Leonard Williams Proves His Value in Breakout Season for Giants
Leonard Williams put the finishing touches on a season-long response to his critics on Sunday by recording three sacks against the Cowboys.
Williams, one of the heroes in the Giants' 23-19 victory, didn't just stuff the stat sheet either. His final sack of the day came on a goal-to-go situation with less than two minutes left, pushing the Cowboys back eight yards.
That sack also set up another signature moment for the 25-year-old defensive lineman, but one that didn't necessarily show up on the stat sheet.
Two plays after the sack on a 3rd-and-goal, Williams got in Dalton's face to force a pass that was ultimately intercepted by safety Xavier McKinney to seal the win.
The performance brought Williams' season sack total to 11.5, a career-high, a drastic improvement from his 0.5 sack campaign last year when he was acquired in a midseason trade from the Jets.
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The Giants chose to retain Williams this year on a one-year franchise tag, and it paid off with one of their best defensive performers and only double-digit sack artist of the year.
"I mean, that definitely feels good," Williams said of his career sack total. "The win feels great, feels good to be contributing to that win. For the first time in my career, I got double-digits and I feel like that’s an elite group of guys that’s been in that double-digit sack category."
Williams' heroics as an edge rusher was not only isolated to Sunday's win either.
Williams had a similar performance in the Giants' previous 17-12 win against the Seattle Seahawks back in Week 13 when he racked up 2.5 sacks, including a game-saving sack on Seattle's final drive that helped clinch the win.
For Williams, the prize of helping his team achieve those wins is the centerpiece of the reward for his efforts, but there's a personal edge to those accomplishments as well.
The decision to acquire and retain Williams was the subject of heavy scrutiny from fans and the media to his low sack totals over the last few seasons.
The 2020 third-round pick and the 2021 fifth-round pick that general manager Dave Gettleman gave up in the trade for Williams, along with $17.1 million one-year salary it cost to tag him, was seen as far too steep of a price for a player of his lesser sack totals.
Williams, who has spent his entire career under the magnifying glass of the New York media between the Jets and Giants, was fully exposed to the scrutiny over his place with Giants.
But instead of ignoring it and filtering it out, he used it as motivation.
Williams admitted that the scrutiny from the media, combined with the faith of Gettleman, his teammates, and coaches, were central in motivating him to take the next step as a player this season.
"I’ve definitely seen a lot of the criticism and the hate and stuff like that in the press and the media and by the fans. It feels good to prove them wrong, but also show why Dave Gettleman took a chance on me," Williams said.
"He took a chance on me, and it feels good to show him that it was the right choice.
"At the end of the day, we had a good season and it was all a credit to all the guys that we played with this year,"
he added.
With that motivation, along with the instruction of defensive line coach Sean Spencer and his chemistry with his defensive line teammates, Williams unlocked a gear in his game that hasn't been seen since coming into the NFL in 2015.
Williams, the sixth-overall pick out of USC in 2015, admitted in August he had fallen into habits of relying so much on his natural athleticism in college and early in his NFL career. He worked with his coaches on improving that and other aspects of his game, and the results showed up this season.
His fit with this team has proven to be mutually beneficial for Williams and the Giants. Now it's just a question of what it will cost to keep those benefits coming for both of them with impending contract negotiations this upcoming offseason.
"It’s never been about money for me," Williams said. "I was kind of drafted high, made a lot of money already in my career.
"I feel like I was smart enough and I could retire now and still have enough money for the rest of my life, but it’s never been about the money. I think I just more wanted the respect and to show guys the reason why I’m in this league."
