The daily grind

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By Stephen F. Holder
Published July 30, 2007

Caddy still tough

With his pronounced dropoff in yards last season, a question often asked was what's wrong with Cadillac Williams? Among those asking was his position coach, Art Valero. So Valero created a highlight tape of short-but-spectacular runs by the running back and found his answer.

"All of a sudden, after watching all this, I got to the point where I said, 'He's had some of the damnedest 1-yard runs I've ever seen," Valero said. "A lot of bounce, a lot of wiggling. So, I started putting them together and, when I was done, there were 97 of the best 1-yard runs I've ever seen. I said to myself, 'He ain't broke. He only needs a tune-up.' "

Williams, who rushed for 1,178 yards as a rookie in 2005 but 798 last season, would rather see film of himself busting through gaps for long gains.

"I'm really not interested in watching that," he said with a grin. "I was supposed to watch it but I never got around to it."

Valero's point to Williams was that he shouldn't take the brunt of the blame for the lack of a consistent running game.

"There's a lot of things that a lot of us could have done better," Valero said. "It wasn't just the offensive line or the quarterbacks or the tight ends or the fullbacks. It was everybody. It was game situations."

Quarles in town

Former linebacker Shelton Quarles was at Sunday's morning practice at the invitation of coach Jon Gruden.

Quarles schmoozed with players and coaches and even exchanged pleasantries with general manager Bruce Allen. A few months ago the two were at odds over Quarles' future with the team.

"I talked to Shelton last week and invited him to training camp," Gruden said. "There's one who does like football and it's good to see him."

Stephen F. Holder, Times staff writer

[Last modified July 29, 2007, 23:48:41]