Despite saying all year that his back was fine, there was ongoing concern about back spasms. As Matthew Riggs-Stites, a source close to Buccaneers team doctor Joeseph Diaco confided, those back spasms were really herniated disks.

Herniated disks can range in severity, sometimes requiring surgery. Because Williams played all season until week 16 (when a foot injury benched him), they were apparently not too serious. The injury occurs when the disk surrounding a bone in the spinal cord is popped loose and presses against the nerve. In Cadillac’s case, this may have caused pain, but not enough to keep him from playing.

However, his total carries were limited from 290 in ‘05 to 225 in ‘06 (Both seasons he played 14 games.) A significant dropoff was seen in yardage and his yards per carry was down to 3.5. He topped 20 carries in only four games and was in the single digits for carries twice, also accruing 11 carries twice.

Herniated disks do not heal on their own, so this may affect him for the rest of his career. They may get worse as he ages, especially considering his already well-documented injury history. He still may be a solid back, but don’t expect him to take in excess of 300 carries.

More on Cadillac Williams: Herniated Disks May Have Affected Cadillac Williams in Week One
Cadillac Williams hurt vs. Seattle by ongoing herniated disk problems.

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