No 49ers player has more to make amends for this weekend than Kyle Williams.
Which is why he didn’t bother trying to make Sunday’s NFC Championship Game rematch with the Giants just another game.
“After what happened last year, I definitely want to get back at these guys,” Williams said, via Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. “We look at it as if they have something that we should have had. We’re going to make sure we don’t leave anything on the field again.”
Like, you know, the football.
Williams’ two fumbles on punt returns were signature plays, burned into the memory of anyone who saw the game. The second one set up the Giants’ game-winning field goal in overtime.
Asked if that play would be in the 49ers collective head, the guy who stripped it said he expected so.
“I’m pretty sure,” Giants linebacker Jacquian Williams said, via Jenny Vrentas of the Newark Star-Ledger. “I’m pretty sure any team would be. They’ll be aware of it, but I don’t expect them to shy away from what their plans are to do. I don’t expect them to fair catch it or anything.”
If nothing else, the fumbles changed the way Williams approached the offseason, increasing his workouts. He came back stronger, and has handled returns without a hitch and caught his first touchdown pass last week.
So as much as it will be on his mind, he’s at ease going into the game.
“I’m comfortable in the way I approach every single game,” Williams said. “I’ll be comfortable this week going into it. I can’t wait. I’m not trying to do too much. We don’t need anyone to do too much on this team. Everybody plays their role and does what they have to do. We’ll be fine. We’re a great team.”
Of course, Williams knows better than anyone how an individual mistake can overshadow team success.