Thread: Making an Impression

http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.ph...&storyID=10143

By Gray Caldwell
DenverBroncos.com

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Jamal Williams is physical. OTAs are not.

No one wears pads. The offensive and defensive lines don't often match up against each other. There's no tackling.

But despite all that, the 13th-year defensive lineman has still managed to make quite an impression on his teammates.

"The one thing I've noticed just in the weight room from working out, he brings a focused mentality," Robert Ayers said. "When we're inside in the locker room he's joking, but when it's time to work, it's time to work. He turns it on. I noticed that the first day I worked with him he was a no-nonsense guy when it came time to work."

When the team ran through drills Monday, Williams lined up in the middle of the three-man defensive line that come Week 1 could include fellow newcomers Justin Bannan and Jarvis Green. Despite the fact that there was no contact, seeing the big man in the middle still got Ayers excited.

"You look at their track record from the past -- who wouldn't want to play behind those guys?" he said.

Williams' track record speaks for itself.

For 148 regular-season games -- with 122 starts -- he has made for a lot of long days for opposing offenses. The defensive lineman has recorded 436 tackles, including 13 sacks, one interception, 22 pass breakups, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.

He has been to the Pro Bowl three times and was voted first-team All-Pro twice, leading the San Diego Chargers to a top-seven NFL ranking in run defense in seven of his 12 years with the club.

Champ Bailey has seen plenty of Williams on the opposing sideline -- maybe more than he would have wanted to.

"Boy, he used to give (former Broncos center) Tom Nalen hell up front," Bailey said. "It'll be interesting to watch him play when the pads go on."

Williams' 2009 season was cut short by an injury, but the 348-pound lineman said he feels totally healthy as he enters his first season in Denver -- "Maybe it's the air," he joked.

"When I first got here, I was like, 'Uh-oh, how are the guys going to treat me coming from the enemy?'" Williams smiled. "But I'm having fun. It's a good group of guys."

Williams said he treats OTAs "like school," in that he is learning a new defense and getting to know his teammates. But his teammates feel like they already know Williams, who Bannan calls "a beast in the middle."

"We needed a veteran presence in there that can play that role and he seems ready to go," Head Coach Josh McDaniels said.

"It feels good having him out there."

QUOTABLE

Head Coach Josh McDaniels, on whether Kyle Orton is the starting quarterback unless someone steps up and beats him out:
"That's usually how it goes. The starter is the starter until somebody beats him out. Everybody earns their own role. The best player will play, that's all I'm saying. It doesn't matter if it's a defensive end, punter, quarterback, center - if he's the best player, he's playing. Right now, he's the best player and he's in there first in the huddle, he knows the most. Does that mean it's a guarantee for this season? No, and he knows that, every quarterback knows that. Every player knows that if they aren't the best at that position, then we are going to play with the best 11 that we can put out there on the field, period."

For a photo gallery from Monday's practice, click here. (on link)

Hopefully he holds up.

Everytime I read a little here and a little there it just makes me wish the offseason was a lot shorter.