Jameson Williams’ maturity showed on Monday and Wednesday after an off day in the win over Cleveland on Sunday. He was targeted eight times and made just two catches for 40 yards. Certainly not a typical outing for the fourth-year wide receiver.
“I think that was probably the biggest growth we saw when he came in on Monday. You have to come in ready to be coached, and especially when you have a room where the coach is going to be direct, is going to hit the point, but also going to make sure we know the standard is set,’’ wide receivers/assistant head coach Scottie Montgomery said on Wednesday. “And we don’t walk past the standard because the moment you walk past the standard then it’s dropped and that’s the new standard. He understands that part of it.’’
Montgomery said Wiliams was focused on the details in Wednesday morning’s walk-through which would carry over into practice.
Coach Dan Campbell and Montgomery both mentioned that the Lions had one less practice day last week due to playing on Monday and back on Sunday. They didn’t want to use it as an excuse but it played a role in the connection issue.
Neither seems too concerned that it will be a lingering problem because they know Williams and Goff will work on it.
“There’s things I chalk it up to. We have to clean up some things. You can’t act like nothing happened,’’ Montgomery said. “You have to go out and see what the problem was, the issue was. There’s some things we’ll practice a little differently.’’
Goff said it was not a communication problem between him and Williams especially on the deep ball when Williams tried to turn around to catch it.
“I think I missed it a little bit outside. And I think if he was able to come up with that, it would have been him kind of saving my ass to some extent making that play,’’ Goff said. “And it’s one I know he would love to make, and I love him to make, and he can make that catch. It’s a hard catch, though, it’s a really hard catch. But yeah, I think it’s more so me putting the ball where I want to a little bit more inside on him, making that catch a little bit easier and I’m sure he can come up with it.”
Campbell and Montgomery are on the same page. Campbell said it’s just a few things here and there.
“Eyes back a little sooner, Goff just misses on one, he kind of gets hit on one when he’s trying to release the ball. We’re just a little bit off, and I go back to this, we go back to the drawing board,’’ Campbell said.
In the first three games Williams was targeted a dozen times and caught 8 for a total of 176 yards and a touchdown.
After a bit of a rough start in his career, he has trended upward each season.
“When I first got here I don’t know if Monday that would have been possible or today that would have been possible because it would’ve been more about ‘Did I perform at the level I wanted to perform at?’ Now it’s gotten to the point where he’s ‘OK, did I perform at the level I want to perform at? OK, why not and how do I get it fixed.’
“That’s the maturation process that we hoped and we saw. It’s also good to have people in your room to pull you along – whether it’s (David Montgomery) or (Amon-Ra St. Brown) – to pull you along and let you know everybody’s had those,’’ Scottie Montgomery said. “It’s very similar to a back putting the ball on the ground and having to come back after putting the ball on the ground. It’s the growth that happens between the time that you put the ball on the ground and when you go back in.’’
UP NEXT: Lions (3-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (2-2), 4:25 p.m. on Sunday.
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