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Rams CB
Aeneas Williams
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Almost exactly one year ago, on Nov. 5, Aeneas Williams scooped up a fumble and
sprinted 104 yards in the other direction for a touchdown. It was a celebrated play, shown
in highlights from coast to coast. It was a record-tying play, as Williams matched the
longest-ever fumble return.
But in the scheme of things, it did little more than pad an already impressive
résumé. That’s because Williams’ fumble return occurred while he was playing
for the Cardinals — a team that has spent most of its recent history trying to shake
its "loser" status. On the day Williams scored that awe-inspiring TD, the
Cardinals won their third and final game of the 2000 season. Williams and his Arizona
teammates went on to lose their last seven games.
Just about two weeks ago, Williams returned to the highlight reels after he picked off
a Vinny Testaverde pass and ran it back 42 yards for a touchdown. But this pick — the
47th in his 11-year NFL career — was very different. He did it as a member of the
Rams, the best team in the NFL.
When he makes a great play now, it has to mean more, because for the first time in his
NFL career, Williams is playing for a Super Bowl contender.
During his first 10 NFL seasons, all with Arizona, the Cardinals had exactly one
winning season. The Cardinals’ regular-season record during that span was 56-104.
But Williams’ fortunes have changed. Last offseason the Cardinals traded him to
the Rams for second- and fourth-round draft picks. The Rams then promptly signed Williams
to a new three-year contract.
Unlike his days in the desert, when practices must have taken on a feeling of futility,
Williams can leave the field on a daily basis knowing that a successful Sunday is just
around the corner.
"I’m enjoying myself immensely, and certainly I’m having fun,"
Williams said. "But that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the time I had in
Arizona. Obviously, it’s a known fact that we didn’t win as many games as we
would have liked. But I never allowed that to dictate the terms of my existence. …
This has been a tremendous experience being around the guys here. But the time that I
spent in Arizona, I really enjoyed being around the guys and the friendships that were
established there."
That’s Williams for you. As classy as they come. You’ll have to exhaust a lot
of time and effort trying to get him to say something negative about his days with the
Cardinals — and ultimately, you will fail.
Prior to Williams’ trade to the Rams, the Cardinals designated him their franchise
player, severely limiting his options as a free agent. There were rumblings that he would
retire before agreeing to stay in Arizona, as the Cardinals began their umpteenth
rebuilding effort.
"Probably, the thing that I can confirm most is that my wife and I really sensed
that we were finished in Phoenix," Williams said. "And what would have taken
place? I don’t know. But certainly, I knew that we were finished in Arizona. Could
that possibly have meant I had played my last game playing football? Possibly."
Any thoughts of quitting football ended during a visit to St. Louis, before the trade
was consummated.
"One of the things that initially happened when my wife and I first visited out
here on a free-agency trip (defensive coordinator) Lovie Smith, as well as (head) coach
Mike Martz, met us getting off the airplane," Williams said. "One of the first
things that coach Martz told me was that I would do to the defense what Marshall Faulk did
to the offense a couple of years ago, back when they traded for him."
Martz was right on. While Williams hasn’t single-handedly righted the Rams’
defense, his presence has played an integral role in doing so. He is still a shut-down
cornerback. He has great instincts, good balls skills and doesn’t mind hitting. He is
very smart and durable. He leads by example, on the field and off. Simply put, he is the
perfect fit for a defense that has a lot of young players. They see him working hard each
and every day, and they try to emulate that.
The Rams’ defense, which was the biggest reason St. Louis didn’t make a
return trip to the Super Bowl last season, appears to have turned the corner. And quickly.
"I knew coming in that, No. 1, we had a good group of coaches," Williams
said. "And they did a great job of selecting the guys that they brought in. It
wasn’t done haphazardly. By evaluating and bringing in a good mixture of young guys,
as well as veterans, and then looking at the unselfish nature of the guys that they
brought in, I think those are the key factors that contributed to us coming together as
fast as we have."
As for Williams personally, he’s not even close to being through. While it’s
doubtful that he pulls a Darrell Green and hangs around for 19 seasons, Williams believes
that his best football is still in front of him.
"The thing I’ve thought about the most is, I wanted to leave the game after I
exhausted my potential," Williams said. "After each year, particularly the last
couple of years, I’ve evaluated and asked myself. I personally don’t think
I’ve come close to reaching my potential. I’ve always used that as a guide. That
could mean I play one year to two years to three more years. As far as ability and how I
feel physically, I feel great. As far as physical, I could probably play a number of more
years. But my No. 1 goal is to totally exhaust my potential, and then after that,
I’ll leave the game.
"I still believe I have an ability to play at a higher level than what I played in
the past. That’s the driving force that I sense inside of me."
Opposing offenses should be frightened if Williams is able to take his game to an even
higher level. And they should be even more frightened now that Williams is playing for a
quality team. Something tells me he is going to get a kick out of this foreign concept of
winning, and that means he might stick around for a long time to come. |
