Must-watch: Jamaal Williams mic’d up for Lions practice

“I gotta use my censor words today… like, balarky.”

The Detroit Lions multimedia team is one of the best in the NFL and when they strike gold on an idea—which they often do—they’re not afraid to lean into it. Well, the Lions signed a media goldmine this offseason in Jamaal Williams, and the team wasted no time getting him mic’d up for practice.

Earlier in camp, Williams admitted to be not much of a morning person and it takes him a bit to get his energy up. But despite the Lions starting most training camp practices at 8:30 in the morning, Williams is always one of the first players out of the building, and when he walks onto the field, he commands it like a ring master.

From the moment the video starts, we are able to witness Williams’ mind in motion, as he is constantly sharing a running commentary on the happenings around him.

“It’s like you can hear my inner thoughts,” Williams said. “Cause I talk to myself. This man literally talks to himself all day. I feel like I have a diary with me. Just sitting on my chest somewhere… I feel like I got the cricket from Pokino…oh, oh, Pinocchio?”

This is just the tip of the iceberg in the 11-minute video, where Williams brings tons of one-liners. Here’s a small sampling:

• “Oh, mustache all day? Alright.”
• “I gotta use my censor words today… like, balarky.”
• “Do you not know that your real name is a dance on Rick and Morty?”
• “R-rawr”
• To Muhlbach: “Just to let you know, in anime, the oldest person with the grey hair be the strongest…”
• “Spongebob (deep breath) need (deep breath) his water.”
• “Frank (Ragnow). Just built like a god.”
• “57 (Anthony Pittman) got a big head, little hands.”
• “That boy Saint (Amon-Ra St. Brown) got some swag on him”
• “That boy Saint playing like a dangerous rubberband out here.”
• “You most definitely could be a ninja.”

His infectious energy also brings the best out in his teammates and coaches. Here are a few more quoted highlights:

• “J-Dub. You’re a (expletive) warrior. You’re a (expletive) warrior. Every (expletive) play.” — Dan Campbell
• “Hey, come in here nice and tight. Grizzlyman outdoors. Grizzlyman outdoors. Grizzlyman outdoors.” — Ragnow

You can watch the entire video in the clip below (or if it fails to load, use this link)

If you watch this and end up thinking, “I need MORE Jamal Williams in my life,” good news. We interviewed him twice this offseason. Watch those interview here and here.