Defensive chess piece James Williams ready to show his versatility in Guidry's scheme

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Peter Ariz

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Speaking to reporters after Miami’s second practice of fall camp, Canes defensive chess piece James Williams exuded enthusiasm for the upcoming season. The former five-star recruit has primarily played safety his first couple seasons at UM, but is hoping to become a versatile force on the field, adapting to any role necessary to help his team succeed. Williams also underwent offseason shoulder surgery, which was an issue he dealt with for most of last year.

"I feel great. I feel more explosive, more elusive, more myself, better than ever," Williams said, displaying the kind of self-assurance that can be a game-changer for any player. “It feels great, looser – it feels like I didn’t even have surgery to be honest.”

When asked about his fit in new defensive coordinator Lance Guidry’s' defense, Williams didn't hesitate to express his readiness to embrace any role handed to him. "I feel like I could do anything he asks me to do. Whatever he wants, I'm willing to do it all, no matter what it is. I'm ready to help the team win and become a better defense in total," he said.

Guidry plans to utilize Williams in various positions, including at the line of scrimmage, as a blitzer, and at safety. Williams was open to the idea and emphasized his commitment to doing whatever it takes to succeed. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes, whatever Coach Guidry asked me to do or whatever Coach wants. I'm willing to do it, no matter what it is. I'm willing to make the team great and help us win," he stated.

Williams' love for his role in the new defense was evident as he expressed a desire to move around freely and be comfortable wherever he's placed. "I feel comfortable wherever I go because of the confidence I have for myself. The work I put in this offseason was a **** of an offseason, so I'm willing to come to the party this year," he said.

One intriguing development was Coach Guidry's proposal for Williams to play as an outside linebacker. Williams was not taken by surprise, showing his foresight and understanding of his future growth and potential. "I know what the future holds for me and my body, and how much I'm gonna keep growing, keep getting bigger. So I already knew these things," he confidently revealed.

It's evident that Williams has a strong bond with teammate Kam Kinchens, who he described as a growing leader on the team. "I want to say I'm proud of the leader he's become because at first when we first came in, he wasn't really (talkative), but he outgrew it. He understands the role that me and him got in this team, not even the defense, the team in general. So it's very exciting to see us mature and become big leaders of the team."

Williams also emphasized the importance of taking care of his body and staying healthy throughout the season, with a goal to play 15 games instead of the usual 12 or 10.

When asked about the discipline within the secondary, Williams acknowledged that last season, they might have been more focused on individual accomplishments rather than team success. However, this year, he and Kinchens have taken on the responsibility of building discipline within the team and staying on top of each other to ensure they perform collectively.

With new safeties joining the team, Williams was excited about their potential and willingness to put in extra work to succeed. He expressed his readiness to help them adjust and contribute to the team's success.

Williams said he is currently weighing 223 pounds.
 
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Speaking to reporters after Miami’s second practice of fall camp, Canes defensive chess piece James Williams exuded enthusiasm for the upcoming season. The former five-star recruit has primarily played safety his first couple seasons at UM, but is hoping to become a versatile force on the field, adapting to any role necessary to help his team succeed. Williams also underwent offseason shoulder surgery, which was an issue he dealt with for most of last year.

"I feel great. I feel more explosive, more elusive, more myself, better than ever," Williams said, displaying the kind of self-assurance that can be a game-changer for any player. “It feels great, looser – it feels like I didn’t even have surgery to be honest.”

When asked about his fit in new defensive coordinator Lance Guidry’s' defense, Williams didn't hesitate to express his readiness to embrace any role handed to him. "I feel like I could do anything he asks me to do. Whatever he wants, I'm willing to do it all, no matter what it is. I'm ready to help the team win and become a better defense in total," he said.

Guidry plans to utilize Williams in various positions, including at the line of scrimmage, as a blitzer, and at safety. Williams was open to the idea and emphasized his commitment to doing whatever it takes to succeed. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes, whatever Coach Guidry asked me to do or whatever Coach wants. I'm willing to do it, no matter what it is. I'm willing to make the team great and help us win," he stated.

Williams' love for his role in the new defense was evident as he expressed a desire to move around freely and be comfortable wherever he's placed. "I feel comfortable wherever I go because of the confidence I have for myself. The work I put in this offseason was a **** of an offseason, so I'm willing to come to the party this year," he said.

