Giant
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- Mar 19, 2019
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The Giants’ decision to trade a pair of draft picks for defensive lineman Leonard Williams last season had plenty of detractors and using the franchise tag on him this offseason wasn’t met with too many cheers, but the long view looks a lot better for the team.
Williams had 2.5 sacks in Sunday’s 17-12 win over the Seahawks and he’s up to 8.5 sacks as one of the leading lights of a defense that has helped spur the Giants’ rise to the top of the NFC East. That’s a big change from Williams’ first five seasons and he said after the win that he’s seen a significant change in the Giants as a whole.
“This has been a fun season and I think the beginning of the season is when the team and the guys and the coaches prove to each other what type of team we really have,” Williams said. “It’s easier to be happy and see the good things when you guys are winning, but I feel like we all see the good things in each other and what we have, even when we were losing. That just helped continue to build our confidence in each other and build on what we have working here. Eventually, it turns into a snowball and it keeps building up. I feel like we have a real culture here now and I love the way this team is going.”
Playing on the tag means Williams is on track for a new deal after the season. If the final weeks of the season play out like the first 12, he’ll have plenty of suitors in the event the Giants don’t ensure he stays put for the years to come.