Former Texas A&M defensive tackle Pat Williams finally getting his due with Vikings

By CHAREAN WILLIAMS

It took Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Pat Williams 10 years before he played in his first Pro Bowl.

"People are giving me all this credit I didn’t get early in my career," Williams said in a telephone interview. "I’ve been to the Pro Bowl the last three years, but I’ve played the same way every year. Nothing has changed. I just feel like I’m finally getting some credit for what I’ve done for a long time."

It’s taken Williams, a former Texas A&M star, even longer to play for a good team. Since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 1997, Williams has been on winning teams only five times. He has made the postseason just three times and has never won a playoff game.

In his first 12 seasons, Williams’ teams went 94-101, including the postseason.

"It has been frustrating," Williams said. "My toughest loss was when [the Bills] lost that game to Tennessee [on the Music City Miracle in the 1999 postseason]. That was our Super Bowl team. Then, we started firing coaches, and everything changed."

Williams spurned the Houston Texans at the 11th hour in 2005 to sign with the Vikings so he could team up inside with Kevin Williams. Pat Williams and Kevin Williams, both of whom weigh more than 300 pounds, have become the most formidable pair of defensive tackles in the league.

"It might sound cocky, but we go into every game thinking nobody can block us, and nobody is going to run the ball on us," Pat Williams said.

The Vikings are 6-0, one of only four undefeated teams in the NFL. For only the second time in his career, Williams is on a team capable of winning the Super Bowl.

"That’s all I’m playing for," Williams said. "If I win it this year, I’ll walk off into the sunset and retire on top."

Lechler eyes HD board

Oakland Raiders punter Shane Lechler and San Diego’s Mike Scifres have the strongest legs in the NFL. Both come to Cowboys Stadium this season.

The stadium’s 160-foot long HD screen, which is 90 feet above the playing field, became an issue after Titans punter A.J. Trapasso hit it during an exhibition game. There have been 20 punts during two regular-season games, and none have come close to hitting the video board.

But New York Giants punter Jeff Feagles and Carolina’s Jason Baker will never be mistaken for Lechler and Scifres.

"Mike and I approach it the same way," Lechler said in a telephone interview. "We don’t do a lot of the directional kicking like [Mat] McBriar does there in Dallas, and like a lot of the punters do in the league. It’s going to be something. I’ve punted 37 times. I’ve probably got somewhere between 15 and 18 balls over 5 seconds [hang time], and every one of those would have hit it, I’m sure."

Lechler talked to San Francisco 49ers punter Andy Lee, who played at Cowboys Stadium in the preseason. Lechler said he would "hate to have it happen in a game," though it might be hard to avoid.

The former Texas A&M standout became the NFL’s highest-paid punter in the off-season, signing a four-year contract that pays him more than $3 million per season.

"There wasn’t a whole lot of talk between me and the Raiders, and I kind of thought they were just kind of ready to go ahead and cut ties," Lechler said. "At that point in time, with how frustrating the last five years have been, I was kind of probably feeling that way, too. I was ready go ahead and maybe move on. But then Al [Davis] came back and offered me a contract I couldn’t turn down, and once I got a chance to talk to [coach Tom] Cable about it and knew that we were on the verge of trying to get this thing turned back around, it worked out.

"It’s very odd for a guy to be at one place for 10 years. I’m glad I made the decision now. I do think we’re headed in the right direction, and I’m happy to be a part of it."

Lechler has earned his paycheck and more game balls than he knows what to do with. Last week he got another trophy for his game room in Richmond, Texas, after averaging 51.1 yards, with a 42.1 net, in the 13-9 victory over the Eagles.

Lechler is averaging 52.1 yards per punt this season, with a net of 44.1 Both would shatter the NFL single-season records: Sam Baugh averaged 51.40 yards in 1940, and Lechler had a 41.18 net to set the NFL mark last year.

Lechler, 33, already has the highest career punting average in league history at 47.1 yards.

Charean Williams, 817-390-7760

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