Before the Bears’ three-day mini-camp that concluded Sunday, holdout Lance Briggs basically urged stand-in weak-side linebacker Jamar Williams to take his job. Please.
“I spoke with [Briggs] a couple of weeks ago,” Williams said Sunday. “I told him, ‘You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.’ He said, ‘Go and show them I’m replaceable.'”
It’s not exactly “Brian’s Song,” but the exchange among friends reflected the warm feelings Briggs and many Bears maintain for each other no matter how heated his dispute with the team gets.
But at the risk of disproving the theory that the world revolves around Briggs, Williams could have lined up on the wrong side every play and showed more rust than a beater car without having any effect on Briggs’ leverage.
Fact: Everybody on the Bears’ defense not named Brian Urlacher and Tommie Harris is replaceable, even a two-time Pro Bowl linebacker such as Briggs.
As it was, Williams did nothing over the weekend to diminish his new role, showing the requisite instincts and intelligence for the position.
It was at the weak-side linebacker spot in a 4-3 scheme that Williams enjoyed his best season at Arizona State, where he was a three-year starter.
In many ways, Williams resembles another eager and untested fellow former Pacific-10 linebacker who was a mid-round Bears draft pick thrust into an NFL lineup quicker than expected. It was Briggs, an unknown third-round choice from Arizona in 2003 who quickly turned Rosevelt Colvin into a trivia question.
Remember when the Bears’ defense wouldn’t be the same without Colvin?
“You can’t replace a guy like Lance,” Williams said.
Maybe not, but Briggs’ trade value and Williams’ development shouldn’t have anything to do with each other.
If Briggs comes to his senses and signs a contract guaranteeing him $7.2 million to play on a Super Bowl contender, then Williams offers insurance against injury and even could progress enough to challenge Hunter Hillenmeyer on the strong side.
If Briggs continues his holdout for the entire length of training camp, which the Bears have braced for, Williams provides them an athletic alternative in a defense built on speed at a position that demands toughness.
The Bears also drafted Michael Okwo out of Stanford in the third round to compete for that spot, and Williams said Sunday that he expects that competition to bring out the best in him.
He didn’t work harder than he ever has rehabilitating the left pectoral muscle he tore during Week 3 last season to get beaten out by a rookie.
“I know I have a great opportunity to step into that starting job,” said Williams, who cut 8 pounds and reduced his body-fat percentage dramatically to prepare himself. “Right now I can see I’ve got the guys’ respect and they’re not looking at me as some guy who’s been given the job.”
Indeed, Williams gained some credibility in his first three practices with the No. 1 defense simply by showing the hustle and confidence that made him what scouts call “a character guy.” It’s impossible to tell during a non-contact mini-camp in May how a new linebacker will fill a hole against a fullback, but Williams at least left an early impression by looking the part.
In contrast, a year ago during Briggs’ mini-camp holdout, replacement Leon Joe was nicknamed “Not Briggs” by a couple of irreverent teammates who couldn’t envision Joe ever starting in the Bears’ defense. There were no such signs of disrespect for Williams, a former fourth-round pick.
“He’s fast, he just has to get some experience on the field,” Urlacher said. “That’s the only thing he’s missing.”
Notably, also missing Sunday was the sharp tone Urlacher used in discussing the Briggs dispute last month in an interview with ESPN’s Dan Patrick when Urlacher said, “I’m on Lance’s side.”
Back on Halas Hall turf, in a good mood after a practice in which he picked off Rex Grossman twice, Urlacher used more of a shade of gray to paint the picture.
“I want to see my friends get taken care of,” Urlacher said. “I think he deserves [a long-term contract], if not here then somewhere else.”
When asked how bold of a statement a holdout would make, Urlacher sounded more like a team captain hoping to facilitate a resolution than someone encouraging his buddy to draw a line in the sand.
“That would be big, especially with the numbers he’s turning down and he’d miss out on this year,” Urlacher said. “That’d be tough to do. Especially not having signed a long-term deal yet since it’s his first contract. He’s got to do what he thinks.
“That’s his deal and he and his agent are going to do what they think is right.”
The right thing for the Bears to do concerning Briggs continues to be nothing.
Taking the high road has reflected well on the Bears, the latest example coming Sunday when coach Lovie Smith insisted “there’s no war of words with me,” when asked about Briggs’ latest blather.
Smith expects Briggs to hold out for perhaps all of training camp and the Bears simply should consider his impaired judgment an injury.
Don’t plan on having Briggs but welcome him if and when he does show up.
“I know Lance wants to do what’s best for him,” Williams said. “He wants to be here, but again he has to get his money.”
Can Williams relate?
“Not really, because I’ve never been in his situation,” Williams said. “Technically, I’m still a rookie.”
Realistically, he will have to grow up fast.
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dhaugh@tribune.com
