Injury gives veteran Williams shot at CB

Brian Williams was watching the Monday night game between the Giants and the Bears and he saw Terrell Thomas limp off the field after injuring his knee. He felt bad for Thomas, but in the back of his mind he knew that it probably would mean an opportunity for him.

"That's kind of the situation I was falling into," Williams said Thursday, "waiting around to see what the younger guys could do and for injuries."

The Giants did call Williams, brought him in for a tryout on Wednesday, and signed him later that evening. He practiced Thursday and Tom Coughlin said he'll be expected to play in the preseason game against the Jets Saturday afternoon.

"I'm learning as fast as I can," Williams said. "I think it'll take a couple more days. I just need to learn the terminology and translate it to what I already know. Most defenses are pretty much the same so it shouldn't take too long."

This is Williams' 10th season in the NFL. He spent his last two years with the Falcons, where he was a starter in 2009 but suffered an ACL injury that ended his season in the fifth game. He came back last year, appearing in all 16 games for Atlanta but starting just once. He said the Falcons told his agent that they wanted to focus on younger players at the position, so they did not resign the 32-year-old.

That meant waiting around, hoping to get a call. His phone buzzed a few times, he said, but it was mostly teams just telling him to be ready and stay in shape. The Giants offered him his first actual workout.

The Giants needed somebody who could step in and play cornerback at an NFL level. Williams fits that need. He's not flashy, but he's a smart veteran who probably won't make many mistakes.

"I would say I'm a very good player in this league," Williams said. "I have numbers to show it. But it's not about me. I think I can contribute to this team in more than one way so I'm just ready to get rolling."

Before his injury two years ago, Williams was a starter for pretty much his entire career with the Vikings and Jaguars. He won't begin his time with the Giants as a starter -- Corey Webster and Aaron Ross appear to have those jobs with Thomas done for the year -- but Williams made it clear he hopes to return to a starting level of play, even if he does not have the actual title.

"I definitely want to get back to that point in my career, finish what I started," he said. "But whatever role, I'm here to accept it and do the best I can with that."

He'll have to climb the ladder, but it's a short one. The Giants have only five other healthy cornerbacks on the roster after losing Thomas, Brian Witherspoon and Bruce Johnson to season-ending injuries and having to wait another two months or so for the return of first-round pick Prince Amukamara from a fractured bone in his foot.

"This is awesome," Williams said. "Who wouldn't want to play for the New York Giants? With the opportunity at hand, it's a great situation for me."