RENTON — It might seem a bit strange for a six-time Pro Bowler to say he has big shoes to fill replacing someone who has never earned that postseason honor, but that’s exactly the situation Kevin Williams is in halfway through his first season with the Seattle Seahawks.
Williams, who in 11 season with the Minnesota Vikings established himself as one of the league’s best interior lineman, came to Seattle as a free agent in large part because he wanted to win, but also because he recognized that, at 34, he might be better off playing for a team that rotates its defensive linemen heavily to minimize wear and tear. A long-time starter, Williams came to Seattle to be a rotational player, while Brandon Mebane and Tony McDaniel started ahead of him in the base defense.
“Sometimes you have to face reality — you can’t play 60 snaps a week going into your 12th season,” Williams said. “If you want to play at a high level, you have to cut back on the reps and maximize the ones you get.”
Now, Williams will have to maximize a few more reps going forward. He will take over the starting nose tackle job now that Mebane has been placed on injured reserve after tearing his hamstring “really drastically,” according to head coach Pete Carroll, an injury that will require surgery.
“It’s big shoes to fill,” said Williams, who made the NFC Pro Bowl roster six times from 2004 to 2010. “I mean you guys have seen ‘Bane play the last eight years and you know the things that he does up front. It’s tough; I hate to get increased reps because of that situation but they brought me in to help the D-line play whatever position it is, and me, Tony, and Jordan (Hill) — we’re going to have to take that role and try to fill those shoes.”
So far this season, Williams has played just over 40 percent of Seattle’s defensive snaps, while Mebane played 47.7 percent. As Williams notes, he won’t simply add Mebane’s workload on to his, but rather it will be spread out between him, McDaniel, Hill and others. Recently signed 285-pound fullback Will Tukuafu will even get some work in practice on the defensive line, he told reporters.
Tukuafu played some on the defensive line in San Francisco as well. The Seahawks also have two defensive ends who can play in the interior in Michael Bennett and Demarcus Dobbs, a player they claimed off waivers from the 49ers last week.
“That’s a big hole in our defense,” Hill said of Mebane’s injury. “He’s done it for so long and he’s so good at it, that’s something you can’t replace right away. But me and Kevin will do the best to our ability to step up and be players.”
Williams admits he feels better this time of year than he did in Minnesota when he was regularly playing 60 percent or more of the Vikings’ defensive snaps — “It’s definitely easier to walk around during the week without taking such a beating on Sunday,” he said — but he’s also ready to do more, even in his 12th season, if that’s what is needed going forward.
“It’s been a big help to share the reps with the guys,” he said. “But I’m anxious to get going this week.”
Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com
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