That's not quite the way it's gone down.
In The Fan interview in March that created a minor stir, Williams had been quoted as saying, "It could be a year, it could be two years to come back. And it’s made progress, but it’s still coming. So it’s one of those deals to where my shoulder’s still getting better at this point. I’m still working on it and hopefully it comes all the way back this year.”
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...011-shoulder-injury-still-hasnt-fully-healed/
Now, in May, in response the The Fan interview fallout:
"It was a couple different questions they asked from past years," Williams said. "It really wasn't much. It kind of hit the media like it was something today. But it was from the past. So it really wasn't anything. It was from when the injury happened. It kind of hit like it was something new, like something else happened. I did the interview telling them exactly what happened and they made it seem like it was new."
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/208371061.html
I don't see The Fan interview making it sound at all like something "new". The point was Williams played in 2012 impaired by lingering nerve damage from the 2011 injury; the "news" was this fact had been suspected but not previously disclosed.
Dunne's blog post concludes with:
"It's better," Williams said. "Trust me. It's better than last year. But last year I was good. The structure was good. But when it comes to nerves, it's time. And there's nothing at all you can do about it. It's time. Time passes and it gets better, so I'm better."
I see "better"...I don't see 100%...which is essentially what he said in The Fan interview in the first place. And once again, like last season, one must wonder if this is a case of disclaiming or hiding or downplaying an impairment (1) for competitive reasons...wanting opponents to think, if at all possible, you're 100% even if you're not and (2) not wanting to make excuses in advance if all does not go as planned, an admirable intention if that's the case.
And lest we forget, injury recovery is largely an act of faith...you have to believe in it to make it happen...acknowledgment of the difficulties and setbacks only happen after the fact when they cannot be denied.
The proof will be in the putting, when tackle football begins.
