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Bucs/NFL

Cadillac believes he must be better

By GARY SHELTON
Published May 18, 2006

TAMPA - The numbers are bold-faced lies. The awards are shiny deceptions. Even your memories are mere illusions.

As for all of the observers who were so impressed with the way Cadillac Williams said hello last year?

Turns out, they haven't seen anything yet.

He was average, okay? He was inconsistent. He could have caught more passes. He could have broken more big runs. On those days when it mattered the most, he could have been better.

Perhaps you were fooled. Perhaps you noticed the 1,178 yards. Perhaps you heard about the Rookie of the Year award. Perhaps you read about the Hall of Fame asking for his shoes. All things considered, perhaps you thought Williams' first season in the NFL was a large can of greatness.

Then you hear his voice. Then you measure his expectations.

"It was a B-minus," Williams said. "My year was kind of up and down. I had three pretty strong games, then I would tail off for a couple of games. I need to be more consistent."

Halfway between last season and the next one, Williams sat on a porch at One Buc Place on Wednesday afternoon following an offseason practice. He squinted toward the practice field as if looking into the past and scowled. A lot of people were impressed with Williams last year; Williams wasn't one of them.

"I always expect more out of myself than anyone can dream," he said. "To be totally honest, I just felt like last season was average."

On his way to average, you might point out that no Tampa Bay rookie ever gained more yardage in a season, and no back in the history of the NFL gained more in his first three games. You might point out the way Williams could take over fourth quarters. You might mention the energy, the burst.

Still, the proper way to interpret Williams' dissatisfaction is to smile over the notion of what the kid has left to show and how determined he is to show it. Thousand-yard seasons are easy to hide behind, and league honors can leave a back feeling pretty good about himself. That Williams is willing to pop his own balloon says some pretty comforting things.

"Most people would call that an A," said Art Valero, the Bucs' running backs coach. "But I know what he has. I'd call it a B-plus. This is a kid who is driven to be the best back in the league."

As a franchise, the Bucs seem fairly dedicated to the notion. Their top two picks in the draft this year were offensive linemen. Two of the free agents they signed were offensive linemen. It's safe to assume that out of 18 or so waking hours, Jon Gruden is thinking about getting a crease for Cadillac about 15 of them.

In case you are wondering, Williams is thinking about it, too.

"As a player, I feel like there is so much I haven't shown," he said.

"Last year was a case of me trying to prove myself, trying to find my way in. Now that I've had a little success, I'm hungry to do more. My best is yet to come."

This year, he needs to be more durable.

This year, he needs more receptions. This year, he needs to make a difference in the postseason.

In particular, Williams admits the Bucs' final game against Washington bothers him. He gained only 49 yards that day, averaging less than 3 yards a carry. The Bucs lost.

"That game haunts me," he said. "I think about it all the time. I didn't play well, and I had a key fumble that could have been the difference in the game. It's something that is still on my mind."

There is a difference to Williams this year, as if his personality is slowly leaking out, as if he is more comfortable with his role and his surroundings. This time a year ago, the playbook left a buzzing sound in his skull. Shy by nature, Williams chose the quiet path. He talked little, and he said less.

Even when it came to a foot injury, Williams kept quiet to his trainers, to his coaches, about how much pain he was in. Even now, he hesitates before talking about it.

"It was in pretty bad shape, to be honest," he said. "It was painful. There were times when I woke up and had to hop to the bathroom. But I didn't think that sitting out was going to help. You just have to play through things.

"I don't want to blame everything on the foot. I was out there. I was able to run. I was able to cut. When I didn't play good, I'm not going to say it was the foot."

Still, it had an obvious effect in the way Williams hit the hole. For his first three games, Williams averaged almost 145 yards per game. Over his next 11, he averaged 67.6. Part of that was defenses adjusting to him. Part of it was Gruden going conservative early in games because of a new quarterback.

As he approaches season two, however, there are still things for Williams to prove. Ask him, for instance, if he considers himself to be a great back.

"Oh, no, no, no, no," Williams said. "Shaun Alexander and Clinton Portis and LaDainian Tomlinson ... those are great backs. They've done it year after year after year. I'm just a rookie who gained 1,178 yards. Check with me in a couple of years."

Considering the much-discussed sophomore jinx, and remember the funk that enveloped Michael Clayton a year ago, perhaps the upcoming season concerns you. Put it this way: If you were an opposing coach, how many defenders would you dedicate toward stopping Williams?

The thing is, running backs seem less prone than other positions for a slump. The second season, when the players are more familiar with the league, when coaches have a better feel for the player, is when a lot of backs have blossomed.

For instance, Walter Payton was a good back as a rookie with 679 yards. His second year, he jumped to 1,390. Gale Sayers jumped from 867 to 1,231. Emmitt Smith from 937 to 1,563. Jim Brown improved from 942 yards to 1,527.

Ah, you say. A lot of that is because of playing time. But not always. Tomlinson gained 1,236 yards as a rookie; as a sophomore, he jumped to 1,683. Edgerrin James went from 1,553 to 1,709. Even after Eric Dickerson's first year with 1,808 yards, he gained 2,105 the next year.

As for Williams, how does he follow up on 1,178 yards?

"I'm thinking 1,500-plus," he said. "I want to catch more balls. I want to play better in the important games. This is a big year for me, for the whole Bucs team."

He wants more. He wants bigger.

And, really, isn't that the best thing about a Cadillac? The drive?

[Last modified May 18, 2006, 01:40:19]