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- Mar 19, 2019
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After filling in at safety during the second half of the 2018 campaign, Williams has been productive since shifting back to his more natural position as a nickel cornerback. He recorded 39 tackles, eight pass breakups and two interceptions.
Speaking with reporters last week, quarterback Aaron Rodgers recalled hearing the stories about Williams’ exploits and accomplishments on the Packers’ now-defunct “Green Machine” traveling basketball team during the offseason.
Even today, the two-time MVP quarterback is still in awe of the veteran cornerback’s drive, determination and wisdom.
“From the first day he got back here, he’s got that ‘wow’ factor and he always has, from the first time he was in here,” Rodgers said. “Just hearing about his athleticism to the pick-six against Atlanta in the ’11 playoffs to him coming back and continuing to make plays at, for football, his advanced age. Especially for his position, not many guys are able to do it for that long.”
To advance to another Super Bowl won’t be easy. The Packers travel into the same building where they fell 37-8 to the 49ers back in late November. At the same time, both LaFleur and San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan talked this week about how different both teams are entering Sunday’s showdown.
Defensively, the Packers are playing as well as they have all season. Aside from having difficulty corralling the ever-elusive Russell Wilson in the second half of Sunday’s 28-23 win over Seattle, Green Bay is defending the run better and has cut down on the big plays that haunted the defense earlier this season.
Williams agrees with LaFleur’s assertion the Packers are “a better team today than we were then.” Whatever questions and criticisms have been thrown around outside the building, Williams and the locker room are concentrated on themselves.
“The only thing that matters is the guys in this room,” Williams said. “We’re confident in what we can do. We still have the man behind center. We have a pretty good defense. If you have those things and you can win in the playoffs, that’s what we plan on doing.”
The Packers may be underdogs this Sunday but Williams doesn’t buy into the notion of home-field advantage. He uses Wilson as evidence of how special players can make any game interesting at this juncture of the season.
He also leans back on what he learned from the 2010 Super Bowl team that won in Philadelphia, Atlanta and Chicago before capturing the franchise’s fourth Lombardi Trophy in Dallas and the Super Bowl rings that came with it.
“Man, to get my first one, we went to everybody’s house,” Williams said. “When it comes to the playoffs, every team is tough. Every team is battle-tested. Every team can win on the road and that’s the way we see it.”