Dan Campbell said he’s “not concerned.” Neither is Jameson Williams.
Williams had a sloppy season-opener, dropping a deep ball from Jared Goff, muffing a pitch from Goff on an end-around and failing to secure at least two other catchable passes on third down.
The Lions escaped disaster in a 31-30 overtime win over the Saints, with Williams making a key catch on a deep out route in OT to set up the go-ahead touchdown. But Williams looked nothing like the sure-handed receiver we saw throughout training camp.
Asked how he’d evaluate his performance against the Saints, Williams said that “it was cool.”
“I don’t think it was too good. We won, though … I just ain’t capitalize as much as I know I can. That’s it.”
As for finishing the game on a personal high, Williams reiterated that it “was a cool game. We won, though. I wasn’t even really focused on what I did after the game was over. We got a win, that was a big win, and we’re 1-0.”
Goff said his favorite play from the game was his 21-yard throw to Williams in OT that brought the Lions down to the five yard line.
“We were in 2nd and long when we got that call and he made a big play and it ended up in 6,” said.
Goff said Monday that his conversations on the sideline with William were “status quo. I trust him, he trusts me, I gotta put it where he can catch it, and he’s gotta make the catches he knows he can. That’s as simple as it is.”
Campbell said Tuesday that “nobody’s more frustrated” about Williams’ performance than Williams himself.
“But what I love is, and this just shows his growth, he bounces back and gets back in the huddle, he’s not sulking, he’s not pouting about it, he’s not letting himself go in the tank,” said Campbell. “All you can do is reload, regroup and go back for more, and that’s what he’s done a good job of.
“Listen, nobody had a better camp, a better spring than Jamo this year. He’s going to be fine. We get him a couple balls here, a couple throws, let him take off, he’s going to be just fine. So I’m not concerned — at all.”