D.J. Williams handles the middle; Bostic remains on bench
BY ADAM L. JAHNS Staff Reporter September 8, 2013 7:34PM
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Updated: September 8, 2013 9:13PM
Linebacker D.J. Williams wasn’t going to come off the field if he had a choice. And since Williams did after getting the start over rookie Jon Bostic at middle linebacker, he played as much as he could.
“I knew I was going to play base,” Williams said after the Bears’ 24-21 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals at Soldier Field on Sunday. “The amount of plays were determined on the way the game went, whether it was a base game [or] a nickel game. They came out in a lot of two tight-end formations and still lined up in nickel formations, which kept me on the field.
“They told me if I got fatigued just tap my helmet, but that’s not really my nature. I just tried to stay in and give it what I got.”
After missing all of the preseason with a right calf injury, Williams said he had to shake off “a little bit of rust.” With it being a tight game, Bostic also never relieved Williams.
“I feel good,” Williams said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve actually put a bunch of plays together,” Williams said. “There is going to be a little bit of rust. But I went out there, I thought my conditioning was pretty well and gave everything I had.”
Williams said he felt comfortable with his assignments.
“Definitely,” Williams said. “Even while I was hurt, I did a lot of studying and looking at things and watching plays from the sideline. But you do have to see it live. As the game went on, I felt the progressions getting a little better.”
Email: ajahns@suntimes.com
Twitter: @adamjahns
