Last season, Mike Williams led the Seahawks in receptions and receiving yards. This year, through three games, he has just five catches for 43 yards. In Sunday’s win, he was targeted just once, and had no catches.
Following Sunday’s win, both Pete Carroll and quarterback Tarvaris Jackson said, unsolicited, that they need to get Williams the ball more. And when the locker room opened to reporters after the game, Williams was already on his way out. So clearly he must be upset by his lack of production, right?
Well, if he is, Williams isn’t about to say so. Taking a mature approach, Williams said he won’t complain about the number of balls thrown his direction when the team is winning.
“When you win a game, that’s all that’s important,” he said. “It’s selfish to be talking about your own thing when you got your first win as a team and first step in the right direction. All I can do is control what I can control, and that’s get back out here and get to work.”
Williams may not have always handled things this way, but he’s smart enough and been around the game long enough to know that complaining won’t do him or the team any good.
“Maturity definitely has a lot to do with it, and experience,” he said. “I’ve been around enough to see how other guys have handled it and how it’s turned out for them. Just get back to work.”
That being said, it is no secret that Williams would like to get more chances to make plays after catching 65 passes last season in his return from two years out of football.
“Last year was a big year for me, so going in this year I have my own personal goals and things I want to achieve, but that’s all secondary to what the team is trying to do,” he said. “It might sound crazy, but I’d rather win. If we lose a game and I don’t feel like I was a factor, that’s a different story. . . I just don’t want to be a distraction. I don’t want my lack of targets to be a distraction for us. Especially as an offense, I feel like we’re going in the right direction, finding a groove, finding our personnels. Reality is, that’s what they brought Sidney here for.”
Williams added: “If I come in here upset and I show that I’m upset, or I practice like I’m upset and don’t work, that just takes away from me as a player. All I can do is continue to work and do my part.”
Asked directly if he is frustrated about his lack of catches, Williams answered: “I’m not frustrated, I’m just competitive. . . Larry (Fitzgerald) had a couple jokes for me. I always like to accept the challenge when you’re playing against a big-time guy, so when you see him doing well and you’re not getting any looks, it’s just competitive nature to want to do well and do your best. He’s one up on me right now. . . Move on. Who knows, I might have a couple good weeks in a row, then this will all be old news.”
And as Williams pointed out, playing a limited role in the offense beats what he did for two years prior to making the team last year.
“Regardless, not getting any catches still beats sitting on my couch,” he said. “I could be watching Seahawks-Cardinals from my couch, so I’d much rather be a part of it regardless of how it’s going right now.”
OTHER NOTES
Offensive line coach Tom Cable won’t be at practice this week after undergoing back surgery Monday. Carroll said Cable will get out of the hospital this week and could be back in time for Sunday’s home game against Atlanta, though it didn’t sound likely.
Fullback Michael Robinson, who has been out since suffering a high ankle sprain in the season opener, is expected to return to practice Wednesday and be “full go” according to Pete Carroll. Robinson is a special teams co-captain and big contributor in that area, so his presence has been missed in areas beyond the offense.
Safety Kam Chancellor, currently the team’s leading tackler, will sit out Wednesday with a thigh bruise, but Carroll said the injury “looks like something he can get through.”
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