Rookie LB Williams has TE Davis in his sights

Jacquian Williams saw Vernon Davis galloping all over the field in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game against the Saints, hauling in passes, breaking big plays, and ultimately catching the game-winning touchdown pass.

"I thought he made some good plays, but my biggest thing was hopefully it'll be my turn to cover him," Williams said Thursday.

Would the Giants' rookie linebacker have made a difference in that game?

"I don't know," he said. "All I can say is I like my cover skills. I like the way I cover. I can't call or say if he would have caught it or not, but I definitely would have had good coverage."

That hasn't always been the case. Williams struggled early in the season covering tight ends. He had the athleticism but not the refinement. In recent weeks, though, he's been a big part of the team's clampdown on some big tight ends, including Jason Witten, Dustin Keller, Tony Gonzalez and Jermichael Finley. In the last six games, not one scored a TD against the Giants.

In a league in which tight ends have become the new gotta-have-it offensive toy, speedy linebackers such as Williams and Michael Boley have become even more valuable. Boley recognizes that Williams' athleticism beats his own.

"He's a different cat than me," Boley said. "He has it all. To actually sit out there and watch him for the first day that the rookies got here and his ability and the way he goes from sideline to sideline, it is tough to mimic that at the linebacker position."

Williams was just starting to get the hang of things when the Giants faced the 49ers in mid-November. He said he's improved tremendously since then. "As far as man coverage, I'm a lot better," he said. "I've definitely come a long road from there."

Part of the Giants' strategy to slow down Davis will be to hit him at the line of scrimmage.

"That's the key," defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said. "Can we smack them in the mouth and be physical with them and they'll be physical with us? When it's all said and done, who wins the physical battle?"

After that, it also helps to have a linebacker such as Williams who can go stride-for-stride with a tight end who runs like a receiver, as Davis does. As Finley did for the Packers until the Giants got to him.

Williams said Finley and Davis are the two most athletic tight ends he's gone up against in his short career. Ultimately, he gave the nod to Finley for being the most athletic. So it stands to reason that if he handled Finley, he thinks he can handle Davis.

"Hopefully," he said. "All I can say is that I don't always cover tight ends, but if I have the opportunity, I'm going to make it work. I'm going to do my best."