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jeanpierre

BY JOEL A. ERICKSON | JERICKSON@THEADVOCATE.COM AUG 13, 2018 - 1:35 PM

This summer kept throwing competition into the path of Jonathan Williams.

First, the Saints signed Terrance West, a veteran who has been a starter for two teams in the NFL and still has tread on his tires, and then New Orleans added another veteran, Shane Vereen, to the running back room.

For a player like Williams, who is still trying to carve out his place in the NFL, the added competition represented hurdles on the route to a spot on a Saints roster that already includes Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara, the NFL's most productive tandem of backs last year.

Williams is no stranger to obstacles. When he heard that the Saints had added veteran talent, the former Arkansas runner did what he's done after every punch that's been thrown his way the past three years.

"Put my head down and kept working," Williams said. "I'm real confident in my abilities. ... It's not like it hurt my feelings or anything, I was already going to be working as hard as I could anyway."

Williams seemed destined for stardom at Arkansas, where he rushed for 2,090 yards as a sophomore and junior, prompting NFL talent evaluators to predict he'd be a coveted draft pick if he kept on the same track.

Then his career started crashing headlong into obstacles.

"After my junior year, I was told to come back and I could be a late-first, second-round draft pick," Williams said. "I come back and end up getting hurt before the season started, so that hurt. Got drafted in the fifth round and still wasn't really healthy going into my rookie year."

Williams suffered an injury to his left foot that required surgery and a long rehabilitation.

He had broken his ankle at Allen High School in Texas, and he knew he couldn't let the disappointment linger long.

"The next day I woke up at 6 in the morning, went to the weight room and started working out with my strength coach," Williams said.

No matter how hard he worked, though, the injury lingered, and he rushed for just 94 yards on 27 carries as a rookie in Buffalo.

Buffalo hired Sean McDermott the next offseason and revamped its backfield, and Williams ended up the odd man out. He spent most of last season on Denver's practice squad, at least until his old college coach at Arkansas, Joel Thomas, called from New Orleans and convinced him to pick an emergency spot on the Saints over the Atlanta Falcons.

When news broke that Ingram was facing a four-game suspension to start this season due to violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs, it seemed like Williams might finally have a clear path to the dream that had been derailed.

Then the Saints drafted Louisiana Tech's Boston Scott in the sixth round and added both West and Vereen.

Williams, like he'd always done before, kept working, heading back to Allen to work out with Geno Pierce, a trainer at Performance Course who's been working with Williams since he was in high school.

Knowing he needed to be ready to make a splash, Williams worked hard on his conditioning to deal with the tempo of the New Orleans offense.

And he made a splash last Thursday, rushing four times for 26 yards and a 4-yard touchdown against Jacksonville. When the Saints returned to practice on Saturday, Williams was getting first-team work, and New Orleans plans to take a good look as they search for a player who can fill in for Ingram during the suspension.

"He's a guy with good vision, he'll get what's blocked," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "We just have to keep giving him those opportunities."

Williams already has one of the prerequisites for the job.

A back in Ingram's role has to be able to help keep Drew Brees clean, and for a running back with so little NFL experience, Williams has proven more than capable.

"Once the pads come on, he is an impressive guy," Saints quarterback Drew Brees said. "He has run the ball extremely well, but I think more so than that he has stuck his nose in there in pass protection better than anybody I have seen in a while."

Of course, Williams also has to be able to make plays in the running game, and he's shown both good vision and a willingness to break tackles, a must for a player fighting for a role that operates mostly between the tackles in the New Orleans offense while Kamara hits teams on the perimeter.

Williams fits just fine in the muck.

"If you go back and watch me play in years past, that's what I'm best at, breaking tackles and keeping my feet moving after contact," Williams said.

He's always kept his feet moving before.

Both on the field and off.

It's not that my way is the right way, I just make the right way my way...

K Major

Mentioned it in another post but I really hope we get to see more of Jonathan Williams in pre season game with the "1 & 2's".

Crusader

6'0 and 223lbs. That's good size for a RB.

K Major

Side note - watched more than my share of Jonathan in High School (played for 6A powerhouse Allen - North Dallas) & I was soooo happy when he graduated. I got so sick of watching this kid score TD after TD, state title after state title.

Fast forward 5 years ... now I'm pulling for him in a Saints uniform & hoping he can emerge as a solid #2 while Ingram is out on suspension.

I love football .

jeanpierre

vpheughan

WOW that's a FIRST( NO NOT TWO OF THEM EITHER) a "no name" running back making a splash with the Saints.........BEEN ONE EVERY YEAR OF D.S.!'S TENURE

Rugby Saint II

I'm actually glad that there are four preseason games for a change. I've been watching the game again and Williams looked like a pro out there. I want to see more from all of our running backs and find out what they can do before the regular season arrives for Saints fans. I still don't have a clue who is the best to step in for Mark Ingram during his four week suspension.....but I'm sure that Sean Payton is studying every bit of film possible and has a feel for who is the next man up.

jeanpierre

Still like Boston Scott better, but I'm glad to see Williams out-perform the veteran Free Agent signees...

Rugby Saint II

Personally, I want Scott to win the job out right! Draft picks count to me......