Jamaal Williams Thanks Dan Campbell for Pushing Lions

Jamaal Williams recently appeared on The Pivot Podcast.

Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams were once teammates. Now, they’re rivals in the NFC North.

Both drafted in 2018, they spent four seasons together with the Green Bay Packers. Williams signed with the Detroit Lions prior to the 2021 season, and has spent the last two seasons with the organization.

Jones, meanwhile, has remained a member of the Packers. The two have played each other four times and seen each other sparingly since. However, they appeared together on a recent episode of "The Pivot" with hosts Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor.

During the episode, Williams discussed his relationship with Jones, the influences in his life, his recent breakout season and the impact of playing for Dan Campbell. Here are some highlights from Williams' appearance on the podcast

Playing for Campbell

A big story surrounding the Lions is the emergence of head coach Dan Campbell. After struggling through the early part of his tenure, Campbell has gotten the team on the right track, as shown by his 8-2 finish to the 2022 regular season.

Campbell has regularly been praised by players for his motivational techniques. Williams echoed that praise, and explained how the head coach would get the team ready for games.

As Williams said, “Sometimes, he'd be in front of the whole team, and he’d say something motivational, getting y’all ready to go. And then, he’d say something random as (expletive). He’d say it right after and be like, ‘Let’s go,’ and just have you think from it like, ‘Alright, let’s go get it.’ He’d have us motivated, then he’d do something real funny, just to get us loosened up because he understands. He brings out the best in us, just for being in late season.”

Williams said the team was still going in full pads late in the season. He expressed his appreciation for Campbell for that, adding that there are stages in the season where the team needed the motivation he provided.

“We was using all our shoulder pads, and honestly, I thank (Campbell) for it,” Williams expressed. “Just because he’s giving that motivation, you need that, you need those days where your coach is pushing you and you just be like, ‘Man, I just want to chill today.’ But, you need that oomph to get you going. I think it’s just a mental thing, and I think it helps the young players, too, just to let them know, like, you in the league, but you’re not here forever. This ain’t college. You’ve got to bring the oomph every day. This is your job. I feel like (Campbell) does a great job of seeing when that low is low, of picking it right back up and getting us back to work again.”

Dealing with emotions

Williams broke the Lions’ single-season rushing touchdown record during the 2022 season. He passed the mark of Barry Sanders, a Hall of Fame running back who is widely considered as one of the best Lions players of all time.

He broke the record in the regular season finale, an emotional game for him. He revealed in his postgame interview that his great grandfather had passed away at 92 years old, which carried a heavy weight.

Speaking with Clark, Crowder and Taylor, he explained just how much that game meant to him.

“I just lost a lot of people in these last two years,” Williams explained. “From my dad, from Aaron’s dad to my two great grandparents, it was a lot that people wouldn’t understand, because all they see is me smiling. But, it was a lot going on behind the scenes of crying, learning how to grieve, seeing what my emotions are. When I heard they passed, I couldn’t really cry, I couldn’t cry. I couldn’t really grieve at the time. But, I felt at the end of the season, last game, working hard, they gave me the ball after the game and just my emotions of working hard, the offseason, running hills, sweating, throwing up, 120-degree weather.

"I do this in the offseason, because I want to be great. Writing my goals down and being able to get those goals and then at the end of the year, not make playoffs but still finish the season strong. … At the end, when they told me, I was just, a lot just came over, and it made me want to just look up and understand that they’re all so proud of me and how hard I work.”

The next step

Williams is entering free agency, and facing a decision heading into the next step of his career. He could return to the Lions or look to be a feature back elsewhere.

He was asked by Clark about areas in which he’s still looking to improve. Among his goals is to eat better off the field and become more of an impact as a receiver on the field.

“I feel like (running routes) is something that I got from Green Bay and something I’ll always keep with me and put it into my agenda and training regimen all the time,” Williams noted. “Just keep it with me no matter what. Shoot, I might be running routes in the offseason, getting better at this and they might not use it. But, shoot, I’m gonna tell them, ‘If you need some routes run, your boy is right here, ready to go.’” 

Williams plans to incorporate more routes into his workouts, saying he did plenty of that in Green Bay. That versatility aspect will increase his productivity moving forward.

“My last year (in Green Bay), that’s all I worked on, was routes,” Williams said. “Making sure you understand to be versatile, don’t let them put you in a box. That’s what I hate, when someone thinks they know me. I’m like, you don’t know me, I go to sleep with myself every night.”

Top five running backs

Williams explained his top five current running backs. He listed Derrick Henry and Nick Chubb as his top two, explaining that he tries to emulate their physical running styles. 

"I just like how afraid defenses be running with him," Williams said with a laugh.

Rounding out his list were Cincinnati's Joe Mixon, Philadelphia's trio of running backs and Indianapolis' Jonathan Taylor.