Jamaal Williams knows the Chicago Bears defense he will face on Thursday is loaded, but the Green Bay Packers running back isn’t shook.
“They’re a good defense, but nobody is scared,” Williams said, via the Packers’ official website. “Everybody bleeds red. Everybody is mortal. We’re going to play our game. We’re going to play Packers football.”
Thursday’s Bears-Packers game figures to be something like a prize fight, so it’s fitting that Williams comes off sounding like an underdog looking to unseat an unfazed champion. But to add to the never-ending pile of bulletin board material by boasting fearlessness before a game against football’s best run defense takes some real marbles. Good luck, guy. You’re gonna need it when facing this group.
Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate an honest quote from a driven ballplayer. And let’s face it, one probably needs to have the right balance of fearlessness and craziness when the likes of Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman, Roquan Smith, and others are chasing you down. But a quote like that feels like a temptation of fate. Like taunting a hungry wild animal with a juicy pound of red meat. It feels like Williams is asking for trouble. And if he wants it, the Bears will certainly bring it on Thursday.