ALLEN PARK — Since the win over Tampa Bay a month ago when Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams finished with zero catches on two targets, he’s been more involved in the offense.
Always a deep threat due to his speed, in recent weeks he’s also been targeted in intermediate and crossing routes with success.
Five thoughts from Wlliams when he met with the media on Thursday:
ONE: He does notice a difference on game days. “I feel more involved, but I’m just thinking it’s part of the progression and you know it’s part of plays, we’ve been running the same plays no different, switching it up a little bit and it’s been coming my way,’’ Williams said. “That’s the thing, it’s part of the progression.’’
TWO: He scored a touchdown in the loss to the Eagles on Sunday night beating out cornerback Adoree Jackson with his speed. “I feel when I get a ball and it’s a little bit of space I can make something happen. Every time I catch the ball I’m trying to score,’’ Williams said. “ I’ve got the mindset to break a tackle and try to get more than what I got at the catch point.’’ He caught that ball at the Eagles’ 25-yard line and ran it in from there for the score on Sunday. The 40-yard pass play was one of Williams’ four receptions.
THREE: His touchdown celebration, where he jumped up and bear hugged the goalpost, may have gotten more attention than the score. “I didn’t know it was a penalty til I sat down on the bench and saw the field goal team going out,’’ Williams said. “I apologized to Jake (Bates), I apologized to Jack (Fox), I apologized to coach, everybody. They told me it wasn’t my fault but I felt like it was my fault in the moment. We’ve just got to make plays and be smarter.’’ He was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct which pushed the extra point back 15 yards. Bates missed it wide right. Williams said that coach Dan Campbell told him not to do it again.
FOUR: Williams said he doesn’t think they played bad at all. He praised the defense and said the offense has to learn and move on. “Wherever anybody wants to rank us, that’s up to them. I don’t really care where we’re at, we know what we play like, we know what type of team we (are),’’ Williams said. “We’re going to get it together and down the line it’s going to be big for us, games like that are going to help us down the line. We know where we went wrong, we corrected it, we just have to move forward.’’ The Lions are 6-4 at this point and out of the playoffs with seven games remaining.
FIVE: Detroit is a hefty 10-point favorite over the Giants on Sunday. “I think I see a lot of ways we could attack them, it looks good on our end,’’ Williams said. “We’ve got a lot of different ways we can attack them and make plays and execute. We’re just trying to get back on the winning track, that’s the main thing going into this game.’’
UP NEXT: Lions (6-4) face the N.Y. Giants (2-9) at 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23, at Ford Field. It’s the first of three home games in 12 days for Detroit.
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