Football: A conversation with Roy Williams - in his words

Roy Williams is entering his contract year, the season that National Football League players anticipate the most - and worry about the most.

Williams has one year left on the five-year contract that he signed after the Detroit Lions drafted him out of Texas with the seventh pick in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft.

Most NFL players entering a contract year face a lot of pressure.

A solid year can mean a multi-year, multimillion-dollar year.

A poor year - or worse, a major injury - can mean a much smaller offer or perhaps a change of scenery.

Williams doesn't have to worry about his production. Barring the possibility of a major injury, The Permian graduate already has established himself as one of the NFL's top young receivers.

A change of scenery still could happen, though.

Detroit has a lot of money locked up in 2007 first-round draft pick Calvin Johnson, and Williams' name has been mentioned in trade rumors during this offseason.

And that means Williams will have to deal with contract questions from Detroit fans and media.

Making matters worse, flight problems caused Williams to miss three days of organized team activities, and that sparked a whole new round of contract speculation.

For the moment, though, Williams wants to concentrate on helping coach the 7-on-7 team at Permian and getting Detroit to the playoffs for the first time in his career.

Williams sat down with the Odessa American after a recent 7-on-7 scrimmage to discuss Permian, the Lions and his fifth year in the NFL.

Editor's Note: Questions and answers have been edited for space and content considerations.

Odessa American: Is coaching high school football still what you want to do when your NFL career is finished?
Roy Williams: "I hope Coach Allman is a legend here in Odessa, but I would love to coach the Permian Panthers. This is the team that I played for, that my brother played for."

OA: If Roy Williams can have anything he wants after the NFL, is that his wish?
RW: "I'll climb the ladder. I'll start at wide receivers coach, then maybe offensive coordinator, then head coach. But if I could get the head coaching job as soon as I get out, that'd be great."

OA: Is the NFL contract situation weighing on your mind as you head into the year?
RW: "I'm not worried about my contract. They're going to pay me $5.8 million. What I'm worried about is trying to get wins for the Detroit Lions. That's where we've struggled. They haven't made the playoffs since 1999. Therefore, that's my priority."

OA: What do you think the team needs to do to get to the playoffs?
RW: "Guys have to get used to winning. When we fumble the ball or throw an interception or somebody scores on us, our heads go down, instead of saying ‘Forget about it, let's play the next snap.' "

OA: How hard is it to start 6-2 and finish with a losing record?
RW: "At 6-2, you come in and everybody's saying ‘Good morning! What are we doing tonight?' When it gets to 6-7, 6-8, all those ‘good mornings' go away. Everybody's not as friendly as they used to be. Everybody likes to compete, and when you lose, it puts a damper on you. Everybody wants to talk about the Super Bowl, but I just want to talk about playoffs. Make the playoffs, and then we'll see what happens."

OA: Is it hard when something as simple as a flight getting cancelled becomes a big deal?
RW: "It is. I could see it if I didn't call my coach. As soon as the flight got cancelled, I called my coach. The flight got cancelled the next day, and I told my coach I wasn't going to come in for just one day. They were fine with that. That got blown out of proportion."

OA: What was it like to hear your name mentioned in trade rumors this offseason?
RW: "Now that was nerve-wracking. You kind of feel betrayed a little bit if they trade you, but that's the business. They want to win. If they can get more players for one player, that's the right business decision. I was hearing Dallas, and other teams, and everybody in Odessa wants me to be a Dallas Cowboy. I get tired of hearing that all the time, but they're diehard fans."

OA: Your brother, Lloyd Hill, lives in Dallas. If you're going to pick from any of the other NFL teams, Dallas has to sound pretty good, right?
RW: "Everybody wants to get back close to home. Playing for the Cowboys would be great. Playing for Houston would be great. Playing for Arizona would be great. If it's the Detroit Lions, I'm fine. There are a lot of guys that wish they were in this league."

OA: Does coaching these Permian players make you reflect on your time with the Panthers?
RW: "I told those guys to look at the Panthers sign. I have a couple numbers up there, but I don't have the big number. The last state championship was in 1991. That's 17 years. I looked at the players and told them, ‘Let's get on a roll.' I came close to a big number. I see '98 on that board up there and it makes me smile, but it's not the big number."

OA: Anything else you want to tell Odessa?
RW: "That big, castle-looking house on 191 on the way to Midland, over by Faudree Road? That is not my house. Everybody thinks it's my house, or my mama's house, but it's not my house."