When the line forms to receive NFL post-season recognition, look for Viking defensive tackle Kevin Williams to be near the front. Williams’ name is included in talk about the league’s best interior defensive linemen and the Vikings’ gaudy record against the run only enhances his reputation.
Arizona Cardinals tackle Reggie Wells was part of an offense that almost acted like it didn’t know it’s legal to run the football during the Cardinals’ 31-26 loss to the Vikings on Sunday. The Cardinals ran the ball six times for 33 yards. The week before Miami rushed for seven yards against the Vikings. Wells said the size and strength of the Vikings defensive linemen and the ability of the linebackers to run make the defense formidable. (The Vikings rank No. 1 in the NFL against the run, No. 10 overall).
What about Williams? “He’s a great overall player,” Wells said. “He plays the run well. He plays the pass well. He’s quick, he’s strong. He comes to play every week.”
Williams, 26, is in his fourth season with the Vikings after being selected as the ninth player in the 2003 draft. He was a consensus all-rookie player in 2003 and was chosen first team all-pro by the Associated Press in 2004, plus he was a 2004 Pro Bowl selection.
Wells made it clear that Williams is deserving of being mentioned with the NFL’s elite tackles. “When you talk about overall game and what he can do, I don’t know how you couldn’t put him up there,” Wells said.
Williams came into this season with 26 career sacks, a total second only to Alan Page’s 28.5 sacks among Vikings in their first three seasons. His sack total of five this season ranks him second among defensive tackles in the NFC. Since 2003 he has the most sacks of any defensive tackle in the league.
Williams can be targeted for double teaming but that creates opportunities for teammates. “They pick their poison and whoever they double team, other guys get to run free,” Williams said.
Last season Williams missed two full games because of a right knee injury. He was mindful of his conditioning and weight during the last off season. The 6- foot-5, 311-pound former Oklahoma State star reported in “great shape” for the season, sacrificing his fondness for fried food as part of a strategy not to burden his knee with too much weight. “I am from the south and l like a lot of fried stuff but I had to shy away from that (to) go more toward bacon, fish, (and) things like that,” he said.
Playing football is a miserable activity if you don’t like the game but that’s not a problem for Williams. “It’s something I take to heart and try to be the best at,” he said. “I want to continue to get better every year and that’s just what I am striving to do right now.”
What about a return to all-pro status? “Definitely, that’s always a great thing to have,” he said.