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When teams get together for joint practice, things often get heated. While the Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts had a relatively calm session on the field this week, tempers have apparently been simmering in private.
Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin was none too happy about a battle he had with Lions running back Jamaal Williams in team drills. Williams, never one to shy away from talking the talk, let Franklin know during the heat of battle who he thought won their battles. While the talk seemed good-natured at the time, it’s clear Franklin disagreed with Williams’ assessment of what happened.
On a video posted by NFL Films showcasing the confrontation when it happened in practice, Franklin added his two cents in, calling Williams a bum and accusing him of talking trash without winning reps. He also slammed the Lions, predicting them for another losing season.
“Only in the League can a bum lose 3 reps in a row and still yell like he won. Hope you ready to cry about another losing season champ,” Franklin tweeted on August 19.
As one might imagine, Williams wasn’t ready to take the insult lying down whatsoever, nor was he prepared to let Franklin have the last word on the matter.
Williams to Franklin: ‘Go About Your Business’
As only he could, Williams responded with tact and smarts, and managed to verbally hammer Franklin for his commentary on Twitter.
Instead of resorting to name calling, Williams simply pointed out that he made Franklin look foolish in drills running him into the end zone for a touchdown. He then instructed Franklin to move along from the conversation.
“Sir I literally made you look stupid in team period when you missed an open field tackle and I ran you and the safety for a touchdown during team period, pls go bout your business. You not bout that when it’s Go time,” Williams tweeted.
It will be interesting to see if tempers carry over during Detroit’s preseason contest on Saturday, August 20. Williams isn’t likely to see much action as a starter, but it’s clear there is no love lost between the sides.
Always one for a good response, Williams appears to have checkmated Franklin on this particular argument. Not only did Williams look like he held his own in the drills on tape, he did get into the end zone during practice with the Colts.
Williams Happy to Show Effort in Practice
In terms of the practice, the Lions did a good job keeping things in check and having the right mindset. As Williams himself said, it was important for the team not to take the battles too seriously on the field and get mad about the outcomes.
Speaking with the media on Thursday, August 18, Williams said that the most important thing was competition and not fighting.
“This (is) just competing really, just competing and then knowing when it’s over with,” he said. “During the whistle go crazy, after the whistle let it go, you know what I mean? Because there’s nothing worse than you losing during the play and then after the play now you want to fight. There’s nothing you can do about it, just come back next play and try harder. At the end of the day, it’s just all about just showing your effort, being the hammer not the nail and just go out there and make plays.”
Williams made the plays, and also was able to talk the talk after. It’s just another show of why he is one of the best personalities in the NFL, and a Lions team leader.
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