Jamo off to a rough start but will be a star in Detroit

I remain bullish on Detroit Lions Jameson Williams despite an uneven preseason game against the New York Giants. Jamo is a guy you remain patient on because of his warp speed and willingness to learn. The Lions want him to learn the scheme, the quarterback’s game, the rotation of the ball and defensive coverages. I am waiting for him to become a professional.

That is more important and it is something that will become engrained in him as he matures with age. For Jamo, this is all a game to him. The social media, the parties in Vegas and his flippant attitude.

What he must learn is pro sports might be fun, but it is not all fun and games. This is a business. The organization is vested. The fans are vested. His teammates are vested.

“I feel like his approach has been really good the last seven days,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “I mean taking a total leap. It’s all about getting better and growth, and this was step one. Man, he needed this. He didn’t have a preseason last year. I kind of feel like he’s starting from square one, so this is a step in the right direction.”

For the most part preseason games are garbage. The main objective is for the starters not to get injured. And for the reserves to find a spot on second string, third string or screaming “Have it your way” at Burger King.

This preseason is way more than that for Jameson. He played six games his rookie year and will miss the first six games of the 2023 season because of a bogus gambling infraction that shouldn’t even be on the books.

The NFL has it in place so it is only right that Jameson and the Lions suffer.

Following the Lions final preseason game at Carolina later this month we won’t see Jamo again until Oct. 22 at the Baltimore Ravens. That’s a long time and in the meantime Jameson must prove to himself and his teammates that he can be effective and play.

We wish that Jameson could have had duplicated undrafted free agent Chase Cota, who caught four balls for 60 yards. Jamo caught two passes for 18 yards. He also dropped a potential 42 yard pass that above average receivers are expected to haul in.

Meanwhile, he is target number one from Lions fans. He’s feeling the heat here much the same way that Eric Ebron felt the heat and needed to get away to get any semblance of a game.

Fans were also rough on Charles Rogers and Mike Williams for immature behavior. They did not work out here. There was also scrutiny on Herman Moore for dropping passes early in his career. Moore remained a professional. His problem is he could not see and the Lions got the proper equipment to help with his eyesight.

Jamo is a work in progress. He’s done everything wrong in the eyes of Lions fans. However, my gut tells me we will be singing his praises for much of his career.

The question is when?

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For more from the author Terry Foster, check him out on Twitter here: @terryfosterdet

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Original Photo Credit: © Junfu Han / Detroit Free Press / USA Today Network