Williams Injury Bigger Than Just Missing Preseason

One of the best defensive linemen in the NFL, Kevin Williams of the Minnesota Vikings, may miss the rest of the preseason because of plantar fasciitis.

This is a big issue, not solely because of his injury, but because Williams is still in question on whether he will miss the first four games of the regular season.

For those who may not remember, Williams, along with former teammate and linemate Pat Williams, have been back and forth with the courts and NFL in regards to their StarCaps case.

Both used the supplement for weight loss, but found out later that it contained an ingredient that was a banned substance for the NFL.

If Williams is suspended for four games, yes it will hurt the Vikings in those games, but also for future games.

Lets not forget that Williams, come Week 5, will have only played in two preseason games with limited playing time.

Add the lockout onto that with no OTA’s, Williams could be starting his season pretty raw if suspended and coming in Week 5.

Most occurrences, missing preseason games in not the end of the world. Peyton Manning has missed significant time in the preseason and has faired well when returning.

This might be different. First, it’s a foot injury on a big guy, who is pretty active in both the run and passing game.

Williams also moves well for his size and an injury like this could hamper him a bit.

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said in a blog post by Mark Craig of the Star Tribune, "I think he's going to be all right. We got to give him a few days with his foot and he should be all right."

Those few days are important and Williams and the Vikings can’t afford his injury to get any worse.

Plantar fasciitis can linger for weeks and if surgery is needed there is the risk of nerve damage and infection.

All in all, this is a bigger deal than what Frazier is panning it out to be. For the Vikings sake, hopefully Williams does not have a severe case of plantar fasciitis, because his near future is in question and any more time missed could be detrimental to the Vikings.