Ryan Williams finally got a chance to take over the Arizona Cardinals' backfield in early October of last season, only to go down with an ill-timed season-ending shoulder injury.
Williams doesn't view the injury as a blown opportunity, however. In an interview with KGME-AM, Williams called the injury a "blessing in disguise" because he still was hovering around 80 percent in his recovery from patellar tendon surgery the previous season. It's an injury that has proven tough for any player to return, much less a physical tailback.
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Now feeling better than he has in two years, Williams will challenge Rashard Mendenhall for the starting running back job. Bruce Arians has gushed about Williams since taking over the head-coaching reins.
"I know Ryan can flat run the football," Arians said in February. "I know all about Ryan, and I love him."
Football aside, the most interesting portion of Williams' radio interview came in response to a question about cutting his long dreadlocks.
"I felt like I was gaining female tendencies," Williams explained, noting that he had begun the habit of flipping his hair back. "It started weirding me out. Females do that. I don't want to be some pretty dude."
Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter @ChrisWesseling.
