Williams becoming 'a heck of an athlete'

Jamar Williams lost his spot on the first team within hours of Lance Briggs' arrival in training camp, but the second-year player still had a productive three weeks at Olivet Nazarene University.

His development as the team's No. 1 backup linebacker continues today at 7 p.m. in a nationally televised Super Bowl XLI rematch against the Colts at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.

At various times during camp, last year's fourth-round pick from Arizona State has taken reps with the first team at all three linebacker spots. He's demonstrated an ability to step into each spot and play well, making him one of the team's most important backups. He ended last Thursday night's practice with an exclamation point, picking off a Brian Griese pass and taking it all the way back.

"Jamar has had an excellent camp," coach Lovie Smith said. "He had an excellent off-season. I was just talking to him before (Thursday's) practice, and he let me know that he had gotten 3 interceptions (tied for tops on the team)."

Before two-time Pro Bowler Briggs ended his off-season boycott and agreed to play this season with the franchise tag, Williams filled in on the weak side all off-season. Now he's probably the top backup at all three linebacker positions.

"He's a heck of an athlete," Smith said. "We talk about making big plays, and he's made quite a few of those, and he's played all three positions in camp, so he's a valuable player to us."

Williams was only able to flash his value last season before he suffered a season-ending torn pectoral muscle. He impressed coaches with his special-teams plays early in 2006, but by all accounts he's a much better player now.

"I think I was able to gain a lot of respect from the coaches and the players," Williams said, "and I gained a lot of confidence back for myself coming off the injury."

Even though he's nearly a year removed from the injury, Williams said it was in the back of his mind until the preseason opener.

"It was third-and-1 on the goal line, and I was able to take on the fullback, and I was able to drop (him) with a nice hit," Williams said. "From then on, every doubt in my mind went out the window."

While the Bears' linebacker spots are somewhat interchangeable, they all have different responsibilities and assignments in different situations. Learning one position hardly means automatically knowing another.

"It's tough," Smith said, "but some guys can do it. That's the good thing about him having to play the different positions, he's had to force himself to learn it. He's a smart player. Most guys can't do it, (but) he's one of them that seems like he can."

Teammates have been impressed with Williams' versatility, and because of backups with his talent, they're encouraged by the team's depth, which will help mitigate the inevitable injuries that come with every football season.

"He's an awesome player," safety Mike Brown said. "You're never going to have too many good football players, and that's the thing you see about us. Everyone on this team's excited about it. We have a really good football team and, God forbid someone should go down, obviously he's a player that could fit into all three of those linebacker spots and he'll play at a very, very high level.

"He just wants to be on the field. If you talk to him, you know that he enjoys the game, has a passion for it and he just wants to be on the field, whether it's special teams or if he's out there on defense. He gives full effort all the time, and I'm sure eventually he's going to have a shot to be a starter."