Seahawks' Mike Williams shaping up for breakthrough season

RENTON — Mike Williams returned to USC's campus last November, overweight, unfulfilled and talking about a comeback.

In hindsight, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll can see the significance.

"He came through and said he was going to do this and that," said Carroll, who coached Williams in college. "I kind of didn't think much of it at the time because he was probably 30 pounds heavier than he is right now."

That day marked a turning point in Williams' conditioning, and perhaps his football career. For the past three weeks, the receiver has shown flashes of the talent that once made him a top-10 draft choice. Signed by Seattle to a one-year contract after a tryout in April, Williams is attempting to grab hold of this opportunity to return to the NFL after spending the past two seasons out of the league.

"He's definitely at a place where he's really competitive physically," Carroll said. "It's the best I've seen him since maybe his sophomore year of college. He's very serious about it, so maybe he gets a chance to give us some help."

Williams is one of two former first-round receivers trying to play their way back into the league. The other is Reggie Williams, who attended Lakes High School and the University of Washington. Reggie's conditioning is improving, but Mike has really distinguished himself since his tryout, showing his talent was just buried underneath the weight he accumulated with bad habits and late nights.

"One of my main problems early in my career was I was trying to bring friends and family along to enjoy the experience of being an NFL player," he said. "Being able to go hang out in the clubs, just developed some real bad habits."

Chosen by Detroit with the 10th pick in 2005, Williams played two seasons with Detroit before being traded to Oakland. He didn't last past October with the Raiders; he then signed with Tennessee, where he never caught a pass. The Titans let go of Williams before the 2008 season, and last year he found himself in Los Angeles, a football player without a job in a city without a franchise.

"It's an empty feeling," he said. "You're sitting here and you've got this money, and you've got a nice house and a car and everything like that. But you're still empty. because you want to be a football player but you're not a football player."

There were no injuries to point to. No excuses, either. Williams managed 44 receptions in his three pro seasons — not what anyone imagined after he caught 176 passes in two seasons for USC.

The 6-foot-5 Williams reportedly weighed as much as 270 pounds with Tennessee. Now at 230, he's proving to be a big-bodied receiver who just might be capable of contributing to a rebuilding team.

During Saturday's practice, Williams caught a pass from Matt Hasselbeck on an in route and didn't even break stride when cornerback Chris Richards crashed into him and fell to the turf. Williams ran over the middle, turned upfield toward the end zone and pointed to the sky to celebrate.

Is this the best Williams has felt since entering the NFL?

"It really isn't even a question," he said. "I've changed a lot of bad habits. There's an infatuation with the results. You just kind of want to keep at it and keep at it. As I told coach Carroll, 'I want to see how far I can take it.' "

Hill held out

of practice

Linebacker Leroy Hill did not attend the team's three-day minicamp, told by the team to stay home after he was arrested and charged with domestic violence in Issaquah last month.

Carroll was asked Sunday to clarify whether the league has instructed Hill to be held out of activities.

"It's our decision," he said. "We don't need the distraction right now, and he needs to focus on getting his business taken care of, and then we'll see where it goes later."

Hill pleaded guilty to misdemeanor possession of marijuana earlier this month in Georgia. A little more than a week later, he was arrested after police responded to a call of a domestic disturbance.

Both Hill and his live-in girlfriend called police. Hill was arrested after his girlfriend alleged he had pushed her down stairs, scratched her arm and pulled her hair, according to the police report. Hill maintained there was no physical contact with her during the altercation.

Note

• WR Chris Dubalt signed with Seattle after a three-day tryout.

Danny O'Neil: 206-464-2364 or doneil@seattletimes.com