Content
Williams fits in by 'first snap'
November 2, 2008
Vikings safety Madieu Williams insists it didn't take long for him to get acclimated to the speed of the game Sunday.
"I would say the first snap," he said.
He certainly didn't look rusty. Williams finally made his Vikings debut after returning from a neck injury, and he didn't disappoint. He intercepted a pass in the end zone in the second half of a 28-21 victory against Houston at the Metrodome.
"It felt awesome to be out there with these guys on defense," he said. "I've been practicing with them a long time, and to finally be able to go out there with them was definitely exciting for me."
Signed to a six-year, $33 million contract this offseason, Williams missed the first seven games after injuring his neck early in training camp. He said he never worried about how his neck would respond in his first game.
"Things move so fast that you really don't think about whether it was a big hit or not," he said. "I felt good throughout the game. I know there are some things I have to work on. I'm just happy that I have something on tape now so I can study myself and see how I can get better."
Williams put at least one big play on tape. Trailing 21-14 in the third quarter, the Texans faced a third-and-1 at the Vikings 18-yard line. Quarterback Sage Rosenfels tried to squeeze a pass down the middle to Kevin Walter, who was covered by Williams and cornerback Cedric Griffin.
Williams leaped high into the air in front of Walter and came down with the interception in the end zone, his helmet flying off in the process. He became the eighth player in Vikings history to intercept a pass in his first game with the team.
"Cedric had good coverage and Antoine [Winfield] did a good job with his man to kind of free me up in the middle to play the quarterback, which is exactly what I did," Williams said.
"It was one of those where I just had to react," he added. "The ball was coming my way, and I just wanted to make sure that I held on to it."
The Vikings pursued Williams in free agency because they liked his cover skills as a safety. He also showed he's capable of helping against the run, too. He was credited with eight tackles, which included a big hit on Texans running back Steve Slaton late in the first half. Except Williams didn't think the hit was so big.
"You guys think it was a big hit, but I thought it was just another tackle," he said. "It was one of those things where different people can interpret it different ways."
Most would agree that Williams' debut went about as well as could be expected. It wasn't perfect by any means, but he made a critical play and experienced no problems with his neck.
"The way he competed, I was really proud of him," defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said. "That interception was huge. That's kind of what we've been looking for from that position, and I think he'll just get better and better as time goes on."
© 2008 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.
http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/33731269.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUF
