Williams talks good game; Rams hope he plays one, too

**Nick** · -05-17-2005

Williams talks good game; Rams hope he plays one, too
By Bill Coats
Of the Post-Dispatch
Monday, May. 16 2005

Until Roland Williams returned to town a couple of months ago, Steven Jackson
probably knew little, if anything, about him. Yet if Jackson prospers in his
first year as the Rams' No. 1 running back, Williams just might become his new
best friend.

Williams is a 6-foot-5, 265-pound tight end who hasn't caught a pass since the
2002 season. Still, if Williams can block the way coach Mike Martz remembers,
he could fill a key role.

"Roland was a terrific point-of-attack tight end for us," Martz said after
Williams signed as a free agent March 9. Williams' presence "makes us bigger
and stronger in the running game," Martz added.

Williams, 30, began his NFL career in St. Louis, a fourth-round pick in the
1998 draft. He moved up to the first unit about halfway through his rookie year
after Ernie Conwell suffered a season-ending knee injury. Williams wound up
with 51 receptions for 472 yards and 10 touchdowns in three seasons with the
Rams.

He was traded after the 2000 season and gathered 60 catches for 511 yards and
three TDs in two years with the Oakland Raiders. He was cut in 2002 and spent
part of the next season with Tampa Bay, where serious knee and toe injuries
limited him to one game. He returned to the Raiders last year, playing 12 games
and then becoming a salary-cap casualty after the season.

Tampa Bay was interested in bringing him back, and Washington offered a
three-year contract. But Williams accepted the Rams' one-year, $690,000 offer
to replace Cam Cleeland as the No. 2 tight end behind Brandon Manumaleuna.

"It's great to come back and have a rebirth in the place where I was born as a
football player," Williams said. "I think it's always been a good fit,
honestly. ... It's an offense that I love and had some success in."

And he just can't wait to start blocking for the 6-1, 231-pound Jackson, who
averaged just over 5 yards (673 total) on 134 carries last year as a rookie
after the Rams made him their first-round draft pick.

"The boy is big, and runs strong and hard," Williams gushed. "That's why they
call him the 'Train.'"

Williams is like a runaway locomotive himself when he gets rolling with the
media. A graduate of Syracuse University's highly regarded S.I. Newhouse School
of Public Communications, the orally flamboyant Williams consistently spews
delectable quotes. A few examples from a recent interview:

On the FieldTurf that will replace the 10-year-old Astroturf at the Edward
Jones Dome: "Thank you, whoever got that done. Thank you, Mike. Thank you,
everyone upstairs. It's a lot better than the cement we were on before."

On challenging defensive end Tyoka Jackson as the team's most quotable player:
"I love Tyoka. But I think that more is better. It's not either/or, it's more.
You guys take what you can get and run with it."

On the Rams' attack: "We want to bring the juice back to the dome. I think I
can help ... bring back some of the old excitement. Hopefully when you see this
year's package, you guys will love it and say, 'Man, Ro's brought some positive
things to the team.'"

On what he brings to the team: "I come in being an eight-year veteran who's won
Super Bowls and made a few bucks and loves football and wants to win. And so
whatever Mike wants me to do, whether he wants me to be a cheerleader on the
side and be a consultant, or he wants me to go out and start or play fullback
or ...

"I won't play quarterback and I won't play wideout, but outside of that,
whatever Mike wants me to do, I'll go out and gladly do it. You won't hear any
complaints out of me."

On how he differs as a player from his first stint here: "I'm definitely a lot
smarter; I've been around the block a few times. When we go out there and play,
everything that happens, it's not my first rodeo, it's not my first game, it's
not my first playoff game, it's not my first Super Bowl. Everything that we do,
I've done before. And that gives you a little bit more confidence, and you're
able to keep your mind more consistent and poised throughout the season."

After a pause, he added, "And I think I'm just nicer, too."