Mike Williams has called his rookie season a “bad year.” No one will argue with that.
The Chargers receiver dealt with a nagging back injury all year, finishing with only 11 catches in 10 games.
“This is a big year for Mike,” receivers coach Phil McGeoghan said, via Ricky Henne of the team website. “Obviously, everyone evaluated him at the combine when he was coming out. He was an unbelievable talent. I tell all the young guys that the biggest year in their whole career is between their first and second year. That first year, you’re just a rookie. You’re just trying to figure out where your locker is, what the day is like and how to take care of your body. As you become a second-year player, you start to get into a routine. You develop your habits. You get a better idea of all that. Now Mike, . . . he’s been just phenomenal in our room. What’s great is that everybody in our room feels a sense of responsibility to help him improve. The veterans even mentioned when we first met, and I’m talking about individually, all of them said one of their goals was to help Mike and get him up and running. I’ve spent a ton of time with Mike, football and non-football related, getting to know him because it’s very hard to do this job, and be really hard on somebody, if you don’t have a relationship with him. But he’s been great, and I really enjoy being around him.”
The Chargers selected Williams seventh overall for a reason. He just never got a chance to do what the Chargers drafted him to do.
Everyone associated with the Chargers vows that the real Mike Williams will show up this season.
“He is a big-bodied guy with a huge catch radius,” McGeoghan said. “Very strong hands. Some of the biggest hands I’ve ever had as a position coach. Just a really dynamic red zone threat. He’s tough, too. He has an edge to him. He’s very strong. He’s working really hard, and I’m excited about this guy.”