DeAngelo Williams has rushed for over 7500 yards and 50 touchdowns in his ten year career. But don’t bother telling him that. At 32, numbers are relevant. Only wins matter.
“I’m at the point in my career where you can put up all the numbers you want to, you can swing whatever statistic you want to swing, but it doesn’t matter if you don’t get to the Super Bowl and win,” he told reporters.
It’s more evidence of his team-first mindset from comments like these to telling Todd Haley mid-game he doesn’t need extra carries. At his age, winning rises above all the numbers.
“Your age,” Williams replied when asked why the mindset changes over the course of time. “And the amount of opportunities you get out here playing this game. The biggest picture that you see is making it to the Super Bowl and winning it. There’s a lot of guys who have played 14, 15, 16 years, and never been there. You go to a couple teams and there’s guys who have never been to a playoff game.”
While Williams has experienced playoff football, his opportunities have been relatively scarce. He’s played in only four postseason contests and until 2013, had only played in one game. The Carolina Panthers lost in the divisional round to the Seattle Seahawks 31-17 in 2014. Williams carried the ball only twice in the loss. He’s only been heavily involved in one of the four, his very first playoff appearance back in 2008. He rushed 12 times for 63 yards in a 33-13 loss versus the Arizona Cardinals.
Should the Steelers make the playoffs, Williams gets to be the lead dog again.
Though the numbers ultimately don’t matter, they’re what drive you to winning Super Bowls. And Williams’ stats have been spectacular, averaging 4.9 yards per carry while finding the end zone six times for the Pittsburgh Steelers this season. As we and others have pointed out on an almost weekly basis, he’s been an asset in blitz pickup, too, something the numbers will never be able to show.
