Vikings’ Williamson ‘taking his game to the next level’

By Krupka  |   Wednesday, August 15, 2007  |  Comments( 13 )

Minnesota Vikings
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For Minnesota Vikings receiver Troy Williamson, 2006 was a forgettable year.

If he has it his way, 2007 will be a memorable one.

Williamson, a third-year receiver out of South Carolina and former No. 7 overall pick, has had fans' high expectations looming over him since entering the league. Aside from being a top-10 pick, he had the burden, at least in the eyes of many Vikings fans, of replacing the legendary and extremely productive Randy Moss. The draft choice used to take Williamson was acquired from the Oakland Raiders in the Moss trade.

Last season, his second in the NFL, was supposed to be a breakout year. However, 11 dropped passes later (second most in the NFL) and Williamson saw extended time on the sidelines. Many of his drops were on long throws that could have been potential touchdowns. Fans were left wondering whether the wideout was a bust.

Getting open and creating separation has never been a problem for Williamson, who possesses tremendous speed. Of course, catching the football has been. And that's a big problem for a wide receiver.

During the offseason he was determined to fix his problem and become the playmaking receiver the Vikings thought they were getting when they selected him in the 2005 draft.

Williamson went to the Nike headquarters in Oregon and found out that his right eye was weaker than his left. In addition to catching approximately 20,000 footballs from a JUGS machine to help his hands, Williamson has been doing hand-eye coordination drills and wearing special contacts Nike made for him.

So far, the results are encouraging. In Friday night's preseason game against the St. Louis Rams, he caught three passes for 32 yards, including a terrific lunging grab over the middle. More importantly, he finished with zero drops.

In practice on Sunday, Williamson went almost full extension in making a catch deep down the left sideline, a ball he almost assuredly would have dropped last season.

"He's been taking his game to the next level," receiver Bobby Wade said.

Now it's just a matter of Williamson continuing to gain confidence and show the same kind of results in the regular season. If he does, it will provide a big boost for quarterback Tarvaris Jackson and the Vikings' offense.

Eric Krupka can be reached at ekrupka@realfootball365.com

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