One intriguing development was Coach Guidry's proposal for Williams to play as an outside linebacker. Williams was not taken by surprise, showing his foresight and understanding of his future growth and potential. "I know what the future holds for me and my body, and how much I'm gonna keep growing, keep getting bigger. So I already knew these things," he confidently revealed.

It's evident that Williams has a strong bond with teammate Kam Kinchens, who he described as a growing leader on the team. "I want to say I'm proud of the leader he's become because at first when we first came in, he wasn't really (talkative), but he outgrew it. He understands the role that me and him got in this team, not even the defense, the team in general. So it's very exciting to see us mature and become big leaders of the team."

Williams also emphasized the importance of taking care of his body and staying healthy throughout the season, with a goal to play 15 games instead of the usual 12 or 10.

When asked about the discipline within the secondary, Williams acknowledged that last season, they might have been more focused on individual accomplishments rather than team success. However, this year, he and Kinchens have taken on the responsibility of building discipline within the team and staying on top of each other to ensure they perform collectively.

With new safeties joining the team, Williams was excited about their potential and willingness to put in extra work to succeed. He expressed his readiness to help them adjust and contribute to the team's success.

Williams said he is currently weighing 223 pounds.
Really need him to put it together this year.

What was he weighing last year?
 
Williams needs to embrace more physicality at the line of scrimmage. He needs to become a bully in close where he can get away with it when blitzing and playing in run support, and running with TE’s. Literally no TE should be able to run away from Williams. He should be our Kyle Hamilton. .
 
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And mesidor and mauigoa … the defense has some real pieces
Our LB room has been so bad for so long, it’s probably going to give us heart attacks when we see these new guys making plays

It’s still not quite there but it’s a lot better than it was
 
Williams needs to embrace more physicality at the line of scrimmage. He needs to become a bully in close where he can get away with it when blitzing and playing in run support, and running with TE’s. Literally no TE should be able to run away from Williams. He should be our Kyle Hamilton. .
Yeah because honestly the wildest thing about people that kept saying “MOVE HIM TO LB” is the fact that he wasn’t physical enough at safety

Would moving a guy that shied away from contact to LB be a good move? I don’t think so. That’s been the book on him since high school.

Not saying he’s “soft” but he’s never been a kid that looked to be a bully

It’s time though because I do not think he’s soft at all
 
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To me, you're either a physical player who enjoys contact or you're not. I don't think James Williams is physical enough to play LB, regardless of his size.
 
Yeah because honestly the wildest thing about people that kept saying “MOVE HIM TO LB” is the fact that he wasn’t physical enough at safety

Would moving a guy that shied away from contact to LB be a good move? I don’t think so. That’s been the book on him since high school.

Not saying he’s “soft” but he’s never been a kid that looked to be a bully

It’s time though because I do not think he’s soft at all
You and @HurricanesR1 are making the points that most have overlooked.
On at least one occasion when he blitzed last season, Williams was knocked off his feet by the running back. And I don’t recall him ever having great success blitzing or playing near the line. Maybe, hopefully that will change, and maybe his LB role will be more about covering TE’s. But I am concerned about whether he possesses the necessary physicality to play near the line.

Going back to my earlier analogy, I’ve known Kyle Hamilton since he was 6 years old so I watched all his college and NFL games. There is no reason he can’t be the model for Williams. They have similar size and speed, and the one criticism of Hamilton is that he is not very physical. But he is extremely effective. It can be done.
 
You and @HurricanesR1 are making the points that most have overlooked.
On at least one occasion when he blitzed last season, Williams was knocked off his feet by the running back. And I don’t recall him ever having great success blitzing or playing near the line. Maybe, hopefully that will change, and maybe his LB role will be more about covering TE’s. But I am concerned about whether he possesses the necessary physicality to play near the line.

