That he doesn't get winded after running 20 or 30 reps during a given practice is another marker for progress.
"Sometimes," says Bates, "a person has to take a step back before they can take a step forward."
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Mike Williams making strides in comeback bid with Seahawks - USATODAY.com
Last edited by Goody; 09-13-2010 at 07:04 PM.
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