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Bengals safety Madieu Williams and head coach Marvin Lewis are of one mind when it comes to Williams' play in 2006: It wasn't up to snuff.

They also agree that in order for the defense to show the kind of improvement it is seeking, Williams is going to have to play a key role. He will have to make more plays on the field, whether it is by defensive coaching design or Williams being more active on his own.

"I had some spots where I played well, but I've got to be able to put 16 games together," said Williams, who is entering his fourth season. "I can't have a game where I'm not being effective. I think in certain games, the way things were going I wasn't in the action.

"My number wasn't being called a lot, but it's one of those things where I'm not the type of guy who forces the action and I let the game come to me."

Williams did enough forcing of the action that he still led all Cincinnati defensive backs with 77 tackles. He also had three interceptions and was third on the team with 12 pass breakups, but it was the inconsistency of his play that most troubled him and Lewis.

"He's a better player than that and, just like we all were, I think he was a little disappointed," Lewis said. "I think he felt he could have been put into some situations where he could make more plays. Maybe we should have put him in more situations to make more plays and maybe as a player you make more plays. I think there is a little give and take there.

"But he was disappointed in it and I was disappointed in it because he is a guy that can make a lot of good football plays and we're going to do everything we can to give him those opportunities."

Williams was a jack-of-all-trades as a rookie in 2004. Even though safety is his natural position, Williams started at corner in the '04 opener against the New York Jets. He was beaten for a touchdown early in that game but regrouped to play well in the second half, including making a key stop on a third-down play to force a punt and give the offense a chance for one final drive. His 13 starts as a rookie came at three different positions.

His second season was to be different. He was to be stabilized as the free safety, and for the first three games he was, including what could be described as his best game as a Bengal in a 24-7 win at Chicago. Williams made nine tackles in that game, including several in the open field against Bears running back Thomas Jones, and added one of five interceptions the Bengals totaled in the win.

On the following Friday, however, during a light practice Williams suffered a torn labrum. He would play one more game that season before deciding the best course of action was to have surgery and get ready for 2006. The surgery, rehab and personal tragedy - his mother passed away and he took in his younger brother - all added up to a difficult year.

"This is a different guy. That's a good thing," Lewis said. "He doesn't have all of those pressures on him and you see that in him. You see a smile again. You see it in his play. I think having the whole year to train has been good. I see a different rapport back there between he and Dexter (Jackson) than we were experiencing here last year, and that's a good thing."

Williams and cornerback Deltha O'Neal came to the Bengals in the same year and for four years now they have been roommates at training camp. O'Neal has been to two Pro Bowls, one with the Bengals and one with Denver. Like his roommate, O'Neal is seeking to bounce back from a subpar season.

"When Madieu first got here he was like any rookie, he had that rookie status but from that time until now all I can say is he has matured," said O'Neal. "I look at him as more of a safety-slash-cornerback. He can play both and he's really good at it. If we need another corner in the game we can always count on him to go in and play. The versatility he has is good. You can put him in the slot and play dime or nickel as well as playing safety or corner. He's an all-around guy. They've got Ethan (Kilmer) being a three-way; well, Madieu could be the four-way."

Williams and O'Neal have already spoken about their four years together, the present nature of this team and what the future could hold for them. Williams is in the final year of his contract and could become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. O'Neal has two more seasons left on the five-year contract he signed when the Bengals traded for him prior to the 2004 draft, but he said this past spring that has a desire to renegotiate his deal.

"Deltha was saying how time flies," Williams said. "It hits home when you realize that you are in your fourth year and you've been here for a while. It's one of those things where you have to make the most of your opportunities."

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs....4/1022/RSS0302