Panther Talk: Jamar Williams

Story by Matt Young | August 27, 2010 | Tags: carolina panthers, football, Sports

By Matt Young

Cary, NC – I’m a big football fan. Love my NFL Giants. But a fan’s got to root for the home team, and now my home team is the Carolina Panthers.

Sure, they play in Charlotte. But it’s not the Charlotte Panthers. Noooooo. It’s the Cary-lina Panthers.

So, in this space, you’ll see some occasional musings and news about “our” Panthers. This week, I talked to outside linebacker Jamar Williams about the team and about moving to NC.

Brooklyn, Texas, Arizona & Chicago

Jamar was raised in Brooklyn, NY moving to Houston,TX when he was ten years old.  His college career was at Arizona State.

He spent the last four years with Chicago, where he played with the likes of greats Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs.

Now he hopes to help bolster the defense of the Carolina Panthers, a team that failed to make the playoffs last year at 8-8.

Football? What’s that?

Coming south the first time in his life at ten, from New York City, he never played football, just basketball.

The day they were moving into their new place in Houston was the last day for Football Little League sign-ups. One of the neighbors came to their door and convinced Jamar’s mom to sign him up. In Texas, it’s all about football.

“I never played football before. Even when I got older, I didn’t follow any teams.  Just certain players. My favorite was (LB -Tampa Bay Bucs)  Derrick Brooks. I played tailback at first when we moved to Houston. But I didn’t like getting hit. I hated getting hit.  We played both ways and my dad told me that when I was on defense I had my chance to get back at the other team by delivering the punishment.  I became a linebacker over time.”

People Are Real Here

Jamar was happy to come here. He’s a southern guy. He loves soul food and named all his favorite restaurants in Charlotte for me.  After he was traded to the Panthers, he quickly moved to the Lake Wylie area.  He told me the minute it was announced his “phone was being blown up” by his many relatives in the Raleigh area.

“As far as New York goes I miss the pizza. Chicago pizza doesn’t come close. But I am glad to be back in the south. People are real here.”

The 2010 Panthers

Jamar hopes to be able to start for the Panthers this year.  Williams also says that he hopes he can contribute on special teams.  He hasn’t had much action so far this season with some injuries.

He is healed now, he practiced this week and is ready to play in Saturday’s home pre-season game against the Tennessee Titans.

This Panthers team has lost five-time Pro-Bowl defensive end (and Carolina alumnus) Julius Peppers in free agency, along with a half dozen other defensive players leaving the team in trades, cuts and injuries.

The interesting thing is that despite this, the bright spot of the pre-season has been the defense.

Jamar Williams is hoping to be part of that continued success in the regular season.