Before we can answer this question, let’s look back to 2008, and the events that led up to the season, to see if Williams was just a one-hit wonder or if we can expect him to remain among the elite in 2009 and beyond.
Coming into the season, no one could have predicted that Williams would rattle off more than 1,500 rushing yards and 20 total TDs.
In fact, his own team used the No. 13 pick of the 2008 NFL Draft on Jonathan Stewart, a stout, speedy back out of Oregon, and he was projected to vie for at least half of the team’s carries—if not the starter’s job outright.
Williams, a first-round pick from the class of 2006, hadn’t really shown enough to be thought of as a full-time back, and after watching the Giants’ two-headed attack (Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw) lead them to the Super Bowl in ’07, the Panthers decided to follow suit and replace DeShaun Foster with Stewart.
And early on, the carries were virtually split in half. Williams was the starter, but head coach John Fox wasted no time in getting Stewart into the game. Stewart quickly became the team’s primary goal-line back as his 235-pound body was tough to bring down near the end zone.
But Williams began to distance himself as the No. 1 runner in Week Five. For whatever reason, he went off for more than 123 yards rushing and scored three total TDs against the Chiefs.
He followed it up with another stellar performance three weeks later against the Cardinals.
About this time, Stewart experienced a foot injury and began to hit what is known as the rookie wall.
So his carries diminished.
But it wasn’t to be a problem; Williams was on a roll. In fact, over the last eight games of the season, he ran for 993 yards and scored 15 TDs.
To top it off, and put the dagger in my fantasy season, he rolled all over the Giants in Week 16 by putting up more than 100 yards and four TDs.
All this, just two weeks after he put up 186 yards and two TDs against the Bucs on Monday night.
So after a few mediocre seasons, in which he was unable to distance himself from fellow starter DeShaun Foster, was 2008 just an aberration for Williams?
Nope.
In fact, I fully expect Williams to pick up where he left off for a number of reasons.
First, he was a very talented runner in college and that’s why he was selected in the first round of the draft.
Second, it usually takes until year three for a player to really hit his stride and become a solid NFL pro. The learning curve can be steep.
Third, the Panthers went out in 2008 and significantly upgraded their offensive line, trading back into the first round to draft offensive tackle Jeff Otah, and brought back wide receiver Muhsin Muhammed to provide another threat opposite Steve Smith.
This addition helped keep the safeties busy in the secondary and allowed the big offensive line to get its push and control the front seven.
And the result of all this re-tooling was a monster season by the ground game, especially Williams, who firmly emerged as a superstar in ’08.
And look for more of that in 2009, as he possesses the size, speed, and skill to remain right behind Adrian Peterson in the “best backs” conversation.
Pro Football 101 » Fantasy: Rating The NFC South Running Backs In 2009
May 26th, 2009 at 10:10
Return to top
[...] can be no denying that a star was born in 2008. Williams came on like a rocket and not only amassed the yards towards the end—993 over the last eight games, but also put 20 TDs [...]