Williamson facing numbers game at WR

Troy Williamson gave the Jaguars a glimpse of the wide receiver they think he can be during the team's organized team activities this week. Williamson made an impressive sideline catch Monday and then ran behind two defenders to pull in a touchdown pass in the back corner of the end zone Tuesday. "Troy's done well,'' coach Jack Del Rio said. "He's done a nice job of competing.'' If Williamson keeps making plays like that, he can put himself in the mix for a wide receiver job at a position that became more competitive when the Jaguars signed free agent Torry Holt and drafted three rookie wide receivers. The Jaguars obtained Williamson, the seventh player chosen in the 2005 draft by Minnesota, in a trade last year for a sixth-round pick. Noted for his speed, Williamson caught only 79 passes in three years with the Vikings and gained a reputation for dropping passes. Williamson was hampered by thigh and groin injuries in his first year with the Jaguars . He appeared in only eight games, started two and caught only five passes, although he had a 69-yard play called back by penalty. "I think the key is for Troy to keep himself healthy so that he can have a chance to display his skill and his athleticism. He should be able to get some things done if he can stay on the Football field for us,'' Del Rio said. The other thing he has to do is catch the ball. "I make the easy catches always harder than what they're supposed to be and make the hard ones look easy,'' Williamson acknowledged. Del Rio doesn't want to dwell on Williamson's past problems. "To me, what was is not important as what is going forward. I think he's worked hard at focusing and being strong with his hands through the catch. Guys have a chance throughout their career to peel some of those labels off if they work at it, and he'll have that opportunity,'' he said. Jaguars assistant head coach/tight ends Mike Tice, the Vikings' head coach when Minnesota drafted Williamson, said the wide receiver still has to show he can catch the ball in traffic. "I'm not the receiver coach, but I did draft him so I feel I can speak on him. He had a solid rookie season [24 catches], but then for whatever reason, he had some setbacks. He needs to make some contested catches. He needs to take the ball from somebody. Hopefully, that'll happen,'' Tice said. Williamson said he enjoys playing for the Jaguars (he once threatened to fight Vikings coach Brad Childress, who fined him for not returning from his grandmother's funeral on time. Childress later rescinded the fine). He also became a father for the second time last week when his wife underwent an emergency C-section. Both mother and son are doing fine and Williamson said, "As long as she's good, I'm good.'' For now, he's concentrating on winning a job with the Jaguars and the competition is stiff. Holt, Mike Walker and Dennis Northcutt are the top three receivers and the Jaguars drafted three more, Mike Thomas, Jarett Dillard and Tiquan Underwood, in April. Williamson has caught the eye of quarterback David Garrard, who said, "He's actually been looking really good. He needs to use his speed, go down the field and make plays on the ball that we need him to and just make routine catches.'' Williamson said, "I've got to go out and work hard and catch everything and set myself apart from the other guys.'' But he's prepared to move on if he loses the numbers game. "If they think I need to go elsewhere, that's something that has to be done,'' he said. vito.stellino@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4279