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Carnell Williams

1/4/2006

Williams held off former college teammate and current Miami Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown and Pittsburgh tight end Heath Miller to claim the Associated Press NFL Rookie of the Year award. The Buccaneers' tailback, who was the fifth overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, finished the regular season with 1,178 yards and six touchdowns on 290 carries. He also hauled in 20 passes for 81 yards.

12/18/2005

Williams was held to just 23 rushing yards on 14 carries in Saturday's 28-0 loss at New England. The longest run of the day for the Buccaneers' running back was only three yards. The effort snapped a string of four straight games with 80 rushing yards or more for Williams.

12/11/2005

Williams had 29 carries for 112 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 20-10 win at Carolina. It was the first career multi-TD game for the Buccaneers' rookie running back, who also topped 100 rushing yards for the fifth time this season.

11/21/2005

Limited by a sprained foot and strained hamstring, Williams averaged just 20.5 yards per contest over his previous four games going into Sunday's matchup with Atlanta. However, the Buccaneers' rookie running back returned to his early season form, rushing for 116 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries in a 30-27 victory over the Falcons. He also added three catches for 13 yards.

11/8/2005

According to Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden, Williams likely will be forced to play through discomfort in his foot the remainder of the 2005 campaign. As a result, the team might get other running backs more involved in the offense going forward, meaning Michael Pittman, Earnest Graham and Mike Alstott should see a few more opportunities, unless Williams suddenly becomes pain-free.

10/28/2005

As he had hoped, Williams has been able to work out with Buccaneers the past couple of days and has reported no major problems. The rooke running back, who missed the team's last two games and sat out much of the bye week with a strained hamstring and sprained left foot, remains listed as questionable on the injury report and reportedly will be a game-time decision.

10/25/2005

After missing the Buccaneers' last two games and sitting out much of the team's bye week with a strained hamstring and sprained left foot, Williams plans to return to practice later this week. The rookie running back is expected to be listed as questionable on the Bucs' injury report, but barring any setbacks, he should be good to go for Sunday's meeting with the San Francisco 49ers.

10/16/2005

ESPN is reporting that Williams will not play for Tampa Bay on Sunday, when the Bucs host the Miami Dolphins. It was widely reported late this week that the rookie running back was experiencing no problems with his strained hamstring and sprained left foot, but now ESPN is saying Michael Pittman will start in place of Williams.

10/13/2005

Williams returned to practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wednesday and reported no major problems with his strained hamstring and sprained left foot. As long as he doesn't suffer any setbacks over the next couple of days, the rookie running back plans to be in the lineup for Sunday's meeting with the Miami Dolphins. Officially, he has been listed as questionable on the Bucs' injury report, not probable as head coach Jon Gruden predicted earlier in the week.

10/10/2005

According to Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden, Williams should return to the lineup when the team takes the field against the Miami Dolphins next weekend, barring any setbacks. The rookie running back, who missed Sunday's loss to the New York Jets with a strained hamstring and sprained foot, will be listed as probable on this week's injury report. Williams spent the majority of last week on the sidelines with his foot in a protective boot.

10/9/2005

Williams showed improvement on a daily basis, but still was unable to practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week. As a result, the rookie running back, who is nursing a sprained foot and strained hamstring, will not play in Sunday's meeting with the New York Jets. He had been listed as questionable on the team's injury report. Michael Pittman will get the starting nod in Williams' absence.

10/6/2005

Williams' strained hamstring has improved this week, but the Buccaneers are more concerned with his sprained foot. The rookie running back admitted that it might be smart for him to sit out a game and let his injuries heal, while head coach Jon Gruden indicated Williams would have to improve significantly over the next couple of days to have any shot at playing this weekend. Officially, he has been listed as questionable.

10/3/2005

Despite missing some practice time last week with a sprained foot, Williams was in the Buccaneers' starting lineup for Sunday's matchup with the Detroit Lions. However, the Bucs' rookie running back strained his left hamstring in the third quarter and was forced to watch the rest of the game from the sidelines. He will be re-evaluated over the next couple of days to determine the extent of the injury, but he seemed optimistic that he'd be ready for Tampa's next game.

10/2/2005

Williams was removed from the game when he suffered a hamstring injury. At the time of the injury, Tampa Bay's rookie running back had only 13 yards rushing on 11 carries. We will pass on more information as soon as it is known.

9/29/2005

Williams practiced with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wednesday, albeit on a limited basis. The team is being cautious with the rookie running back, who is nursing a sprained foot. However, the injury is considered very minor, and Williams has been listed as probable for Sunday's meeting with the Detroit Lions. He'll be in the starting lineup this weekend.

9/26/2005

Williams was busy in Sunday's win over the Green Bay Packers, carrying the ball a career-high 37 times for 158 yards, notching his third consecutive 100-yard performance. With 434, the Buccaneers' rookie running back now holds the all-time record for most rushing yardage in the first three games of his NFL career, breaking the mark previously held by Alan Ameche.

9/25/2005

Williams practiced both Thursday and Friday without incident, and will be in the starting lineup today against the Green Bay Packers.

9/22/2005

Receiving treatment on a daily basis, Williams has reported that his sprained left foot continues to show improvement, and the injury will not prevent him from missing any time in Sunday's meeting with the Green Bay Packers. The Buccaneers have been limiting the rookie running back's work in practice this week, purely as a precautionary measure. Through two games, Williams has 276 yards and two touchdowns on 51 carries.

9/19/2005

Coming off last weekend's 148-yard performance in his NFL regular-season debut, Williams rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries in Sunday's win over the Buffalo Bills. The Buccaneers' rookie running back posted the impressive totals despite playing with a sprained left foot, an injury suffered in the first half of the contest.

9/12/2005

Williams had a solid regular-season debut in Sunday's victory over the Minnesota Vikings, rushing for 148 yards on 27 carries. Nearly half of the rookie running back's total for the game came on a 71-yard touchdown run with less than two minutes remaining in the contest. Williams was the fifth overall pick in this year's draft.

7/29/2005

Williams agreed to terms with the Buccaneers early Friday morning on a deal that had the No. 5 overall selection in the 2005 draft in camp on Friday for the team's first official practice. Details of the contract were not officially released, though reports had the terms pegged at five years and $19 million ($15 million guaranteed). Incentive packages could push the total for the former Auburn standout to as much as $31 million over the life of the pact.