"The doctor thinks it’s coming along quickly, but for me, six months has been a long period," said Williams, who suffered the injury in Green Bay’s Nov. 1 loss to Seattle. "I don’t think there’s anything quick about it."

Williams no longer follows his teammates around on crutches as he did during the final two months of last season, and he has been kept busy learning the nuances of the new coaching staff’s defense, his third different scheme in three seasons. He was even able to participate in agility drills during the Packers’ third minicamp last week.

Doctors had cleared him for simple drills last Wednesday, and Williams was dying to do anything physical.

"It’s been so long," Williams said. "I kind of want to hit somebody, you know?"

Williams has been jogging since last month, but because the preseason is still two months away, the team is being extra cautious with his rehab. Williams expects to be ready for two-a-day practices when training camp starts in earnest July 22.

The Packers desperately need him back at full strength. After Williams’ injury, Green Bay’s LB corps turned into one of its biggest weaknesses, as Jude Waddy and Anthony Davis struggled to replace him.

ProFootballWeekly.com asked contributing editor Joel Buchsbaum for his thoughts on Williams.

Q: What was the scouting report on Williams before his knee injury?

Buchsbaum: He was playing the best football of his career, he was becoming a big-play maker and he really thrived in the defense that (former Packers defensive coordinator) Emmitt Thomas was playing — but no one else did. That defense is a defense that always accents the weak-side linebacker, and it made Williams a playmaker. In Philadelphia, the "Will" ’backer was William Thomas, who had his best years there, and in Green Bay, Williams was having his best year.

Q: Given what the Packers have at linebacker, how badly do they need Williams back at full health?