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Alumni in the NFL
Giants safety quietly establishing himself as one of NFL's best. by Michael Eisen, Giants.com July 15, 2002 East Rutherford, N.J. - From the moment he established himself as a premier football player in high school, Shaun Williams was probably destined to play for the Giants.
Since joining the franchise as a first round draft choice in 1998, Williams has established himself as far more than the answer to a trivia question. After two years of part-time duty, he started every game the last two seasons at free safety. This year he moves to strong safety, intent on increasing his value to the team as a player and a leader and proving that he is one of the NFL's premier safeties. "I'm really excited about this year, especially the leadership aspect of my position," Williams said. "That's what motivates me the most because I think that's what elevates my play to a higher level. I know people are depending on me and expecting things of me. It's a sense of, `If I don't get it done, who is going to get it done?' That's the way I take it upon myself. I want to be the guy that's out there leading the team in tackles, leading the charge out on the field." Williams was exceptionally productive last year. He finished second on the Giants with 96 tackles, including 77 solos. He also intercepted three passes, knocked down 11 more, and recorded the first sack of his career. Now Williams and his coaches believe he is in position to enjoy a big year. Strong safety is his natural position. He is entering what should be the prime seasons of his career. And Williams is eager to step into the leadership void created by the departures of players like Jessie Armstead and Sam Garnes. "Shaun has matured and really has an understanding of the game," coach Jim Fassel said. "He's gotten better as a player. And I think he has all the ability, and the attitude, to be one of the best safeties in the league." Defensive coordinator Johnnie Lynn concurs with that assessment. "He can be one of the NFL's best safeties," Lynn said. "A lot of the strong safeties in the league are big hitters, but they don't cover wide receivers and run around. They generally cover tight ends. Shaun has the ability to cover wide receivers. He's done it. You'll see bigger numbers from him. He was our leading tackler in the secondary. I think you'll see his numbers explode even more as far as his productivity during games because he's going to be down in the box a lot more. He did that playing free safety, which is really something. Now he'll be closer to the ball." "He can be one of the NFL's best safeties." - Def. Coordinator Johnnie Lynn Williams' ascent to become one of the Giants best players is even more impressive considering the choppy ride he endured at the start of his career. When he arrived in `98 he had never spent any significant time away from the Los Angeles area, where he grew up and became an All-Pac 10 safety at UCLA. The East Coast was as foreign to him as South America. "I was really homesick my first year," William said. "I'd call my friends back home a lot and tell them I couldn't wait to get back home. When I'd go back home it was so hard for me to come back. My first year Coach Fassel was disappointed in me because I was spending so much time in California. I'd stay an extra day and that would turn into a week, then a couple of weeks. I had a conversation with Coach Fassel and he made a valid point. He said. `This is your job now. It's not like college. This is how you make your living.' That really opened my eyes to how big the situation is and how big the opportunity is." Now Williams feels comfortable in the New York-New Jersey area. Last year, he finally learned to navigate Manhattan and now enjoys many restaurants and cultural delights the city has to offer. When he became a free agent after the 2001 season Williams wanted to re-sign with the Giants, both because he enjoys playing for the team and he had developed an affinity for the metropolitan area. The Giants, of course, made retaining Williams an offseason priority and an accord was reached with relative ease. "When my contract was up, I didn't know if I was going to be back here," William said. "It was kind of sad because I really enjoy living out here. I've made a lot of friends, not only in the organization, but outside. I really enjoy being here. It feels like home now. "It's funny. Now I go home and I say, `You guys here do things totally different,' Williams said. "They're like, `What are you talking about? You guys? You're from here, too.' It's like I have a little piece of both coasts. It's something I take pride in because a lot of people don't have an opportunity to live on both coasts." Williams has made a similar progression on the field. As a rookie he played in sub defenses and on special teams. The next year he thought he could have started, but couldn't dislodge Percy Ellsworth. "My first year wasn't so bad; I figured I was a rookie and I had to pay my dues," Williams said. "And I didn't think I had a good enough grasp of the defense. I knew it was a matter of time. It was harder for me my second year, watching Percy out there playing. I was coming in on nickel situations. I'm not saying I thought I was better than Percy. But I felt I was drafted in the first round, it was my second year, I had a good grasp of the defense, and I really wanted to play. And I was watching other guys play my position. My second year was the most frustrating year." Ellsworth departed the Giants following that season, and Williams stepped into the starting lineup, next to his good friend Garnes. Williams was a standout for the 2000 NFC Champions, finishing third on the team with 85 tackles, intercepting three passes and breaking up 13 more. Last year, Williams was victimized on some long passes, but he believes his overall play improved. "I think I played really well," Williams said. "In some situations, I didn't agree with the criticism I received. But I think overall as a defense, we're going to be that much better this year." Part of that confidence springs from the faith Williams has in himself. He intends to be an active, vocal leader and an improved player, virtues he believes will lift the defense to new heights. "We know who's going to be looked upon to be a leader and as one of the main guys to hold the defense together and make sure the defense is playing well," Williams said. "I knew once Sam and Jessie were gone it pretty much left me back there." Should he respond to that mandate as well as he believes he will, Williams believes he will be acknowledged as one of the NFL's finest safeties. "I feel like if I play as well as I can, I'll make the Pro Bowl," Williams said. "I feel like it's all up to me. I know other things affect whether or not a guy goes to the Pro Bowl. I feel like if I play my best, I'll make the team. And that's all I can do. If I played my best and I don't make it, I'll be just as happy. But if we win the Super Bowl and I don't get any individual accolades, I'll take that any day. As long as I feel at the end of every game I played my hardest and I did my best and I helped the team win, then I'm happy." |