Going back to my earlier analogy, I’ve known Kyle Hamilton since he was 6 years old so I watched all his college and NFL games. There is no reason he can’t be the model for Williams. They have similar size and speed, and the one criticism of Hamilton is that he is not very physical. But he is extremely effective. It can be done.
I believe it was @gogeta4 that was one of the only people that dared offer criticism of JW when we were recruiting him and what he said has really held true even though people don’t really want to acknowledge it

Again I don’t think he’s soft at all, I love what I’m hearing from him in the interviews etc but he has a lot to prove
 
I'm happy he's willing to embrace whatever is thrown at him... My only concern is I thought he would weigh more by now... 223 still seems light for him but glad he's a happy camper...
 
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Speaking to reporters after Miami’s second practice of fall camp, Canes defensive chess piece James Williams exuded enthusiasm for the upcoming season. The former five-star recruit has primarily played safety his first couple seasons at UM, but is hoping to become a versatile force on the field, adapting to any role necessary to help his team succeed. Williams also underwent offseason shoulder surgery, which was an issue he dealt with for most of last year.

"I feel great. I feel more explosive, more elusive, more myself, better than ever," Williams said, displaying the kind of self-assurance that can be a game-changer for any player. “It feels great, looser – it feels like I didn’t even have surgery to be honest.”

When asked about his fit in new defensive coordinator Lance Guidry’s' defense, Williams didn't hesitate to express his readiness to embrace any role handed to him. "I feel like I could do anything he asks me to do. Whatever he wants, I'm willing to do it all, no matter what it is. I'm ready to help the team win and become a better defense in total," he said.

Guidry plans to utilize Williams in various positions, including at the line of scrimmage, as a blitzer, and at safety. Williams was open to the idea and emphasized his commitment to doing whatever it takes to succeed. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes, whatever Coach Guidry asked me to do or whatever Coach wants. I'm willing to do it, no matter what it is. I'm willing to make the team great and help us win," he stated.

Williams' love for his role in the new defense was evident as he expressed a desire to move around freely and be comfortable wherever he's placed. "I feel comfortable wherever I go because of the confidence I have for myself. The work I put in this offseason was a **** of an offseason, so I'm willing to come to the party this year," he said.

One intriguing development was Coach Guidry's proposal for Williams to play as an outside linebacker. Williams was not taken by surprise, showing his foresight and understanding of his future growth and potential. "I know what the future holds for me and my body, and how much I'm gonna keep growing, keep getting bigger. So I already knew these things," he confidently revealed.

It's evident that Williams has a strong bond with teammate Kam Kinchens, who he described as a growing leader on the team. "I want to say I'm proud of the leader he's become because at first when we first came in, he wasn't really (talkative), but he outgrew it. He understands the role that me and him got in this team, not even the defense, the team in general. So it's very exciting to see us mature and become big leaders of the team."

Williams also emphasized the importance of taking care of his body and staying healthy throughout the season, with a goal to play 15 games instead of the usual 12 or 10.

When asked about the discipline within the secondary, Williams acknowledged that last season, they might have been more focused on individual accomplishments rather than team success. However, this year, he and Kinchens have taken on the responsibility of building discipline within the team and staying on top of each other to ensure they perform collectively.

With new safeties joining the team, Williams was excited about their potential and willingness to put in extra work to succeed. He expressed his readiness to help them adjust and contribute to the team's success.

Williams said he is currently weighing 223 pounds.
I love the potential here
 
Think its more complex than that with JW, not black & white .. Its all mental/mental approach to the game.. An LB in football HAS to be physical no way out of it... JW knows this, which to me is why he purposefully would avoid showing that side of his game, if he did he knows the LB talk would be LOUD , so he approached the game with finesse , wanted to Prove he's a safety , he purosefully kept weight down, didn't add the strength, and played in a manner all to stay at safety.. But JW is not soft, and he can be Physical its about embracing all of his talent and ability without the insecurity of being labeled a Linebacker and becoming a chess piece that's versatile and can do it all no position title. He's going to be a 6'5 230 4.5/4.6 but moves FLUIDLY nightmare when he embraces his versatility which it seems is happening , cautiously optimistic Guidry uses him right.. How LCE and others have been screaming to do.. SS,FS, Nickel, MLB,OLB/Edge

(i remember him flashing physicality right off the bat vs. Alabama , he has it.. he also had a bad shoulder last year..)
 
Takes maturity to put the team ahead of individual wants, ultimately I think he’s making himself major money showing the versatility nfl teams are going to drool over.
 
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