Deangelo Williams – Attitude affects outcome

by Andy Little

The conversation was short, but told a lot about the man who wears #34 for the Carolina Panthers. After a morning practice when many of his teammates walked off the field tired, DeAngelo Williams was smiling. I had to ask.

“Your teammates and everyone around you always say you’re smiling and upbeat. Are you always like that?”

“I’ve been like that ever since I was born,” he said with a contagious smile. He then added, “Life’s too short,” and didn’t need to say anything else.

In a league where teams put $100+ million worth of talent on the field a win can mean the difference between making the playoffs and sitting at home. No team wants to pay for negativity. Attitude often affects outcome, and a team can’t have enough players with a positive outlook and desire to win.

It is in this area that a second year player or rookie can bring leadership to the rest of the team. It is easy to get jaded after an injury, mediocre season, or the hard work involved but players like Williams help keep a constant reminder about how things should be perceived. Negativity is a cancer that if not contained can spread throughout a locker room. There is no place for it on teams that aspire to win the Super Bowl.

A lot of the responsibility for reviving Carolina’s running game rests on the shoulders of Williams, a 24 year old 5’ 9” RB who is all smiles about the new zone blocking scheme that was also used at his college in Memphis. He and Deshaun Foster will again try to pep up a rushing offense that hasn’t finished in the top half of the league since 2003. John Fox likes a run oriented offense that chews up clock but has had difficulty returning to that glory year of 2003 when the Panthers finished in the top 10 in rushing offense.

Williams will have to get results to take more carries away from Foster, who has been a staple in this offense since 2003 despite some injuries. He will use what he learned during his rookie season to build a successful 2007 campaign. If effort level and enthusiasm count, then Williams would have been a leader on the team last year. It’s important to develop young players for the good of the game and Williams is clearly the future of this team.

The NFL is all about emotional highs and emotional lows. If you lose, it’s often because of one play or one bad kick. Having positive players around like Williams helps keep energy levels up and spirits high throughout a long season.

“When I die I’m going to have a smile on my face like the Kool-Aid Man,” said Williams.

If Williams can break tackles like the Kool Aid man breaks through walls, then fans of the team will also have a permanent smile this fall.