Getty Jamaal Williams runs the ball for the Packers vs. the Giants in 2019.
The Detroit Lions have a dedicated football player in Jamaal Williams, and recently, the runner proved once again just how focused he is on the new season.
Williams was asked after the July 30 training camp session if he was thinking about the NBA draft. As he answered, he doesn’t follow other sports because he is too busy watching anime.
Williams is locked in on nothing but football and anime — as even his Twitter and Instagram accounts featuring anime images show.
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Jamaal Williams Tells Reporters, ‘I Watch Anime All Day’
In the Friday interview, Williams explained that if the television is on, there’s only one thing you’ll catch him watching on it.
“I don’t watch TV. I watch anime all day. Literally. I don’t watch live television. So I don’t know what- excuse my language, I don’t know what the hell you all talking about,” he told reporters who had asked about the draft.
“I don’t watch TV. I watch anime all day.”
Jamaal Williams kept it real during his interview 😂
Many fans might be under the illusion that athletes are all about sports all the time, but leave it to Williams to shatter that mold. The running back has been one of the most vocal and bright players since joining the team, and this is yet another demonstration of those characteristics.
Williams Is Excited About Changing Lions Culture
Williams is clearly ready to provide the Lions a leg up at a traditional weak spot on the roster. This offseason, Williams was signed to provide stability and playmaking at running back, and as ESPN’s Eric Woodyard explained, Williams wants to be part of the solution by hitting reset at the position, especially given what’s gone on for the team in the recent past.
As ESPN reported:
The Lions haven’t had a 1,000-yard rusher since Reggie Bush in 2013, the longest active drought in the NFL, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Detroit’s run game thrived during Hall of Famer Barry Sanders’ time with the team, as it led the NFL in 1,000-yard rushing seasons and 100-yard rushing games by individual players from 1989-98.
Since 1998, they’ve been arguably the worst running team in the league.
Williams told ESPN his aim is to change that:
I feel like with our players and my teammates and everybody, just want to get out of this slump we’ve just got to start new. Then at the same time, we’ve got to have a new mindset of how we’re gonna do things around here. We’re just gonna be focused and sacrifice for the team. The more you sacrifice for the team, the more the team will flourish. It’s just part of me learning it at the same time. It really just comes with a lot of team chemistry, and that’s what we’re getting on. I’m having fun with it. I love all my teammates. These boys are funny, and at the same time, we’re working hard.
Williams having fun, cutting it loose and looking to keep the mood light might serve to be the best possible elixir for what has ailed the Lions offense. That along with a revved-up offensive line and Anthony Lynn’s approach “to win damn games” could combine to make things feel very different for the Lions very soon.
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