INDIANAPOLIS — Jon Beason speaks as if he’s auditioning for a role on Broadway — or at least cable sports network — with his perfect pitch and his made-for-broadcast voice. Jameel McClain also has the gift of gab and when he gets going can challenge even the most capable stenographer.
Then there is Jacquian Williams, the third of the three starting linebackers for the Giants, who at times is barely audible with his soft and hushed tones, never rushed to get the words out.
That doesn’t mean Williams has nothing to say.
There was a buzz in training camp that Williams is on the verge of having a breakout season. Beason praised the youngish linebackers on the roster and used the word “especially’’ to express his belief in Williams.
Beason, once he returns from the foot injury that kept him out of camp and will keep him sidelined for Saturday night’s preseason game against the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium, is a proven commodity. It’s the same with McClain, who played plenty of good football with the Ravens. Williams, entering his fourth and possibly last season with the Giants, has flirted with breaking into the spotlight, but has never taken a full step forward.
Maybe this is the year.
“I will be a part and I will bring my own identity to the team,’’ Williams told The Post. “But one person can only go so far. For my perspective and for what Jacquian Williams will bring it’s definitely going to be a good year because it’s starting off good. And that’s the way it has to end.’’
How it ends is up to Williams, who at 26 years old and in the final year of his contract is at a career crossroads. The Giants have a way of taking linebackers midway or late in the NFL Draft — Williams was a sixth-round pick in 2011 — using them primarily on special teams and spot duty on defense for three or four years and not re-signing them when their contracts expire. In order to avoid heading in that direction, Williams needs to show he’s more than an occasional starter — he has made 13 starts in his 42 games — and has the instincts to play the position, as no one questions his athletic ability.
“I think Jacquian Williams has made great strides since his rookie year and he’s performed like he’s a three-down player thus far in this camp,’’ defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said. “That’s a plus for us.
“Just confidence in his run fits, confidence in his coverage ability, his knowledge of his assignments, executing his assignments with speed, coming back with feedback, knowing the other positions, saying, ‘I know he was supposed to be here, this is what I did,’ and being able to have a good football conversation about what occurred on that play.’’
Williams arrived as sleek and undersized at 224 pounds, but has settled in at 234 and has shown potential running with tight ends. He has been part of a unit that is often criticized for being a weak link, but that talk has quieted this summer, as long as Beason is healthy. There’s a precocious rookie in Devon Kennard, whose body looks NFL-ready, and a capable spot starter in Spencer Paysinger. But for the linebacker corps to take off, Williams has to be on the launching pad.
“I personally think besides injuries of other players, like Jon Goff got injured, Clint Sintum got injured, the linebackers I’ve always been here with, I feel like they were always underrated,’’ Williams said. “I feel like I’ve always been around a group of good guys. But this year I’m part of the starting role off the bat, so that’s something that does justice for me and the linebacker corps. It’s a different attitude from my perspective as far as the other years I’ve been here.
“When we had Chase [Blackburn], Kiwi [Mathias Kiwanuka] and [Michael] Boley I don’t think they should have been underrated. When we had Beason, Spencer and Keith Rivers they shouldn’t have been underrated. Now that we got me, Beason and McClain, we shouldn’t be underrated. We should be talked about. It’s a strong group and the guys are playing in the right positions. … If we do what we’re supposed to do with the guys we have in the room that can motivate us and fill in any spots if needed, there’s no doubting us.’’