The Detroit Lions don't retire numbers, but it felt too soon to see Jameson Williams wearing Matthew Stafford's No. 9 in his NFL debut last week.
The Lions were playing the Jacksonville Jaguars at Ford Field and receiver Jameson Williams trotted out for his NFL debut wearing No. 9, Stafford’s longtime number. It was more than a number in Stafford’s 12 years in Detroit. It became a nickname. Teammates called him “Nine” as a term of endearment.Williams received a strong ovation from fans giddy with excitement, watching the first steps in the promising young career of a first-round draft pick. But it felt wrong to see him in that number.
I was also surprised by how sad that made me feel; Stafford’s time in Detroit was being slowly erased before my eyes, like Marty McFly disappearing from his family photos. A few years ago,, which also was a form of erasing Stafford’s legacy, since he took the Lions to three wild-card appearances without a victory.
The strange thing about No. 9, or any other number worn by a notable player, is that it comes to represent him. Ironically, Stafford never even wanted No. 9. He wanted No. 7, which he wore at Georgia, but it was out of circulation because of Clark. It makes me feel for Williams a bit when I think of him running around Lions headquarters trying to figure out what number he could wear.
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